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UDL is a framework for how to develop lesson plans and assessments. It's based on three main principles:

1. Engagement

Look for ways to motivate learners and sustain their interest. Here are some examples:

Let people make choices

Give assignments that feel relevant to their lives

Make skillbuilding feel like a game

Create opportunities for learners to get up and move around

2. Representation

Offer information in more than one format. For example, the instructor could provide a worksheet along with:

3. Action and expression

Give learners more than one way to interact with the material and to show what they know. For example, they might get to choose between:

See a side-by-side comparison of UDL and traditional education .

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What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?

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UDL is a framework for how to develop lesson plans and assessments. It's based on three main principles: Look for ways to motivate learners and sustain their interest. Here are some examples: Let people make choices Give assignments that feel relevant to their lives Make skillbuilding feel like a game Create opportunities for learners to get up and move around Offer information in more than one format.

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As the new school year nears, ASHA is offering advice for parents of the more than 1 million U.S. children who receive school-based treatment for speech and language disorders to help their children perform and adjust to new virtual and modified in-person learning environments.

Virtual Settings

Below are some specific challenges that children with speech and language disorders may have in virtual settings-and tips for improving their success.

How to Help: Parents can make sure their teacher knows what supports or strategies the child needs. These may include asking a child to repeat what they said, say it using different words, type it in the chat, draw it on a whiteboard, or use gestures if others don't understand. Parents also can encourage the teacher and classmates to tell the child if they don't understand them.

How to Help: Make sure that the teacher knows what supports or strategies your child may need. These may include use of captioning, additional "wait time" to allow the child to process information, or rephrasing of messages if the child doesn't seem to understand. Parents can encourage their child to speak up if they didn't understand-and even develop a script for doing so (e.g., "I didn't get it-say it again, please").

How to Help: Consider the physical setup of the child's work area, such as seating comfort, screen glare, and lighting. Try to find a quiet spot, accounting for noise from appliances (e.g., dishwasher, washer/dryer); from other people in the house; or from outside (e.g., from open windows). Eliminate technology-based distractions by closing other applications, turning off alerts, and covering distracting parts of the screen (e.g., their own image or those of particular classmates) with sticky notes.

How to Help: Ask the teacher if it's possible to use breakout rooms with smaller groups for some lessons or set up after-school virtual activities. Organize phone calls and virtual play dates. Use social stories (short stories that illustrate a particular situation that may be challenging for children) to help explain the need for separation.

How to Help: Make room in the daily schedule for "ramp-up time" if a child needs additional time to get ready to learn or "cool-down time" to transition out of learning. Using a visual schedule to show the times for various tasks-and to highlight upcoming fun activities or breaks-can help. Also, provide lots of movement opportunities: pair review of educational content with physical activity (e.g., practice times tables during a walk around the block), and alternate educational time with physical time, when possible.

How to Help: Consider the timing of meals, sleep, medication, and sibling schedules to find the best time to complete these tasks.

How to Help: Communicate with the teacher and school speech-language pathologist about challenges. Parents can even take a video of some challenges in action so professionals can offer feedback. Use a visual schedule to show "practice with mom" or "homework with dad" time. Consider cooperative groups or pods to share responsibilities with other families if you feel it's safe (share your child's communication needs with other parents or helpers).

In-Person Settings

The physical school environment will look very different, and change can be especially hard for children with speech and language disorders.

How to Help: Help a child be prepared for these changes-use social stories, visual schedules, and other visual supports to help set expectations. Have them practice telling the teacher if they're not feeling well or need to use the bathroom.

Challenge #2: Mask/Face Covering Use by Students. Students may be bothered by masks or find them uncomfortable. They also won't be able to see facial expressions and other visual cues that aid in communication with their peers when solid face coverings are used.

How to Help: Use social stories on wearing a mask, decorate and personalize the child's mask, have them practice wearing the mask at home for longer periods of time to increase tolerance, and help them identify a "mask model"-someone the child looks up to who wears a mask. Practice using and interpreting facial expressions using the eyes and upper part of the face at home with the child.

How to Help: Review pictures of friends, teachers, and staff without masks-and talk about how a child can identify those people (e.g., focus their attention to the person's eyes, hair, and other distinguishing features).

How to Help: Social stories, visual schedules, sharing videos from familiar favorites (e.g., Sesame Street), or timing 30 seconds of handwashing to favorite songs can all help.

Some children may be taking part in hybrid scenarios this fall, which can pose the challenges presented by both virtual and in-person settings-as well as the added challenge of a constantly varying routine. In such cases, visual schedules, checklists, and large color-coded wall calendars are helpful for children with speech and language disorders.

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How Parents Can Help Children With Speech and Language Disorders in Virtual and Modified In-Person Classroom Settings

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As the new school year nears, ASHA is offering advice for parents of the more than 1 million U.S. children who receive school-based treatment for speech and language disorders to help their children perform and adjust to new virtual and modified in-person learning environments.

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When You Design for Everyone, EVERYONE Benefits from the Design

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Teachers Pay Teachers is a great place for parents to find helpful speech and language materials.

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World's most popular online marketplace for original educational resources with more than four million resources available for use today.

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Communication and language disorder educational website

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Communication and language disorder educational website

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U.S. Department of Education. (2005). To assure the free appropriate public education of all Americans: Twenty-seventh annual report to Congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Accessed January 16, 2008, http://www.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/osep/2005/index.html

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Helping Children with Communication Disorders in the Schools

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Answers to frequently asked questions on how to help children with communication disorders, particularly in regards to speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

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Remote learning and children with speech difficulties

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Reach out to teachers so they know about your child’s speech difficulty. Use this as an opportunity to work out support strategies to help your child, such as allowing extra time to formulate their thoughts and say what they need to say.

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With the right support, students who cannot rely on natural speech to communicate can do well in integrated classrooms.

Thad Alton / The Capitol-Journal / AP Photo

My first exposure to a student who used augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) was when I taught in a self-contained disability-specific special education classroom. The student, Ringo, had a device like a small laptop that he used to type words and sentences, which were spoken aloud by the device. When Ringo received the device, I didn't get much training other than a few consultations with the speech and language pathologist and a pat on the back for good luck.

After 13 years in the classroom, I realize now what I wish I knew then: Students who cannot rely on speech to be understood don't have to be educated in segregated classrooms. And for educators who have students who require communication supports, training or preparation doesn't have to be complex.

Here are four ways educators can prepare for students who need AAC.

1. Get Familiar With AAC

According to the nonprofit Communication First, AAC is any method of communication used by people with speech or communication disabilities to supplement or take the place of verbal speech. This can include no-tech aids (like pointing, gesturing, or signing), low-tech options (such as a paper board with words, letters, and symbols on it), or high-tech solutions (such as a computer with text-to-speech software).

Some students will use AAC all the time, others only in certain situations. And while some people think that the use of AAC may limit students, using a communication system only empowers people who would not otherwise express themselves reliably.

2. Watch AAC in Action

There are examples in TV and movies of people using AAC that the disability community has universally panned, but fortunately there are also some authentic portrayals. One of the best ways to learn more about people with disabilities is to hear directly from them or interact with media heavily influenced by their voice. Here are a few movies and short films to get you started.

Listen (2021): A short film made by and with nonspeaking autistic people.

The Reason I Jump (2021): A feature-length film based on the biography of Naoki Higashida, who is autistic and nonspeaking.

Loop (2020): A short film by Pixar and Disney highlights Renee, a nonspeaking autistic girl who makes friends with Marcus, a speaking boy, when the two go canoeing together at camp.

Thasya (2012): This powerful short film is a profile of Thasya Lumingkewas, an 8-year-old autistic girl.

Carr Brackett (2008): In this short film, Carr, a young man with Down syndrome, uses his AAC to support his communication needs in a general education classroom.

3. Use the Communication Bill of Rights as a Guide

First published in 2016, the Communication Bill of Rights from the National Joint Committee for the Communication Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities states that "all people with a disability of any extent or severity have a basic right to affect, through communication, the conditions of their existence." The list of rights, which consists of 15 points for educators to consider, focuses on the dignity and respect of the person with communication support needs.
Reproduced with permission from Tobii Dynavox, LLC ©2020 Tobii Dynavox. All rights reserved.
The first point, "to interact socially, maintain social closeness, and build relationships," is an important one for teachers to implement. Teachers can be intentional about including AAC users in groups where there are students accepting of differences to help facilitate friendships.

If you include planned interactions in lessons where the AAC user can "make comments and share opinions," you can align with the bill of rights' goals. For example, during a class review of a reading passage, give the AAC user time to craft their answer to a question and call on them at a predetermined time. When you give them time to process, they can be prepared with their answer. Wait time benefits all students, so this is a good idea in any classroom.

Another critical thing to consider is a student's right to "refuse or reject undesired objects, actions, events, or choices." Like students who use natural speech, if an AAC user refuses to participate in a class activity, there's typically a reason. Educators can make an effort to ask the student directly about how they can be more comfortable participating in the activity.

Students should always have access to their communication systems.

Students are more likely to communicate and participate when activities are motivating or connect with their passions and interests.

Frequent opportunities to practice using their AAC helps children learn to communicate in various contexts and with various people.

People who use AAC may require more wait time to prepare a response, so make sure to be patient.

When teachers honor students' communication, it teaches them and the other students that we respect them and their voice.

Talk directly to the AAC user, not to their support person (if they have one). And if students work in groups, guide everyone in the group to talk directly to the person using AAC.

4. Practice Strategies for Promoting Communication for All Students

Students who cannot rely primarily on speech to communicate are often the first to be placed in segregated special education classrooms. But what I learned from Ringo is that supporting communication can happen in the general education setting-it just takes a willingness to listen.

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Students With Limited Verbal Capabilities Can Thrive in Inclusive Classrooms

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With the right support, students who cannot rely on natural speech to communicate can do well in integrated classrooms.

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Useful tips for parents of children with communication and language disorders

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Useful tips for parents of children with communication and language disorders

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As speech-language pathologists, our job doesn't end once the speech therapy session is over. In fact, one of the most important aspects of our profession is coaching parents and caregivers on techniques they can use at home to elicit speech and language with their child.

In this world, speech therapy doesn't last 30-60 minutes a week - these valuable skills are practiced during daily routines throughout the week. That's how children learn best, make the most progress towards their goals, and generalize new skills into their home environment.

Below are 15 communication strategies that speech therapists use - and now you can too! Each of these techniques are tried and true, as well as confirmed through evidence-based practice. Start using them today!

1. Choices

No one knows your child better than you. And this special connection means you can probably anticipate their needs and wants, in many cases, before your child can!

While this saves time for busy families, it can also limit your child's opportunity to use and practice foundational language skills.

This is why providing "choices" is so impactful. We don't always want to just give a child something - we want to encourage them to independently make requests by using language. We also want them to acquire the vocabulary needed to answer open-ended questions, such as "What do you want to play?"

By giving your child a choice of two activities, it motivates them to respond using language to communicate their desires. You might say, "Do you want the blocks or the bubbles?"

As an added bonus, offering choices can also decrease any frustration that might be caused by not correctly guessing what your child wants.

2. Modeling

Imitation isn't just a form of flattery; it's an important technique to help children learn new sounds and words.

Children learn language by absorbing it from the people around them - and who spends more time with your child than you? Modeling simple language for your child enables them to imitate and begin using those sounds and words independently.

When providing a model and naming an object, here's a trick: Bring the object close to your mouth. That's because kids tend to focus on the toy or item rather than the person naming it. By putting the item by your mouth (before handing it to them) your child will begin making an association between the item being named and how you're saying it.

3. Parallel Talk

Providing children with a language-rich environment is essential. One easy way to do this is with a concept called parallel talk. This simply means narrating actions as you're doing them.

For example, let's say your child is watching you cook dinner. You could say, "I'm stirring the batter and now I'm pouring it into the pan. Oh, the oven is hot!" Or, when playing with your child, you might say, "Your car is so fast! Vroom!"

After enough practice, children will start to associate this language with the corresponding actions, and hopefully begin to do their own parallel talk!

4. Expansion

Doesn't it seem like every child's favorite word is "no?"

Well, we might as well take advantage of it by expanding that special word to a longer phrase: "No what?"

If your child gives you a "no," trying saying, "no cookie," or "no juice." Or, if they request "more," expand that to add, "more bubbles."

Expansion is all about helping your child progress from simple, one word utterances to longer two and three word phrases. It's very crucial to work on language expansions in their natural contexts. Make sure to take advantage of what your child is saying and doing in that exact moment, and use it to model a phrase that is one word longer than what they are giving you.

By providing this model, they will consistently hear what you expect of them and, in turn, begin expanding and using more complex language.

5. Visuals

Everything is new for a toddler. While they're rapidly learning new language skills, it's important for parents to support this language acquisition every step of the way. Visuals are a great tool in the parenting toolbox - let's explore how to use them.

Some children have trouble understanding the various transitions or routines that happen throughout the day. Putting pictures of daily routines on a board or in a book can help your child begin to anticipate what their day looks like - and decrease any possible reactions. They can even take part in deciding what activities they'll participate in by selecting a play activity that occurs after snack and adding it to the board.

Similarly, a family photo book can help your child learn the names of their siblings, pets, extended relatives, and peers. Taking time to point and label people in the photos will encourage your child to do the same.

Another helpful visual aid that many families already have in their home is a kitchen timer. These can help your child more easily adjust to daily transitions or routines. For instance, if getting your toddler ready and out the door is a common challenge, use a timer to indicate it's ready to clean up and leave the house. This can serve as a great reminder!

6. Expectant Waiting

Picture riding a roller coaster. It's inching up and climbing the steep slope.

You know all that anticipation you feel right at the top, moments before you come speeding down the hill?

On a much smaller scale, this is the feeling we want kids to experience right before imitating an action. For instance, if you suddenly stop one of your child's favorite activities, like blowing bubbles, we want your child to feel a sense of anticipation and excitement.

While they're waiting expectantly, you could say, "Oh, you want more bubbles? More?" This encourages them to respond with a word or gesture to indicate their desire to continue.

If you're rolling a car back and forth, you could say, "ready, set..." and then pause. The whole idea is that you want to wait for your child to say "go!" before pushing the car. This not only increases their use of language, but it gets them excited and expands their attentiveness.

7. Positive Reinforcement

It's so easy to tell a kid, "don't do that" or "no." And often it could very well be a matter of safety.

At the same time, it's just as important that kids know they've done something positive.

Often, we might fall into the habit of saying "good job." But good job doing what? Why not try, "I love the way you cleaned up your toys all by yourself!" or "Wow, you ate all of your broccoli! That is amazing!" It's important to be specific and highlight exactly what your child did well.

We all love and respond to positive reinforcement. Your smile, praise, complement, and high five can also be a motivating factor to encourage your child to use more language throughout the day, as well.

8. Sabotage

Sometimes, a little frustration can be a good thing, especially if it motivates children to communicate.

We've already mentioned the power of giving your child two choices and letting them pick. But what if you deliberately give them the wrong one? This creates the opportunity for your child to correct your mistake!

You can also try positioning your child's toys or a tasty treat just slightly out of their reach. While they may be temporarily upset, this simple act of sabotage can quickly teach children they need to use language to request help.

Back to our previous tip above, if they do say "help" or "open," try expanding their request to a two-word phrase, like "help me," or "open please."

9. Repetition

Just as your child might watch the same Cocomelon video over and over again until they have it memorized, repetition is key to helping reinforce speech therapy techniques and learning.

Using all the language-building concepts described in this article may feel tedious at times, but this repetition enables them to learn new words, expand their vocabulary, and grow their communication skills.

10. Sign Language

When working with toddlers, many speech therapists will introduce and encourage sign language. For some parents, this can be a cause of concern, as they may worry their child will never learn to vocalize.

However, this is far from the truth. In fact, using sign language is an excellent way to help children transition to verbal language.

For toddlers, it's often easier for a child to gesture "all done" than it is for them to put those words together and be understood. With signs, we typically start with the basics: help, all done, more, eat, drink, go, and stop, providing a verbal model along with the gesture.

We don't expect a child to continue using sign language once they start verbally requesting. But for a frustrated kid who can't seem to get their point across, signs are a great way to help them communicate.

11. Singing

The lyrics to a song never change, making music a great opportunity for children to learn new words.

For example, there's a ton of learning moments packed into the song "Wheels on the Bus." It can help kids learn directions like "up," "down," "open," and "shut." The song "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" helps children learn different body parts and where they're located. Reinforcing these songs with gestures increases a child's vocabulary as well as their imitation of sounds and words. It's the perfect activity!

Bonus tip: Use close phrases. When singing a song to your child, leave the phrase open and wait for the child to complete it. For instance, "Old McDonald had a farm---". Make sure to praise them for their attempt, even if they don't finish the lyrics, then complete the phrase and move onto the next.

12. Contingency

Following directions doesn't come easy (or willingly) for many kids. And few things can be as frustrating for parents.

In these cases, the contingency technique may be helpful. This entails making a task that your child "wants" to do contingent on a task they "need" to do. For example, you could say, "First we read this book, and then you can play dinosaurs," or "Once you finish eating your vegetables, you can play outside."

This reward mechanism helps your child follow instructions so that ideally everyone gets what they want!

13. Eliminate distractions

Young children learn language through play-based activities. When engaging with your child, it's essential to eliminate all possible distractions that take away from the activity and quality bonding time. And this goes for parents too! It means turning off the television, putting away your phone, and hiding other stimuli.

The amount of time spent playing with your child is just as important as the quality of that time. It can be a quick 10 minute break to stack blocks while using techniques we've discussed, such as parallel talk and choice of two. This will go a long way in helping to expand their attention and language skills.

14. Reading

Pre-literacy skills can be worked on well before a child begins reading text or using words consistently. And there's few gifts that parents can give their child more powerful than a love of books. Reading stimulates your child's imagination, expands their vocabulary, develops their listening and comprehension skills, and eventually helps them succeed academically in the classroom.

A toddler can learn to turn the pages of a book and point to objects of interest while you name them. While it may be difficult to do this throughout the day with an active kiddo, incorporating reading before a nap or bedtime routines can yield better results.

Initially, the story itself may not be as important as exploring the pictures and going sequentially through the book. However, as your child's language and attention grows, they'll be ready to hear the story and maybe even tell you part of it.

15. Be silly

As speech therapists, we often tell parents that if it doesn't feel awkward, you're still not being silly enough.

Children respond to strange sounds, silly faces, and exaggerated speech. Get on their level, making sounds of animals or the beep of a car. Use a mirror in the bath to make funny faces. Give your child a heightened level of energy during play activities to let them know it's okay to experiment with their voice.

The sillier you are, the more engaged and ready to participate they'll be.

Start practicing all these home-based activities today!

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15 Speech Therapy Strategies for Parents to Use at Home

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As speech-language pathologists, our job doesn't end once the speech therapy session is over. In fact, one of the most important aspects of our profession is coaching parents and caregivers on techniques they can use at home to elicit speech and language with their child.

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By Lauren Lowry
Hanen SLP & Clinical Writer
If your child recently started intervention for his or her language delay, you may be asking yourself:

"What is my role in my child's therapy?"

If you feel unsure about your involvement in the therapy process, you are not alone...

A new study looked at parents' expectations as they started language intervention for their child [1]. They found that:

Many parents expected that the speech language pathologist would be the one carrying out the therapy directly with their child

While parents were willing to be involved in therapy, they were uncertain about what would be expected of them. Some parents felt anxious about their involvement.

Parents were uncertain about their ability to carry out the intervention themselves at home

It's perfectly normal to feel uneasy as you begin the intervention process. And it can be even more unnerving to find out that you will be the focus of the therapy for your child! While parents used to simply watch the speech language pathologist provide therapy for their child, language intervention for preschoolers nowadays often focusses on helping parents learn strategies they will use with their child in everyday situations to help their child develop certain language skills.

A wonderfully honest father once summed up his hesitation about this process by saying,

"I'm not an expert in language delay - how can I possibly do this as well as a speech language pathologist?!"

While you didn't learn about language development in school, you have many other important qualifications that your child's speech language pathologist lacks:

you are your child's first and best teacher

you are a constant in your child's everyday life

you spend more time talking to and interacting with your child than a speech language pathologist ever can

you know your child best and know what makes him or her "tick"

"For most children, seeing a speech language pathologist once per week isn't enough time to develop language skills...But if you work together with your child's speech language pathologist, you can come up with goals and activities that you can do at home during your everyday life that will make a huge difference in your child's language learning."

For most children, seeing a speech language pathologist once per week isn't enough time to develop language skills. In fact, it's hard to learn any new skill if it's only practiced for one hour per week. But if you work together with your child's speech language pathologist, you can come up with goals and activities that you can do at home during your everyday life that will make a huge difference in your child's language learning. Ultimately, you can provide language intervention every day, many times a day, as you go through your daily routines. Bath time, eating a meal, going for a ride in the car, or any other daily activity can be an opportunity to practice communicating.

Ways parents can get involved in intervention

There are many ways that you can play an active role in your child's intervention, such as:

helping set goals for your child with the speech language pathologist

describing daily activities and routines

learning strategies that you can use at home that will build your child's communication skills

reporting changes and progress you see in your child

determining next steps with the speech language pathologist

By working together with your child's speech language pathologist, you become the primary person delivering the therapy and the speech language pathologist functions as your coach and consultant. We call this way of working together "parent-implemented intervention".

Right about now you may be thinking:

"Is this really effective? Wouldn't my child learn more if the speech language pathologist provided the therapy directly to my child?"

Research shows that parents make a difference

Researchers have studied whether parents are as effective as speech language pathologists in providing language intervention...

Two new studies found that [2,3]:

parents can learn to use strategies in everyday life to help their child

when parents use these strategies, their children's language skills improve

parents can be as effective as speech language pathologists in delivering language intervention

And some studies have even shown that [3,4]:

parents can have a greater impact on children's language skills than speech language pathologists!

So if you feel uneasy about taking a front seat in your child's therapy or are unsure about how well you'll be able to help your child, rest assured. Research shows that parents can be as effective (if not more effective!) as speech language pathologists when it comes to providing intervention for young children with language delay. The everyday interactions you have with your child provide countless opportunities for language learning. And you won't be alone in the process - your speech language pathologists will be there to guide you and provide advice so that you ensure you are helping your child reach his or her potential.

To help you turn everyday activities into opportunities for learning, the 2018 Preschool Language and Literacy Calendar offers fun and simple tips to build your child's communication skills. Each tip in the calendar is based on the latest research, and includes suggestions for helping all children reach their potential, including typically developing children and children with language delay. The ideas in the calendar are practical and easy-to-do, so that you can make language and literacy learning a fun and natural part of your child's day.

References

1. Davies, K. E., Marshall, J., Brown, L. J. E. & Goldbart, J. (2017). Co-working: Parents' conception of roles in supporting their children's speech and language development. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 33(2), 171-185.

2. Rakap, S. & Rakap, S. (2014). Parent-implemented naturalistic language interventions for young children with disabilities: A systematic review of single-subject experimental designs. Educational Research Review, 13, 35-51.

3. DeVeney, S. L., Hagaman, J. L. & Bjornsen, A. L. (2017). Parent-implemented versus clinician-directed interventions for late-talking toddlers: A systematic review of the literature. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 1-10.

4. Roberts, M., & Kaiser, A. (2011). The Effectiveness of Parent-Implemented Language Intervention: A Meta-Analysis. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 20, 180-199.

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For most children, seeing a speech language pathologist once per week isn't enough time to develop language skills. In fact, it's hard to learn any new skill if it's only practiced for one hour per week.

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In this two-part series, our in-house educator and design liaison Laine Eichenlaub speaks to how parents can apply UDL principles at home.
Welcome to the new world where parents have had to become home school teachers!

As a parent, you may be looking to your children's teachers for guidance, your friends on Facebook for tips, or digging fretfully for activities to keep your kiddos from climbing the walls right now. As an educator, I want to offer you a simple game changer that is aligned with the established learning framework Universal Design for Learning (UDL). A little background on UDL: it is a learning framework created within Harvard's School of Education, and it advocates for student choice to encourage metacognition (understanding of one's own thought processes). This framework can help quell your panic about your children falling behind, enhance learning beyond what is achieved within a traditional classroom, and ease your fears of your own pending insanity with the cooped up little ones we now find in our homes. What is this game changer, you ask? It's called Project-Based Learning.

Project-Based Learning, a part of UDL, is not a new concept in the world of education but may be a new term for most parents out there. Essentially, PBL connects learning to the real world through the topics covered and the formats followed. The framework teaches students how to be self-regulated learners, an essential life skill and something our UDL K-12 Deck of Spaces addresses.

But how could I introduce Project Based Learning to my kids at home, you may be asking yourself?

It's so easy!

Sit them down and talk to them about what they are interested in. Space travel? Grocery stores? The presidential election? Sports? This will be entirely directed by your child.

Then, plan out a way for them to research, explore, and create something in relation to that topic. Let them spend a whole morning creating a model of their spaceship, for example. Or, let them get on the phone with their grandparents about how grocery stores differed "back in their day." Another idea - watch the news and read articles about the upcoming election to and let your kids create their own platform on which they would run their own campaign. Approach the world-at-large as an opportunity for expanded learning by tying education into broader systems.

On the left our associate Matthew Pauly's daughter Frances (3) chats with her neighbor (with the help of a can and string) in Salt Lake City while learning about sound travel and communications. On the right, our associate Curtis Laub's daughter Celine (2) builds a miniature forest with plant clippings, while becoming familiar with the local horticulture and ecology of New Orleans.

Then, create something! Write your own podcast. Create a new version of their favorite sport outside and make a YouTube tutorial to share with the world. Work with them and create a list of ideas, together. Kids naturally want to dig into things and run with ideas, so let them! Also, be cognizant to encourage discovery in multiple mediums to increase their engagement with their work, another core value of UDL.

Teaching young children to discover how and why they think the way to do, while encouraging self-direction, teaches children an essential life skill. As adults, it can be difficult to allow kids the autonomy to create their own path, but doing so teaches students to love learning. If you allow your children to produce work in the medium they find most interesting, tie education to broader ecosystems, and encourage them to be self-directed: they'll love to learn. Life-long learning, along with curiosity, empathy and enterprise skills (the ability to see the world at large as an opportunity for expanded learning and engage with a multitude of different people) may very well be one of the best survival skills you can give your child in the 21 st century economy.

Need more tips? Check out our Deck of Spaces: K-12 Idea Kit for informative descriptions of methods you can begin integrating within learning environments, aligned directly with UDL principles.

Next week, we'll be delving into how you can modify your physical space at home to encourage a supportive learning environment.

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Home-Schooling Tips from a Teacher with the Help of UDL - Part I | gould evans blog

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In this two-part series, our in-house educator and design liaison Laine Eichenlaub speaks to how parents can apply UDL principles at home. Welcome to the new world where parents have had to become home school teachers!