For homeschooling a child with mixed receptive-expressive language disorder (MRELD), it’s important to create assignments and tasks that support both understanding (receptive) and expression (expressive) of language. Here are some tailored strategies:

Receptive Language (Understanding):

• Simplified Instructions: Break instructions into small, clear steps and repeat them as necessary. Use visual aids (pictures, diagrams) alongside verbal instructions to enhance comprehension.
• Use of Gestures and Visual Cues: Pair spoken language with gestures, visual schedules, and flashcards to help your child grasp concepts.
• Check for Understanding: After giving instructions or explaining a task, ask your child to repeat what was said or demonstrate understanding nonverbally.
• Multi-Sensory Learning: Incorporate visual, auditory, and tactile elements in lessons. For example, physical objects can be used to explain math concepts or sensory materials for science lessons.

Expressive Language (Speaking/Writing):

• Provide Sentence Starters: For writing or speaking activities, offer sentence starters or prompts to help the child begin their responses. Example: “In this story, I liked the part where…”
• Alternative Ways to Respond: Allow for a range of response formats, such as verbal responses, pointing to answers, using pictures, or even drawing ideas.
• Model Language: Encourage expressive language by modeling phrases or sentences they might use. If your child struggles to answer, say, “You might say it like this…”
• Encourage Storytelling: Support expressive language through storytelling activities, using picture sequences or storybooks without text where your child can create their own story.
• Speech and Language Apps: Use apps designed to strengthen language skills through games and interactive exercises, like “Speech Blubs” or “Toca Boca.”

MRELD Task and Assignment Ideas:

Matching Games: Create matching games with images and words or pictures that relate to lesson topics. This strengthens vocabulary and understanding.

Describe It Activity: Show a picture or object and ask your child to describe it. Prompt with questions like, “What color is it? How does it feel?”

Story Creation with Pictures: Give your child a sequence of pictures and ask them to create a story around the images. This helps with both comprehension and expression.

Role-Playing Scenarios: Engage in role-playing games that simulate real-world interactions. This encourages both understanding and using language in context.

Interactive Books: Use interactive or audiobooks that allow the child to follow along, answer questions, and retell parts of the story.