PECs I need help..please[smile]

[stickyj]

Right, I run music classes for littlies and am taking a child who's non-verbal, seems to love and respond to music and doesn't sign yet. I think he has limited understanding, a couple of words and I want to help in any way I can. How can I help him, do I use a couple of PECS, how do I start to use them, where do you learn them and should I sign too? He will be in a big class of kids, but his mum sounds lovely and I need your advice please.

I would talk to mum about what he is currently using at home / nursery / school etc. It might be good if there are photos of different instruments he can choose or items / images of different songs he can choose depending on how you run your session. If music is motivating and he is starting to learn PECS then this would be a great way to extend where and how he uses them. To do PECS in the 'official' way there are certain rules so I would talk to mum first so as not to confuse him.

I also sign when I sing anyway and use photos / objects / symbols to enable children to make a choice if they are non-verbal so it all sounds good.

Can I be nosey and ask what you do? I have just spent an hour with DH convinving him of the lack of anything for SN kids, never mind music

I teach children (2-6yrs) with severe, profound and complex learning difficulties in a special school and music and singing is a huge part of our day.

ds1 used to go to monkey music. It's the only thing that ever worked for us. I would say don't do anything other than offer him space to join in and perhaps tell the mum she should feel free to incorporate stuff like PECS if she wants to. You can't really just pick it up without going on a 2 day workshop (I'm a bit of a stuck record on this but I do think its important to introduce PECS correctly, or at least know why you're doing it differently from the normal way iyswim, it's not as easy as it looks).