Scaffolding - How We Approach Problem Solving

Scaffolding is how you approach problem solving with your child. Think about a four year old who is struggling with a new type of puzzle or a nine year old plodding through difficult math homework. Scaffolding is the language you use to help them through the problem solving process, it is your approach. Here, it becomes important to realize there are effective and ineffective ways to help children problem solve. Effective ways move the child toward independently problem solving. They encourage the child to work on and learn. Ineffective ways can bring the work to a screeching halt. Let's focus here on the effective ways.

Whether they are four and working on puzzles or nine and tackling math, the following ways tend to be helpful.

• Give hints and suggestions rather than answers and directives. Even if you have the answers, let them grapple a bit. Yes, give them clues so they can keep going and hints so they can find the way but let them find as much as they can on their own.



• Corrections shouldn't feel like corrections. Fine to ask them to reconsider, even okay to point out things to change but let them have the final say and put your correction in hearable language. Rather than, "No, that's the wrong piece." Try "Hmm, maybe that piece is long. What do you think?"



• The problem solving process far outweighs the product. This is a hard one for the Type A parent but the product, the end result, what they turn in isn't as important as how they get there. Encourage them to take charge, let them make the decisions, help them to break down tasks to managable parts and learn to work from an outline, gradually learn the benefit of practice and study. Learning to problem solve in a broad way is so much more important than the outcome of one task.



• It is their project not yours. Again, hard for the Type As out there. When a child turns in a project or finishes a task, for them to feel really proud of the outcome, they need ownership of the process. This means they weigh the options and make the decisions.



• Expect it to be a warm and positive experience. If your children don't feel good about problem solving with you, the first place to check is your approach and language (not their attention span and motivation).



• Be flexible in the amount of help you give. The rule is give more help as they struggle, less as they succeed. If the goal is independent problem solving you want to constatnly be moving in that direction.



• Ask how they want to be helped. Be sure the way you are giving help, is the way they'd like it. When learning to read aloud, they may not want you giving every word they struggle on for more than 5 seconds. They may just want the beginning sound or they may want 10 second or they may not want your help at all. Check in with them and let them lead.



• Remain available. Even if they are having success and don't want your help, stay available. Children who bump into real frustration, if not able to sort through may give up and be done all together. Stay available.

Building Vocabulary

Once they are talking, there are many ways to build a child's vocabulary.

• Continue giving running commentary - Talk about all the things they are doing and seeing. Be sure to include functional definitions and a adjectives.
• Continue echo expansion - When they say "More juice." Model back "You'd like more apple juice, please?" Keep their language intact and ad on. Model longer phrases and more descriptive language.
• Plan-Do-Review - If you are going to the pumpkin patch this weekend, before you go get out the pictures from last year and discuss the details or check out a few books from the library about pumpkin patches. This is the "plan" part. While at the pumpkin patch give them running commentary about all that is happening. This is the "do" part. After, talk about what was their favorite thing to do or discuss the day when you get the pictures printed. This is the "review" part. Children are benefitting from having the language before, during and after.
• Encourage emotion language - Label their and your emotions. Talk about the causes and consequences of emotions. Discuss how people calm and how people cope.
• Play word games - For the beginner, this includes "I spy" and rhyming games. As they get older, this is 20 questions, telephone and Mystery Garden.
• Practice following directions - By two years old we expect two-step directions, by three years old three-steps. A three-step directions is "Go to the kitchen, get your shoes and bring them to the front door." If you are unsure, play the Crazy Directions game. This is where you say things like "Find the cat, kiss his nose and jump up and down. Ready, go." This is more fun and serves the same purpose.
• Give a vocabulary word a day - There are many websites and calendars to build vocabulry and the idea is to present and discuss a new word each day with you child. See how often you can each use it.
• Continue to read aloud - Plan to do this long past the point they are reading to themselves. Yes, it is nice to give them time for that but plan to do both. Everyday have some time spent reading independently and some time spent reading aloud.

Encouraging Early Speech

There are many ways to encourage early speech. Here are a few ideas:

• Pair Gestures with Your Words - Nod when you say "yes," wave when you say "hi."


• More True Toys, Less Passive Toys - If there are speech concerns do away with all the electronic toys that do the talking and make the noises for your child. When a child plays with the Fisher-Price Farm, the child should be doing the "mooing" and "baaing" not the toys.


• Echo Expansion - When the child says "Juice?" say "More juice?" If they say "More juice?" say "More juice please?" The idea is to give back their language intact and add to it. You are not requesting or requiring longer phrases, just modeling them.


• Provide Running Commentary - Running commentary means you are talking about all that you are doing, seeing and feeling. In the grocey store I might say, "We need some apples. Mommy is going to put this red apple in the bag. Now we have two apples in the bag. I am putting the bag in the cart." Use labels often, rely on repitition, provide functional definitions. If the child points and says "bus" giving a definition would be "Yes, the school bus takes children to school."


• Give Language to Their Pointing - When the child is excited and pointing but not able to come up with the word that is needed, many parents are quick to fill it in. Let's say the child sees a dog at the park and is pointing and saying "uh-uh-uh." It can be tempting to say "Thats' a dog." Rather pause and point and say "Look," or "What's that?" pause for a few seconds again before you say, "That's a dog." You are first giving language to their pointing and then giving them time to find the word themselves before you fill it in.


• Don't Anticipate Needs - If all the child has to do is point toward the fridge to get a cup of milk, there is very little need for language. At least for a few seconds, not to the point of frustration, pretend to not know what they mean. Let them grapple a bit for the word.


• Don't Repeat Mispronunciations - As cute as they are, if there are speech concerns don't repeat mispronunciations. now this shouldn't feel like a correction either. If the child says "ram-baid" when asking for a band-aid avoid saying "No honey, it is band-aid." This feels like a correction and now the child doesn't want to talk to you. Just respond inthe positive with what they meant and clearly anunciate. Say, "Yes, you need a BAND-AID."

Early Speech Milestones

With so many patterns of normal speech and language development it can be difficult to sort out what is most important. There are a few basic milestones that if not met, signal flags in early language development.

• First word - Most people say babies should have a first word by 1 year old. The range of normal for a first word is 10 to 16 months.
• 50 words by 18 months, concern if less than 10 - Most babies have in the ballpark of 50 words by 18 months. There is concern if there are less than 10, particularly if those 10 are garbled or only used once or not really in context. I actually wouldn't be concerned if they only have 5 words but those words were clear, well used in context and consistent.
• 2 words together by 24 months - Most babies are putting two words together by 24 months. Many of them are stringing 6 and 7 word sentences but the concern is single words only.
• For articulation - Think that children should be 50% understood by strangers at 2 1/2 years old. This means half the time when your child speaks to the lady checking groceries, she understands him. By 3 years old this jumps to 75%, meaning more often than not she understands. It doesn't count to be understood by grandma or great babysitter, they hear his language often. This marker is for strangers.

I am a firm believer in the benefits of early intervention. If you feel or worry your child has a speech or language issue, there is no harm in having an evaluation. Children often enjoy the process and at best they reassure you and let you know to let go of the concern. At worst the child qualifies for what were needed services and you get started on a better long-term path. Somewhere in the middle, they may not qualify for services but you are given great guidance for working with your child to make improvements at home. Whatever the outcome, early intervention also provides a baseline. A professionals take of where your child is and how to move forward.