How to Adapt Classroom Resources for Speech, Language and Communication Difficulties

The core barrier is processing and producing spoken or written language — instructions with multiple clauses, or that require inferring meaning from context, are usually the primary difficulty.

• Short sentence stems, one clause per instruction

  Avoid compound or complex sentence structures in tasks and instructions.

• Avoid idiom and figurative language

  Ambiguous phrasing that requires inferring intended meaning adds unnecessary load.

• Direct instructions, not implied ones

  "Write your name at the top" rather than "Don't forget the usual."

• Modelled response format

  Sentence starters or guided talking points attached to open-ended tasks, so it's clear what kind of answer is expected — not just which topic to cover.

General "reading level" simplification. The issue is often processing sentence structure and inferential demand — not vocabulary difficulty on its own.

ADHD·ASD·Cognitive Delay