When I was studying to become a Speech and Language Therapist, I also gained a degree in Psychology. One person who stood out during my learning was a man named Lev Vygotsky. I studied his work in relation to child development. To this day I continue to follow his theory known as the Zone of Proximal Development.
This simple, yet powerful, theory makes a lot of sense to me and can be applied to all areas of speech, language and communication. It happens naturally in societies that are not organised into schools, teachers and pupils.
First you need to know where a child is at right now. What can he or she do? What does he or she know? For example, he can complete a 6 piece jigsaw. She can speak in 2 word utterances.
The zone of proximal development refers to what comes next. It contains knowledge and skills just beyond the child's current level, that is just within reach, that will stretch and encourage. Exposure to this zone is what is needed, whether in the form of peers who are a little more able, or in the form of an adult who offers a model of what comes next. This would include showing and helping him to complete a 7 or 8 piece puzzle, adding a word to make up 3 word utterances.
So you know where the child is now. You add the zone of proximal development. Then you add in some scaffolds to help the child cross to the next level. Then you start again.
To learn more about my work, please go to my website.
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