Many individuals with intellectual disabilities will learn and process information more slowly, so communication with them may take a little more time and effort. However, becoming familiar with the following strategies will be helpful in assuring that the information being exchanged has a better chance of being understood.
- Consider the environment and what is going on around you. There may be many background noises and voices that can be a distraction to the person with whom you are talking.
- Speak slowly and pause while talking to allow more time for the information to be absorbed.
- Speak directly to the individual and make eye contact. Make sure that you have his attention.
- Speak in clear short sentences, avoiding words or terms that are complicated, technical, and difficult to understand.
- Don’t raise your voice. Sometimes when people are making a special effort to ensure that the other person in a conversation understands what they are saying, they tend to speak louder.
- Ask the individual you are speaking to if he has any questions. Questioning is an effective way to monitor comprehension.
- Ask the individual to repeat back the information you have given him.
- Allow the individual plenty of time to formulate a question in his mind before verbalizing it. You may need for him to repeat the question or ask him to clarify what he is asking.
- If questioning the individual, ask only one question at a time and allow plenty of time for a response. Expressive language skills are often limited.
- Be patient. You want to make sure that the person understands you, and that you understand him in return.
- Allow plenty of time for the conversation to take place and for the individual to hear and process what you are saying and then to respond.