Language and Social Skills

After attending the Governor's Institute, one of my goals was to teach the children in my class, what to do in various situations. This week we've been talking about anger. We've read several good books on the topic. We talked about what makes us angry and we've discussed using words to talk about problems. Today I sat down with each child and asked him what he does when he is angry. I often rephrased, asking, "How do you make yourself happy?" I was amazed at the insight some of the children had. I was also reminded of the difficulty some children have with language, especially those wh questions and there I was using both what and when. Unfortunately, it is those same children who sometimes have difficulty with behaviors. This could be because they don't understand what is being said or they can't express themselves as well and be understood by others. I have a wonderful speech therapist, who comes to my room every week, but speech and language problems are seldom quickly resolved. Meanwhile the children's self esteem decreases, others begin to label them as problems, they may be less accepted by classmates. I need look at each of these children and determine the best way to teach them the skills they need. Some may need more repetition, others may need to learn to use gestures, still other may need more more visuals such as picture charts. In any case, I know that to be effective, my teaching methods need to reach all the children. We think nothing of individualizing academic skills, but it is just as important to individualize when teaching social skills.
Share your ideas on how to help children who have speech. language and processing delays build social emotional skills.