Using Flash Cards to Teach Short Vowels

Flash cards can help children and adult learners with short vowel sounds. The constant time delay technique is a particularly effective strategy to use with these and any other flash cards that teach skills in other subject areas.

Pronouncing short vowel sounds may be difficult for those with learning disabilities for a number of reasons. As a parent or an educator, there are a few things to be on the lookout for:

• Partial hearing loss. This usually happens when a child suffers from frequent ear infections during early childhood.
• Hearing impairment
• Auditory processing disorders
• Problems with vision or visual discrimination
• Neurologically-based learning disabilities

Flash cards are helpful teaching tools for most children. However, if your child struggles with short vowel sounds, it is important to address and improve any underlying problems.

See your pediatrician. Get a physical examination that includes vision and hearing screening. Ask your child's doctor if he or she feels that your child needs testing for frequency hearing loss. If you suspect expressive or receptive language problems, have your child tested by a speech and language pathologist.

Talk with your child's teacher about screening or referral for a full assessment to determine if your child has a learning disability.

As previously mentioned, flash cards are great, but they might not help if your child has physical problems. If your child's testing shows vision, hearing, processing or learning problems, be sure to follow through with recommendations provided by your child's doctor, therapist and/or teachers.

If your child is diagnosed with speech or language problems, developmental delays or learning disabilities, continue to work with their school as their program is developed and implemented for special education services.

Make sure your child attends school regularly. If possible, try to avoid making changes in schools or school districts unless it's absolutely necessary. Work with your child's teachers to ensure that any work missed because of absences is promptly made up.