Strategies to Overcome "Learned Helplessness"

It's important that our students are able to talk and express their wants and feelings to us. Some students in special education are not able to physically talk, but they are still capable of conveying their wants and feelings through augmentative communication devices.  Here is a list of strategies teachers can use to overcome "learned helplessness", this list will help students to experience opportunities to communicate in the classroom:

• Build a daily expectation of communication through specific activities such as choosing the activity during recess, picking a book to read, or identifying where to each lunch. 
• Construct a brief daily report to parents that is communicated by the student.
• Allow natural consequences to occur and provide avenues for repair. This includes setups that alter the environment to provide less support of sabotage. 
• Provide for choice making whenever possible that requires that student to his or her augmentative communication system.
• Provide powerful phrases on the device for students to reject or protest something. 

Dell, A., Newton, D., & Petroff, J. (2012). Assistive technology in the classroom. (2nd ed., pp. 3-22). Upper Saddle River: Pearson.