These goals are really no different from those that are part of the regular curriculum. The only differences are that the child who is developing more slowly will be farther behind other children of her age and that she will need a simpler manner of instruction.

Here are some specific suggestions that may also help:

• As much as possible treat the child as you would treat all children in the group, but exercise common sense so that you expect neither too much nor too little.
• Know the developmental steps so that you understand what she should learn next as she progresses.
• Remember that children with cognitive delays learn best what they repeat frequently. Be prepared to go over a simple rule or task many times until the child has it firmly in mind. (This need for patient repetition is one of the things inexperienced teachers may find most irritating, particularly when the child has appeared to grasp the idea just the day before. Don't give up hope; if the teaching is simple and concrete enough she will eventually learn.)
• Pick out behavior to teach that the child can use all her life; that is, try to teach ways of behaving that will be appropriate for an older as well as a younger child to use. For example, don't let her run and kiss everyone she meets, since this will not be acceptable when she is just a little older. She has enough to do without having to unlearn old behavior (Odom, McConnell, McEvory, 1992).
• Take it easy. Give short directions, one point at a time. Allow sufficient time for her to accomplish a selected task. Complex things take longer; simpler things take less time.
• Encourage the child to be persistent by keeping tasks simple and satisfying. This will encourage her to finish what she starts. Remember that independence is an important goal.
• Make sure the child is not being overprotected.
• Teach one thing at a time. For instance, teach her to feed herself, then to use a napkin, then to pour her milk.
• Provide lots of concrete experience that uses as many of the senses as possible.
• Don't rely on talking as the primary means of instruction. Show the child what you mean whenever possible by modeling it.
• Encourage the development of speech. Wait for at least some form of verbal reply whenever possible. Gently increase the demand for a "quality" response as her skills increase.
• Remember that these children are just as sensitive to the emotional climate around them as ordinary children are. Therefore, never talk about a child in front of her. It is likely that she will at least pick up the sense of what you are saying, and this may hurt her feelings.
• Show the child you are pleased with her and that you like her.
• After a fair trial at learning something new, if she cannot seem to learn it, drop the activity without recrimination. Try it again in a few months; she may be ready to learn it by then.

Source: The Whole Child: Developmental Education for the Early Years, Sixth Edition, by Joanne Hendrick, pp. 238-239. Reprinted with permission from Merrill-Prentice Hall.