Storytelling to Children with Special Needs
While storytelling can take place
anywhere and to any group, there are definitely considerations a storyteller
should take when presenting to audiences with special needs. Children with special needs enjoy a good
storytelling presentation especially when the storyteller goes the extra mile
to prepare for their specific needs. According
to Ellin Greene and Janice Del Negro, authors of Storytelling Art and Technique, “The storyteller who tells to
children with special needs must have all the qualities of a good
storyteller—only more so” (Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p.
111). We’ve all been there, steady into
a lesson or presentation when the “train goes off the rails”. Instead of blaming the audience and feeling
defeated, use these tips to help become prepared for future storytelling
events. After all, “the emphasis must be
on the whole child and whatever method of storytelling works best with that
child” (Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p. 111).
When storytelling to blind or
partially sighted children, Greene and Del Negro state, “a pleasing, musical
voice is a great asset to all storytellers, but it is vital for the storyteller
who tells to the visually impaired.
Since facial expressions and body movement are lost to blind or
partially sighted listeners, the storyteller’s voice quality and choice of
words are extremely important” (Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p. 111).
“Rhythmic, expressive language, such as that found in poetry and songs,
is often especially successful with these groups” (Greene &
Del Negro, 2010, p. 111). Think of the sounds your story creates as you
are crafting or preparing your story to tell.
When it comes to storytelling to deaf or hearing-impaired children, “almost
any age-appropriate story will work…with the possible exception of scary
stories that rely on scary sounds or overhearing disembodied voices” (Greene &
Del Negro, 2010, p. 116). “Rhymes are difficult, nonsense words are
brutal, and puns, don’t translate well into any language, including ASL”
(Greene &
Del Negro, 2010, p. 116). “Physical stories with lots of action work
well, as do animal tales and pourquoi stories”
especially stories with only a few characters (Greene &
Del Negro, 2010, p. 116). One thing I had never thought of before was
the fact that “children with impaired hearing cannot use their eyes and ears
simultaneously. They cannot look at
pictures and read lips or watch signing at the same time” (Greene &
Del Negro, 2010, p. 117). Not only do you want to keep your
presentation down to one story or two short stories, but “if you are using a
picture book, close the book (instead of holding it open with the pages turned
toward the children) as you tell. Then
open the book to show the picture, or show the pictures after each section of
the story as appropriate” (Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p. 117).
Storytelling to children who are
inattentive is an area I feel like all beginning storytellers and old alike
could use tips for. “Storytelling
programs can be beneficial, particularly if they are repeated on a regular
basis so that children can learn to understand the storytelling culture, build
trust with the storyteller, and learn the behaviors appropriate for story
listening, participating, and retelling” (Greene & Del
Negro, 2010, p. 114). It takes a lot of time to gain the trust of
children who have had “numerous experiences with adults whose behavior has been
inconsistent and condescending and they have little reason to believe that what
we as teachers and storytellers have to offer is worth their attention and
respect” (Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p. 114).
Of course, the kinds of stories picked to share “play an important part
in building this respect by creating a metaphorical space in which the teller
and audience have shared experiences that they can use to connect to each other
and that the students can connect to their lives” (Greene &
Del Negro, 2010, p. 114). I just now feel like I am beginning to build
a good rapport with the students who visit my class for library each week and
we are already a nine-weeks into the school year. Just this week I had an experience with a
child who has been inattentive and just plain rude each time he has stepped
into the library. It took me having a
conversation one-on-one with him about my expectations from him and recognizing
that he may be allowed to speak that way at home, but in our school and library
it will not be accepted to finally get through to him.
When librarian Carrie Rogers-Whitehead
noticed there was a special population of children whose parents weren’t
bringing them to the library for fear they wouldn’t be accepted, she sought to
create a specific program for those children with autism. In the article, “Storytime for the Spectrum,”
a very simplistic, but relatable definition for autism was presented. “Autism is a brain disorder. Their brains work differently. There are lots of reasons for this, but one
main reason is that kids on the spectrum process information in a different
part of the brain than a typical child does.
So the information needs to be presented differently in order for kids
to be engaged” (Cottrell, 2016). While
sharing some tips for starting your own sensory story time, a few other
suggestions were helpful. “Most kids on
the spectrum are very concrete thinkers, so when telling a story, it helps to
have a tangible way to understand it” (Cottrell, 2016). This can be achieved by using “figures on a
table or shapes on a felt board to tell the story, rather than just turning the
pages and showing pictures” (Cottrell, 2016).
“In addition to processing information differently, most children on the
autism spectrum struggle with some sort of sensory issue” (Cottrell,
2016). This can be any noise that may
seem minute to others in the room.
“Their brain isn’t doing it for them, so they have to do it physically”
(Cottrell, 2016). “Enjoying a program
looks totally different for kids with autism.
They might not always be looking at the librarian or repeating the
refrain, but it doesn’t mean they’re not taking the information in” (Cottrell,
2016). Don’t get hung up on the fact
that all participants aren’t leaned in, hanging on your every word. As long as they aren’t disturbing others
around them, give them the space and room that best fits their needs.
So you might be wondering whether to
use digital storytelling or traditional storytelling for your program. Which one is better? Well that all depends on your goal and what
you hope to bring to your audience. Let’s
start by defining both and then go into how they can be used with students.
“Digital storytelling is a creative,
multimedia activity that utilizes numerous technology applications to serve a
range of storytelling purposes, including sharing personal narratives and
pursuing and presenting research and curricular content” (Morris, 2013, p. 55). “Digital storytelling provides engaging and
intellectually rich learning environments through creativity, diverse forms of
literacy, and multiple modalities.
Digital storytelling projects respond to kinesthetic, auditory, and
visual learning styles” (Rebmann, n.d., p. 30).
While digital storytelling can be used by an adult storyteller to
present to an audience, I feel that it’s better suited to be an activity in
which students themselves produce to present to their peers. “When students create a digital story, their
roles change from passive information receivers to active knowledge developers”
(Green, 2013, p. 27). It is also one
that is highly motivating even for your most struggling students and allows for
a lot of personalization. “This
motivation has been attributed to a sense of authorship and ownership” (Green,
2013, p. 27). “Digital storytelling can effectively
capture the attention of students, supporting the teacher in presenting the
subject in an interesting way” (Rutta, Schiavo, Zancanaro, & Rubegni, 2021,
p. 22). Overall, digital storytelling “can
provide teachers with a clear instructional procedure to encourage student
cooperation, create a learning environment that stimulates student creativity,
and engage learners in active learning” (Chuang, Hsieh, Cheng, & Wang, 2019,
p. 409).
“Most definitions of traditional
storytelling in an early childhood classroom describe an act of telling or
writing a story” (Lisenbee & Ford, 2017, p.130). It can also be described as “a product of
students interacting socially with the elements in a book” (Lisenbee &
Ford, 2017, p.135). “Traditional
storytelling easily integrates activities for all subject areas by engaging
students in experiences with academic content and the world around them” (Lisenbee
& Ford, 2017, p.135). I see
traditional storytelling more from the viewpoint as the teacher sharing a story
with her students and then integrating it into the different subject areas of
her classroom. While one is not better
than the other, “both digital and traditional storytelling seem[ed] to provide
students with practice of the 21st-century skills of collaboration,
problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity. Both traditional and digital storytelling
focus on social interaction. Both types
of storytelling seem to be similar literacy tools which have the power to
engage early childhood students in constructing their knowledge of academic
standards from real-world experiences” (Lisenbee & Ford, 2017, p.136). So whether you’re team digital or traditional,
using some form of storytelling in your instruction is greatly beneficial to
all involved.
Sir Simon: Super Scarer by Cale Atkinson
 |
| The Little Ghost Who Lost Her BOO! by Elaine Bickell |
 |
| Gustavo, the Shy Ghost by Flavia Drago |
 |
| Grandpa's Ghost Stories by James Flora |
 |
| Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker |
 |
| The Scariest Story You've Ever Heard by Ron Keres |
 |
| How to Scare a Ghost by Jean Reagan |
References
Chuang, H.H., Hsieh, M.H., Cheng, Y.Y., & Wang, C.C. (2019). An
instrument for assessing the development of scientific imagination via
digital storytelling for elementary school students. Creativity Research
Journal, 31(4), 408-418. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2019.1670025
Cottrell, M. (2016, March 1). Storytime for the spectrum. American
Libraries Magazine.
https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2016/03/01/sensory-storytime
-spectrum- libraries-add-services-for-children-with-autism/
Green, L. S. (2013, July). Language learning through a lens: The case for
digital storytelling in the second language classroom. School Libraries
Worldwide, 19(2), 23-35.
Greene, E. & Del Negro, J.M. (2010). Storytelling to young adults.
Storytelling: Art and technique (p. 110-128). Libraries Unlimited.
Lisenbee, P.S. & Ford, C. M. (2017, March 16). Engaging students in
traditional and digital storytelling to make connections between
pedagogy and children’s experiences. Early Childhood Education
Journal, 46, 129-139. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-017-0846-x
Rebmann, K.R. (n.d.). Theory, practice tools catching up with digital
storytelling. Teacher Librarian, 39(3), 30-34.
Rutta, C.B., Schiavo, G., Zancanaro, M. & Rubegni, E. (2021). Comic-
based digital storytelling for content and language integrated
learning. Educational Media International, 58(1), 21-36.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09523987.2021.1908499
