Once the skill is performed accurately and independently under one condition, are you arranging multiple opportunities for the student to practice the skill with different people, and in multiple settings?
Are you the only person using sarcasm with the student to help him with identification and interpretation? Is the student being exposed to only a small selection of popular idioms that he can readily identify? Since sarcasm is based heavily on the user’s delivery (nonverbal cues, vocal tone), be sure that the student has ample opportunities to practice interpreting sarcasm by other instructors, family members, and friends. Similarly, as the student gains comprehension of a select few idioms in certain situations, be sure to include and offer other examples to continue expanding the student’s ability to recognize idioms in various scenarios.
Are you arranging opportunities for the student to practice the targeted skill in natural environments and under natural conditions?
Have you adapted visual supports so that they can remain in the natural environments that this student encounters now, and in the future?
Once the student demonstrates consistent success and comprehension of idioms or interpreting sarcasm, visual supports can be very helpful as long-term resources. For example, graphic organizers can be created that have a “starter list” of idioms and their meanings with space for the student to continually add new idioms as he encounters them. He might use such visual supports as an idioms journal or idioms dictionary (one that he develops and adds to) to “collect” new idioms.
Also, a graphic organizer charting the differences between “True” and “Sarcastic” statements can help remind the student of the key concepts in future contexts.
Are you collecting data to make adjustments to your teaching and to ensure that the student is able to accurately interpret and respond to sarcasm across multiple conditions?