speech & language therapy pre-school setting & schools

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Speech & Language Therapy

Pre-school Setting & Schools Referral Toolkit

#weareNHFT

MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR YOU, WITH YOU

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Version 3 – 4/18 Contents Page 3 Introduction Page 4-5 Areas of SLCN Page 6 SLCN Process Flowchart Page 7-8 Referral Information/Guidelines Page 8 -9 School Age & Early Years SALT Pathway Info Page 9 Assessing Development of Speech and

Language Skills Page 10 Traded SALT Services Page 11-22 Advice Sheets

Attention and Listening Play Understanding of Language Use of Language Speech Sounds Social Communication Selective Mutism Communication Friendly Environments

3-25 Intervention Resources/advice Links Page 26 Useful Links Appendix Appendix Speech & Language Therapy Leaflet Appendix SLCN Development Checklists Appendix Speech Sound Screening Assessment

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Introduction This toolkit provides guidance and information for universal and targeted support for children with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) and information regarding when to refer a child to the Speech and Language Therapy Services for specialist support. Using the information in this toolkit you will be able to:

Understand the different areas of SLCN Identify children with SLCN Plan wave 2 interventions to address their needs from suggested

resources Know when to refer to Speech and Language Therapy Services

Early intervention, as soon as a need is identified, will help to prevent further problems. Wave 1, 2 and 3 interventions for children should be carefully planned and implemented for all pre-school and school age children with SLCN.

As a Speech and Language Therapy service this will enable us to:

Accept appropriate referrals Have all necessary information for assessment Evaluate progress with wave 1 + 2 interventions in order to identify

future needs Should you have any questions or queries please talk to your link speech and language therapist or contact the Speech and Language Therapy department on 01536 452139 (North Northamptonshire) or 01604 745029 (South Northamptonshire).

Speech & Language Therapy Provision Model

Educational Waves of Intervention Model

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Areas of Speech Language & Communication Need (SLCN)

Area Definition

Speech Speech which is difficult to understand, which might include difficulty in making different sounds

Problems discriminating between speech sounds, so ‘catch’ and ‘cat’ or ‘conscious’ and ‘conscience’ might sound the same

An unusual and persistently harsh or unusual

voice quality

Difficulty using intonation to add to the meaning of what’s being said

(Hello campaign: Don’t Get Me Wrong resources)

Language Using sentence structures more appropriate for someone younger, for example, ‘me got them’ at four years of age

Problems linking sentences with words such as ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘so’, ‘then’

Difficulty sequencing sentences to make a

meaningful narrative such as explanations and stories

Problems learning new words

Difficulty finding the right words at the right

time. This is also known as ‘word finding’ difficulties

Limited vocabulary for emotions, thoughts or

feelings as this impacts on the curriculum

Difficulty understanding complex sentences. For example, someone with SLCN might misunderstand the statement ‘the boy was kicked by the girl’ and think that the boy did the kicking

Difficulty understanding idioms such as ‘don’t

hit the roof’


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Social Communication Limited eye contact Poor turn taking and difficulty with starting and

ending conversations

Problems getting the conversation back on track after two people have talked at once, or if there has been a misunderstanding between them

Difficulty understanding or responding to

feedback from the listener. For example, not noticing when someone is bored or doesn’t understand something

Difficulty staying on topic in conversation

Problems using language to negotiate in discussions or arguments


Dysfluency/ Stammer Stammering is "characterised by stoppages and disruptions in fluency which interrupt the smooth flow and timing of speech. These stoppages may take the form of repetitions of sounds, syllables or words, or of prolongations of sounds so that words seem to be stretched out, and can involve silent blocking of the airflow of speech when no sound is heard" (Enderby, 1996). Speech may sound forced, tense or jerky. People who stammer may avoid certain words or situations which they know will cause them difficulty.

The terms stammering (UK) or stuttering (USA) are most commonly used.

(British Stammering Association: General Stammering Advice Resource: see link below)

English as an Additional Language (EAL) Speaking more than one language is a positive and beneficial skill. There is no evidence to suggest that learning more than one language will delay the development of speech and language skills. Researchers agree that conversational fluency in an additional language is acquired within about 2 years of initial exposure to the language, whereas it takes at least 5 years to catch up to the levels attained by natives speakers in academic aspects of the language. J. Cummins (1979) ref in: The Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists

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Northamptonshire Speech & Language Therapy Pre-school/School SLCN process flow chart

Do you think your child has a speech, language and communication need (SLCN)?

What areas of SLCN are you concerned about? (see info page on pages 4 & 5 to help make a decision)

Do not refer to the SLT

service

Dysfluency/ Stammer

Speech Sounds

Language Social Communication

Have you used a checklist/developmental tool to gather more information?

See Appendix & carry out

Have you put in place strategies/Interventions?

See list provided on page 23-25 and carry out

Have you seen the expected rate of progress over 12 weeks of intervention?

Refer to SLT service via referral form and attach the following information you have already collected: Checklist/developmental tool Intervention outcome/Targets outcome Narrative of difficulty including parent views

NO

NO

NO

YES

YES

Has the checklist indicated that the child is delayed for their chronological age?

Do not refer to the SLT service

Continue with intervention and do not refer to SLT service

YES

NO

Are speech sound difficulties indicated?

Are language/social communication difficulties

indicated?

NO

YES

YES

YESYES

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Referral Information Referrals can be taken from: Schools & Early Years Settings (with legal guardian’s consent) Other professionals (with legal guardian’s consent) We accept referrals for children who have a GP who is linked to

Nene/Corby CCG irrespective of address or school.

There are 3 additional groups of children that we will see:

Children who attend a Northants Special School who have an out of county (not Nene/Corby CCG) GP

Children who have a GP from the Oundle Practice and Wansford Surgery which are linked to Peterborough CCG but situated in Northants.

Children who are already accessing other NHFT services such as physio, OT or paediatrics.

We advise schools to try and find out where the child’s GP is based before referring to NHFT. This will ensure the child accesses the correct service. The Referral Management Centre are no longer accepting referrals by post, fax or email – referrals need to be made via the web based form. Please see www.nhft.nhs.uk/cyprmc for details - clicking How to access this service.

All children are referred to the Speech and Language Therapy service via the Referral Management Centre and are triaged by a Speech & Language Therapist to access the single specialism or an integrated panel of professionals including an Allied Health Professional if multiple services are indicated by the referral.

Accepted referral is acknowledged and parents/carers invited to ‘choose and book’ their initial assessment date within approximately 13 weeks.

Referrers will be notified if a referral has been declined with an outline of the reason. Key guidelines:

It is important that the forms are completed as fully and clearly as possible. Incomplete forms (i.e. no NHS number, no date of birth etc) or forms without the requested supporting information where appropriate, will not be accepted and will be returned to the referrer for completion.

Before a referral is accepted schools or settings will be required to

demonstrate that for children with language or social communication

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difficulties a wave 2 intervention has been trialed for approximately 12 weeks.

As a service we need to demonstrate that the referral has been

discussed with the parent/guardian and that they are in agreement. It is imperative that the ‘consent for referral’ tick box is checked after discussion with the parent/guardian. All parents/guardians should be given a Speech & Language Therapy Service leaflet at the time the referral is discussed. This ensures parents are fully informed about the service and reason for referral.

Once the referral form has been received, screened at the Referral

Management Centre and accepted, the child’s parents/guardian will be contacted and invited to phone the department to arrange an initial assessment at a convenient time. Parents have one month to contact the department to arrange this appointment. If no contact is made within this time frame then the child is discharged from the service. Similarly, if parents contact to arrange the initial appointment but then do not attend, the child is discharged.

As per Government guidelines at present, we aim to see all new clients

within 18 weeks of acceptance of referral. General advice:

For referrals for children with an additional language the referral must consider if the child’s language is delayed in their first language/s before a referral is made. This should be established through discussion with parents/guardians where possible.

If the referrer has concerns about the child’s hearing status please

ensure that parents/guardians are advised to contact their GP or School Nurse for advice regarding a hearing assessment.

If a child has previously been discharged from the Speech & Language

Therapy Service, it would be appropriate to check the discharge report for any relevant on-going advice and the reason for discharge, before a re-referral is considered.

Early years Pathway

Initial assessment is run in community localities e.g. Children’s centres or in clinic.

Following initial assessment children are streamed according to need to:

Discharge with advice

Onward referrals/signposting to other/universal services

Advice and review within agreed timeframe

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Workshop session for parent & practitioner from the child’s setting.

Therapy – 1:1 or group

The SLT service for pre-school children strives for:

timely and appropriate referrals to SLT Improvement in parental awareness, knowledge and the home

communication environment Increased early years practitioner confidence in understanding,

developing and supporting others with children’s speech, language and communication

Improved outcomes for children with specific, persistent SLCN and those with impoverished language

Successful collaborative working across services for shared outcomes

School age Pathway The Speech and Language Therapy Service uses a mainstream school pathway to determine the intervention required for all children referred. This ensures that clinical decision making is evidence- based, and equitable across the county. It also ensures that children with the highest speech and language need and would benefit most from our intervention, are prioritised.

Many children with speech, language and communication needs will have their needs met by the school as part of their day to day educational provision. These children do not require ongoing direct assessment and advice by the speech and language therapy service. Training to meet the needs of these children is available through a countywide training programme for school staff. Schools may also have individual training needs and can request further additional bespoke training from our Service.

Training needs for schools can be discussed further with Maggie Allen or Sue Foster, Speech and Language Therapy Facilitators for Community and Mainstream Schools. Pre-school training needs can be discussed with Sarah Jessiman, Facilitator for Early Years.

Assessing Development of Speech and Language Skills In order to identify children that may require additional support there are many developmental assessment tools or checklists available. In the appendix there are examples of checklists that could be used with pre-school or school age children. There are many more available and further suggestions are listed below:

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EYFS document

Every Child a Talker Monitoring Tool (Word Format 54KB) Afasic - How to identify and support children with speech & language

difficulties – includes a checklist www.talkingpoint.org.uk – range of developmental tools www.communicationtrust.org.uk – milestones posters www.ican.org.uk – speech, language and communication development

from 0-5yrs SLCN will be identified by these checklists, but not all children will need onward referral to the Speech and Language Therapy Services. Those children who have mildly delayed SLCN or are ‘vulnerable learners’ may only require wave 2 interventions to boost their skills. However, for children with a more significant specific SLCN it is important to gather evidence regarding their communication profile and this can be done through wave 2 interventions and any specific IEP targets prior to a referral being considered. Traded Services Schools looking to enhance the therapeutic input for a wider group of children with speech, language and communication skills within their schools, may wish to invest in Speech and Language Therapy groups run by our service. We currently offer two packages: Ready, Steady, School and Talking Progress KS1 & KS2 . These groups, run by a Speech and Language Therapist, in conjunction with a member of school staff, enhance the language and communication skills of children who may or may not have yet been referred to our Service. Evidence has shown that children have made excellent progress, and have not then needed referring to speech and language therapy. Please see the flyers in Appendix for more information.

Some schools also have chosen to enhance the Speech and Language Therapy provision to their schools by commissioning additional weekly sessions from our service. Children’s progress has been maximised by reviewing children’s progress at the intervals identified by the school, and by targets being written and updated more frequently. New referrals for children with speech, language and communication needs have been seen within these sessions. Training sessions have also been run for parents and teaching staff to raise awareness of how to support children with speech, language and communication needs. Should you wish to discuss an enhanced service for your school please ring the Speech and Language Therapy departments On T:01536 452139 (North) and T: 01604 745029 ( South)

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Advice Sheets The following advice sheets are for Teachers/Early Years Practitioners to use in your setting. They provide advice and strategies that can be easily implemented. The language pyramid is used to help demonstrate the developmental process of language learning. Attention and listening skills and play are the foundations of understanding, talking and speech sounds. Each layer needs to be firmly in place before the next will develop. So, if a child presents with delayed attention and listening skills they are likely to be late language learners and if a child has delayed use of language (talking skills) they are likely to be late in developing their speech sounds.

Hello Campaign website:www.hello.org.uk

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Attention & Listening Skills Attention and listening skills are the foundation skills for successful language development and learning. An increasing number of children are starting their Reception Year with delayed attention and listening skills. Delayed attention and listening skills are also a common feature of children with impairments in other areas (e.g. language impairments, ADHD, global developmental delay, children with glue ear). Explicitly teaching attention and listening skills to the whole class will support all children with the skills they need, in order to engage in and access the curriculum. Like many skills, attention and listening is acquired in an identified pattern. Children pass through distinct stages in their development of these skills.

Level 1 (0-1 years): Child is easily distracted by things he hears or sees in his environment. By nine months, shared attention has developed. This is where parent and child share a focus on the same object. It coincides with starting to use pointing.

Level 2 (1-2 years): Child can focus on something that he chooses, but

finds it difficult to follow direction from an adult. Attention is single channeled. This means that the child can only take in information from one modality (listening, hearing, touch/manipulation) at a time, so the child can listen or do, but not do both. The child may appear to be ignoring you, but is likely to be engrossed in what he is doing.

Level 3 (2-3 years): Attention is single channelled. With adult

assistance, the child can shift his attention from what he is doing, to what the adult it talking about. This means that your child needs to stop what he is doing before he can listen to you.

Level 4 (3-4 years): Attention continues to be single channelled but the

child can switch between doing something and listening without adult assistance.

Level 5 (4-5 years): It is not until this stage that attention becomes two

channelled. This means that the child can be busy doing a task but be able to listen to someone else at the same time. This is an important skill for school.

Level 6 (5-6 years) : Listening is now well established and sustained.

The child is able to integrate information from the different modalities of looking, listening and touch/manipulation.

Reference: Reynell, 1977, & Cooke, J., and D. Williams. (1987)

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In the classroom/nursery environment children with poor attention and listening may present in the following way: • Easily distracted • Fidgety • Require a high level of support to complete tasks • Unsure how to start a task • Can distract others verbally and/or physically • May be passive and quiet • Struggles to follow instructions • Doesn’t look at the adult speaking Strategies for the teachers/practitioners:

Teach active listening strategies. E.g. the ‘rules’ of good listening – “ears listening, eyes looking, brain thinking, lips closed and sitting still”.

Reward children for following these ‘rules’ Ensure that you have the child’s attention before giving an instruction. Say the child’s name and make sure that they are looking at you Support spoken instructions with visual cues wherever possible Reduce noise level and distractions (e.g. do not have construction toys

next to the mark-making area) Use a visual prompt to monitor classroom noise levels – a volume

barometer would work well Use gesture and animation to gain and maintain attention. Change voice, facial expression, clap, put up hands, ring bell, use

child’s name, etc to encourage active listening.

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Play Play is not only fun but also an important area of a child’s development closely linked with language development. Play is the main medium through which children develop their thinking and language skills and therefore their learning. Play continues to develop throughout early life and into young adulthood. Even teenagers learn through playful interactions with peers and others. Being able to play with others is the early stepping stone to social skills e.g. sharing, co-operating, negotiating etc. Stages of play development:

Age Stage Description Birth - 2yrs Solitary Child plays alone. There

is limited interaction with other children

2yrs - 2.5yrs Spectator Observes other children playing nearby but does not join in play with them.

2.5yrs – 3yrs Parallel Plays alongside other children. Does not yet play with other children.

3yrs – 4yrs Associative Plays with other children for very short periods of time. Begins to develop preferences for playing with certain peers.

4yrs – 6yrs+ Co-operative Plays together with peers in a shared play context. Play can be more complicated and children will support each other in developing the play scenario. Develops friendships.

(Ref: Parten 1933) Children enjoy playing with a wide range of things from everyday items to toys and friends. There are many different types of play and encouraging a child to broaden the range of play activities is a powerful tool in developing their learning.

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Types of Play

Exploratory

Water play

Pop up toys

Play dough

Push button toys

Sand play

Physical

Rough & tumble

Hide and seek

Bikes & trikes

Ball games

Fine motor activities

Constructive

Model making

Jigsaws

Craft

Lego/Bricks

Large Doll

Dolls/teddies

Prams and push chairs

Teddy bear picnic

Washing dolls

Small World

cars

Farm animals

Dolls house

Train set

Pretend

Dressing up

Imaginative play

Role play

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Understanding of Language When children have difficulty understanding spoken language they will experience difficulty understanding verbal instructions, understanding explanations and interpreting questions. They are also likely to have difficulty learning relevant curriculum vocabulary and concepts. A child with receptive language difficulties may present in the following way:

May need verbal instructions to be repeated and/or simplified. May not respond, or give inappropriate responses to questions. May follow other children and look to them for cues May have difficulty understanding changes in routines and

expectations. May appear confused or upset. May only be able to follow parts of instructions.

Strategies for the teacher/practitioner:

You will need to use the strategies to gain the child’s attention before giving verbal instructions (see page 12)

Use signs and symbols, pictures, objects and natural gesture to support spoken language.

Use clear and concrete language. Be aware of using non- literal terms e.g. “Pull your socks up”; “It’s nippy

outside” and explain these in context. Reduce longer and more complex verbal instructions to short simple

and specific ‘chunks’ of information. Use vocabulary that the child is familiar with. When introducing new vocabulary use lots of repetition and support

these with a visual prompt where possible. Slow down and pause between verbal instructions. Repeat instructions if necessary. Allow extra time for response and processing verbal information. Monitor understanding by asking the child to repeat back what you

have said. Present instructions in the order in which you want them to be carried

out. Encourage the child’s attempts to seek clarification e.g. asking for help. Build in lots of opportunities for learning new words. Make sure adults

explain and frequently repeat new words in different contexts.

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Use of Language It is often the case that when children have difficulties using language that they have underlying attention and listening and/or receptive language needs (see communication pyramid on page 10). When children struggle to express themselves effectively they are at greater risk of having difficulty participating in speaking and listening activities, answering questions, and expressing their needs and thoughts. Children with expressive language needs will require support to help them to build and maintain friendships and to interact and converse on a level with their peers. It should be recognised that the child’s spoken language difficulties will be reflected in their written language. A child with expressive language difficulties (difficulties using spoken language/talking) may present in the following way:

Uses only a small amount of words. Has difficulty using new words and/or using them appropriately. Uses non specific words such as ‘thingy’. Frustration leading to anger, upset and withdrawal Difficulty joining words and sentences Confusion with grammar. Has difficulty initiating and maintaining conversation with adults / peers.


Reduce competing noise. Provide opportunities for talking e.g. circle time and home/ school

diary. Consider the balance of speaking and listening opportunities within the

setting. Use gesture/pictures to support expressive communication. Encourage any means of communication, e.g. eye-contact, gesture,

pointing, pictures etc. Concentrate on content of what the child is saying and then model the

appropriate sentence structure e.g. child- “I wented playgroup morning” Adult –“ yes, you went to playgroup this morning”.

Repeat and expand what the child says e.g. “Mummy car” Adult “You went in Mummy’s blue car.” Do not ask the child to say it again; focus on providing a clear model.

Give forced alternatives, e.g. “Did you go with Grandma or Mummy?”, “Do you need the sellotape or the scissors?”

Give opportunities for sentence completion. Start a sentence for the child to finish, e.g. “I am sitting on a big chair and you are sitting on a …”

Allow extra time for the child to express what they want to communicate.

Build in lots of opportunities to use new words. Make sure adults model and frequently repeat new words in different contexts and provide opportunities to pre-teach up coming vocabulary.

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Speech Sounds As with language, children acquire speech sounds in a typical pattern. It is often not as easy as we think! To be able to speak clearly a child has to be able to:

Have well developed attention and listening skills. Hear and be aware of the range of speech sounds. Physically move the muscles that are used to make speech sounds. Co-ordinate the right movements to make the different speech sounds. Learn and use all the different speech sounds in the language/s used

around them. Listen to themselves to make sure the sounds are used clearly in

everyday talking. Learning to use the correct sounds is a complicated skill that develops gradually from birth when babies start to ‘coo’ and babble and continues developing throughout the pre-school years and beyond. Please refer to the Speech Sound Checklist in appendix : a checklist, which illustrates this further. Children with speech sound problems may:

Use a limited number of sounds. Swap sounds around for example saying ‘tup’ instead of ‘cup’. Miss sounds out e.g. saying ‘boon’ for ‘spoon’ or ‘bu’ for ’bus’. Have difficulty saying long or complicated words like ‘elephant’ or

‘aeroplane’. May be able to say single words clearly but have reduced clarity in their

connected speech. Strategies for the teacher/practitioner:

Reduce competing noise. Listen to what the child is trying to say rather than how he is speaking. Repeat back clearly what the child has tried to say. Provide a good

model. If you do have to ask the child to repeat himself, try to ask him only once.

Do not ask him to copy your speech e.g. “its car, now you say it” If you can’t understand, say so and ask the child to try and tell you in a

different way, e.g. sign, point, show. Praise the child when he speaks well or uses different ways to get his

message across. Provide visual supports in the classroom, e.g. photos, pictures,

symbols, and encourage his use of gesture and sign. If you use gestures and signs, the child will be more inclined to use

them with you too. If you and the child get really stuck, move onto something else and try

again later. For younger children, explain you have “not switched your

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ears on or have silly ears today”, for older children, explain that you are finding it difficult to understand but that you can come back to it later.

Work on attention, listening and phonological awareness as these will support the child with his awareness of speech sounds

Allow child plenty of time to speak.

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Social Communication Social Communication refers to the ability of the child to interact with others across a range of social contexts. Social communication is both verbal and non-verbal; for example children need to be able to interpret body language, gesture and facial expression alongside the language being used. They also need to develop the skills to recognize and express their own emotions and interpret the emotional state of others. The majority of children are able to develop effective social communication skills as they mature, however other children may require more specific support to encourage development of these complex skills. Support with social skills must be provided in a meaningful and functional context so that skills can be carried over into everyday life. Children who are experiencing social communication difficulties may have difficulties with the following:

Making and maintaining appropriate eye-contact. Listening to others. Taking conversational turns. Using an appropriate rate and volume when talking. Using and understanding gestures and facial expression. Showing interest in what their conversation partner has to say. Initiating interaction. Identifying emotions in others. Understanding appropriate proximity to conversational partner. Understanding a range of communicative intentions; e.g. struggle to

understand jokes, sarcasm and irony. Using appropriate language styles. Establishing and maintaining friendships. Talking too much about their specific interests. Changing the topic of conversation inappropriately. Giving irrelevant or insufficient information to the listener. Asking repetitive questions.


The adult may need to control the pace, encourage turn-taking and maintain the topic of conversation.

Provide opportunities to use language in different situations e.g. small groups, classroom, playground, lunchtimes.

Encourage appropriate eye contact. Be aware that the child may have difficulty interpreting non-verbal

signals e.g. facial expression, body language, tone of voice. Be aware of the child’s level of language ability. Encourage turn-taking and conversational skills. Quiet children should be allowed sufficient ‘air-time’ to contribute. Establish rules for good listening and turn taking in speaking and

listening activities.

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Be explicit about your expectations for group behaviour, e.g. teach children active listening, sharing and negotiation skills.

Teach the vocabulary of feelings and link this to real life situations (at the developmental level of the child).

Label feelings using concrete examples, for example “You are feeling angry Sophie because Ahmed hid your pencil case”.

Selective Mutism Communication and interaction is a challenge for any child experiencing shyness, selective mutism or social anxiety. We can support children who are experiencing difficulty speaking in certain situations/with certain people by avoiding situations which place unnecessary pressure on them to communicate verbally. It is vital to create the right environment at school in order to facilitate children’s communication:

Encourage communication in a relaxed atmosphere, with no pressure on the child to actually speak, e.g. by responding warmly to all attempts the child makes to communicate through gesture.

Introduce alternative forms of communication e.g. pointing, holding up a picture, etc, as a temporary stepping stone for children who are anxious about communicating verbally.

Provide the opportunity rather than the expectation to join in. Set tasks that provide opportunities for speech in situations which the

child may find less threatening, e.g. “Can you take (new child) to the pegs and show her where we put our PE bags”.

Prepare the child well in advance of any changes to the timetable or sequence of the day using pictures, symbols etc

Do not be hurt or offended if the child is silent. Do not beg, bribe or challenge the child to speak if they are

reluctant/anxious. Do not ask the child direct questions which put them on the spot,

particularly when others are watching and waiting for an answer. Do not reward silence, but instead reward every effort the child makes

to communicate, help or participate in whatever form that takes. Advice taken from ‘Selective Mutism – Resource Manual’ written by Maggie Johnson and Alison Wintgens. Dysfluency For further advice regarding dysfluency please refer to the two website (British Stammering Association & Michael Palin Centre) listed on page 25. Both websites contain advice and information for parents/guardians, teachers and early years practitioners.

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Features of a Communication Friendly Setting A Communication Friendly Environment is not just about the building that you are in, or the resources that you provide to the children. It is an environment that includes all learners and enables them to access and share information in the most appropriate way. Settings which are ‘communication friendly’:

Can be made with very few resources. Consider ways in which adults listen to, interact with and play with

children. Involve planning opportunities that interest and excite the children and

encourage their motivation for communicating with others. Key features of a communication friendly environment include:

Adults supporting children’s communication needs (both in small group and 1:1 situations) using appropriate levels of language for all children according to their stage of development.

Non-verbal communication such as gesture, signing, facial expression and eye contact are used to reinforce spoken language.

Adults responding positively and valuing all attempts at communication, which may include non-verbal communication as well as spoken language.

Ensuring the physical environment reflects the culture and ethnicity of the children.

Using a range of multi-sensory approaches to support spoken language, such as symbols, photos and real objects.

Physically organising the physical environment to encourage good attention and listening.

Adults simplifying and repeating verbal information and instructions as appropriate and seeking clarification from children that they have understood.

Adults providing plenty of time for children to respond. Provision of some quieter area where children can talk to one another

and form relationships. Opportunities for staff to share information and knowledge about

SLCN.

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Intervention Resource Suggestions/Advice Leaflets The list below shows resources that are currently used in various schools around the country. This is only a list of suggestions and many other resources are available. Any resources used should be checked to ensure they are appropriate to support the child or children. It should be noted for children SLCN in association with other difficulties i.e. identified learning difficulties, the rate of progress expected with interventions’ will vary. Should you have any queries or questions please discuss with your setting’s link Speech & Language Therapist. Pre-school: Resources Author Northamptonshire County Council Early years services resources:

https://www.ican.org.uk/

http://www3.northamptonshire.gov.uk/councilservices/children‐families‐education/early‐years/information‐for‐childcare‐providers/the‐early‐years‐curriculum/Pages/special‐education‐needs‐and‐inclusion‐in‐the‐early‐years‐foundation‐stage.aspx

I CAN NCC

www.idponline.org.uk/

National Strategies.

Letters and Sounds Publication National Strategies

Every Child a Talker Publications National Strategies

‘A place to talk …’ series

Elizabeth Jarman of ‘Communication Friendly Spaces’

Nursery narrative pack Black Sheep press

Languageland, O2

Black Sheep Press

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Language Through Listening Black Sheep Press

Early Communication Skills Second Edition Charlotte Lynch & Julia Kidd

Developing baseline Communication skills Catherine Delamain & Jill Spring

Early listening skills Diana Williams

Let’s talk with under 5’s Elklan

Primary: Resource Author Time to Talk: A Programme to Develop Oral and Social Interaction Skills for Reception and Key Stage One

Alison Schroeder

Socially Speaking: Pragmatic Social Skills Programme for Pupils with Mild to Moderate Learning Disabilities

Alison Schroeder & Jaqueline. M Jomain

School Start: Programmes for Language and Sound Awareness

Catharine Lowry & Catherine de la Bedoyere

Achieving Speech and Language Targets: A Resource For Individual Education Planning

Catherine Delamian

Developing Speech and Language Skills: Phoneme Factory

Gwen Lancaster

Language for Learning: A Practical Guide for Supporting Pupils with Language and Communication Difficulties across the Curriculum

Sue Hayden & Emma Jorden

Talkabout for Children 1 &2

Alex Kelly

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Understanding & Using Spoken Language

Catherine Delamain & Jill Spring

Speaking, Listening & Understanding Catherine Delamain & Jill Spring

Teaching Talking

Ann Locke & Maggie Beech

Languageland, O2

Black Sheep Press

Speaking and Listening Through Narrative

Black Sheep press

Active Listening for Active Learning Maggie Johnson

Letters and Sounds Publication

National Strategies

Word Aware

Anna Branagan & Stephen Parsons

Secondary: Resource Author Narrative Intervention Programme

Vicki Joffe

Talkabout for Teenagers: Developing Social and Emotional Communication Skills

Alex Kelly

Vocabulary Enrichment Programme

Vicki Joffe

Language for Learning in the Secondary School

Sue Hayden & Emma Jorden

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Useful Links

www.talkingpoint.org.uk

www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk

www.ican.org.uk

www.afasicengland.org.uk

www.literacytrust.org.uk/talk_to_your_baby

www.naldic.org.uk

The speech journey. How children learn to talk from birth to 5 yrs (video) www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=jt7y1IM2jOM

Raising Awareness of Language Learning Impairments www.youtube.com/rallicampaign

www.stammering.org

www.stammeringcentre.org

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APPENDIX Why has my child been referred to Speech and Language Therapy? Children are referred to the service for a number of different reasons, these include: • Late talking • Unclear speech • Difficulties understanding what is said • Stammering • Voice problems • Eating and drinking difficulties • Social communication and interaction issues The person who has referred your child should explain the reason they have referred your child. You do not need to agree to a referral if you do not feel it is necessary. What happens on your First Visit? • The appointment will be relaxed and informal. The Speech and Language Therapist will find out more about your child’s communication by talking to you and talking or playing with your child. The Speech and Language Therapist may also look at picture assessments with your child to gain further information about their speech and language development. • The Speech and Language Therapist will discuss their findings with you and suggest what action needs be taken next. They will also write a report to you and share this information with other people involved in your child’s care with your consent. Further written information may also be sent home and to your child’s school or preschool. What happens next? • If the therapist finds that your child’s speech and language skills are developing normally they will discharge them. If further help is needed this may involve:

advice and activities for home/school practice a course of clinic appointments either on an individual basis or in a

small group follow-up appointments to check progress school/preschool visits referral to other health professionals

How can you help?

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• The Speech and Language Therapist can suggest ways in which you can help your child so don’t be afraid to talk things over with them and ask any questions. • We really value your involvement. By working in partnership we can maximize the progress your child makes. Please carry out the activities that have been suggested Do I have a choice about a referral to Speech and Language Therapy? Research has shown that if a child needs help with their speech and language skills then the earlier they are seen the better the outcome. However, it is your choice whether you want your child to be seen by a Speech and Language Therapist. If you would like to find out more about how Speech and Language Therapy could help your child please contact the department on the numbers below: Speech and Language Therapy (Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough and East Northants) 01536 452139 Speech and Language Therapy (Northampton, Daventry and South Northants) 01604 745029 For more general information about Speech and Language Therapy is available at www.rcslt.org

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY

Appendices

MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR YOU, WITH YOU

Version 3 04/18

#weareNHFT

Why has my child been referred to Speech and Language Therapy? Children are referred to the service for a number of different reasons, these include:- • Late talking • Unclear speech • Difficulties understanding what is said • Stammering • Voice problems • Eating and drinking difficulties • Social communication and interaction issues The person who has referred your child should explain the reason they have referred your child. You do not need to agree to a referral if you do not feel it is necessary. What happens on your First Visit? • The appointment will be relaxed and informal. The Speech and Language Therapist will find out more about your child’s communication by talking to you and talking or playing with your child. The Speech and Language Therapist may also look at picture assessments with your child to gain further information about their speech and language development. • The Speech and Language Therapist will discuss their findings with you and suggest what action needs be taken next. They will also write a report to you and share this information with other people involved in your child’s care with your consent. Further written information may also be sent home and to your child’s school or preschool. What happens next?

o If the therapist finds that your child’s speech and language skills are developing normally they will discharge them. o If further help is needed this may involve:

o advice and activities for home/school practice o a course of clinic appointments either on an individual basis or in a small group o follow-up appointments to check progress o school/preschool visits o referral to other health professionals

How can you help? • The Speech and Language Therapist can suggest ways in which you can help your child so don’t be afraid to talk things over with them and ask any questions. • We really value your involvement. By working in partnership we can maximize the progress your child makes. Please carry out the activities that have been suggested Do I have a choice about a referral to Speech and Language Therapy? Research has shown that if a child needs help with their speech and language skills then the earlier they are seen the better the outcome. However, it is your choice whether you want your child to be seen by a Speech and Language Therapist. If you would like to find out more about how Speech and Language Therapy could help your child please contact the department on the numbers below: Speech and Language Therapy (Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough and East Northants) 01536 452139 Speech and Language Therapy (Northampton, Daventry and South Northants) 01604 745029 For more general information about Speech and Language Therapy is available at www.rcslt.org

Speech and language development checklists The following information is taken from www.talkingpoint.org - developmental tools and charts. If not all boxes are ticked for a child’s age range this indicates that the child is delayed for their age and an intervention will be required. For ages 1-19 the information is taken from www.talkingpoint.org

By 1 Year of Age Y N Listen carefully, and turn to someone talking on the other side of the room.

Look at you when you speak and when their name is called.

Babble strings of sounds, like ‘no-no’ and ‘go-go’.

Make noises, point and look at you to get your attention.

Smile at people who are smiling at them.

Start to understand words like 'bye-bye' and 'up' especially when a gesture is used at the same time.

Recognise the names of familiar objects, things like ‘car’ and ‘daddy’.

Enjoy action songs and rhymes and get excited when sung to.

Take turns in conversations, babbling back to an adult

By 2 Years of Age Y N Concentrate on activities for longer, like playing with a particular toy.

Sit and listen to simple stories with pictures Understand between 200 and 500 words.

Understand more simple questions and instructions. For example 'where is your shoe?' and 'show me your nose'.

Use 50 or more single words. These will also become more recognisable to others.

Start to put short sentences together with 2-3 words, such as ‘more juice’ or ‘bye nanny’.

Enjoy pretend play with their toys, such as feeding dolly

By 3 Years of Age Y N Listen to and remember simple stories with pictures Understand longer instructions, such as 'make teddy jump' or 'where's mummy's

coat?'

Understand simple 'who', 'what' and 'where' questions

Use up to 300 words Put 4 or 5 words together to make short sentences, such as 'want more juice' or ‘he

took my ball’.

Ask lots of questions. They will want to find out the name of things and learn new words.

Use action words as well as nouns, such as ‘run’ and ‘fall’

Start to use simple plurals by adding ‘s’, for example ‘shoes’ or ‘cars’.

Now play more with other children and share things.

By 4 Years of Age Y N Listen to longer stories and answer questions about a storybook they have just

read.

Understand and often use colour, number and time related words, for example, 'red' car, 'three' fingers and 'yesterday / tomorrow'.

Be able to answer questions about ‘why’ something has happened.

Use longer sentences and link sentences together.

Describe events that have already happened e.g. 'we went park.'

Enjoy make-believe play.

Start to like simple jokes Ask many questions using words like ‘what’ ‘where’ and ‘why’.

Still make mistakes with tense such as say 'runned' for ‘ran’ and 'swimmed' for ‘swam’.

Start to be able to plan games with others

By 5 years of Age Y N Understand spoken instructions without stopping what they are doing to look at the

speaker.

Choose their own friends and play mates Take turns in much longer conversations Understand more complicated language such as ‘first’, ‘last’, ‘might’, ‘may be’,

‘above’ and ‘in between’.

Understand words that describe sequences such as “first we are going to the shop, next we will play in the park”.

Use sentences that are well formed. However, they may still have some difficulties with grammar. For example, saying 'sheeps' instead of 'sheep' or 'goed' instead of 'went'.

Think more about the meanings of words, such as describing the meaning of simple words or asking what a new word means.

By 7 years of age Y N Starts to ignore unimportant information Is aware when a message is unclear and comments or asks for explanation. Understands complex 2 to 3 part instructions: e.g. “Finish your picture from yesterday

then with a partner, choose one of the topic books and talk about it quietly on the carpet.”

Compares words, the way they look, sound or mean: e.g. “There are two words ‘sea’ at the beach, and you ‘see’ with your eyes.”

Can guess the word from clues, or give others clues using shape, size, function, etc. Uses newly learnt words in a specific and appropriate way: e.g. “Dad, you know when

you have lots of lions together it is called a pride of lions.”

Asks lots of questions to find out specific information including ‘How’ and ‘Why’. Uses different ways to join phrases to help explain or justify an event: e.g. “I’m older

than you so I will go first.”

Tells stories that set the scene, have a basic plot and a sequence of events. Begins to be aware of what the listener already knows and checks: e.g. “You know

where I live, right? Well, in that big house by the shop…”

Accurately predicts what will happen in a story Takes turns to talk, listen, and respond in two-way conversations and groups. Keeps to a topic but easily prompted to move on if it takes over Copies others’ language and begins to be aware of current peer language: , ‘Cool’, or

‘Yeah right.’

Uses and experiments with different styles of talking with different people.

By 9 years of age Y N Listens to key information and makes relevant, related comments: e.g. “So all mammals

are warm blooded, have fur or hair and their babies all drink milk.”

Identifies clearly when they haven’t understood: e.g. “What’s maize?” or “Get a blue what?” Able to infer meaning, reason and predict: e.g. “It’s getting very hot in here,” means open

the window.

Uses a range of words related to time and measurement: e.g. century, calendar, breadth. Uses a wide range of verbs to express their thoughts, or about cause and effect: e.g. “I

wonder what she’s thinking,” or, “If we run we should get there on time but we might arrive late.”

Joins in discussions about an activity using topic vocabulary: e.g. “I saw some chicken eggs hatching in the incubator on the farm last Friday.”

Uses regular and unusual word endings: e.g. walked or fell. Uses complex grammar and sentences to clarify, summarise, explain and plan: e.g. “So the

bee collects the pollen from the stamen and then flies to another flower and pollinates it.”

Stories have a good structure with a distinct plot, an exciting event, clear resolution and conclusion: e.g. “…and everyone got home safely which was great.”

Uses intonation to make storytelling and reports exciting and interesting. Adds detail or leaves information out according to how much is already known by the

listener.

Uses formal language when appropriate in some familiar situations: e.g. Showing a visitor around school.

Understands conversational rules: e.g. Looks at listener to judge feedback. Gives more detail if needed.

Uses tone of voice, stress on words and gestures naturally to add meaning. Uses language for full range of different reasons: e.g. complimenting, criticizing,

negotiating.

By 11 years of age Y N

Sustains active listening to both what is said and the way it is said. Follows longer instructions that are not familiar: e.g. “Put the stripy folder that’s on

top of the cupboard into the bottom drawer of my desk.”

Understands different question types: e.g. open, closed, rhetorical. Understands simple jokes and simple idioms, but can’t really explain why they are

funny or what they mean: e.g. You can’t have your cake and eat it.

Makes choices from a wide and varied vocabulary: e.g. ‘Leap’ instead of ‘jump’, ‘terrified’ instead of ‘frightened’.

Uses sophisticated words but the meaning might not always be accurate: e.g. “My bedroom was meticulous.”

Knows that words can have two meanings and uses them appropriately. Can’t always explain how they are linked: e.g. ‘Hard’ (rigid object and tough person).

Uses long and complex sentence structures: e.g. “I will come with you only because it means you will stop going on at me.”

Uses questions to help conversations flow Sentences average about 7 to 10 words - longer in stories than in conversation. Knows when a sentence is not grammatically correct and can explain rules of

grammar.

Tells elaborate entertaining stories which are full of detailed descriptions. Everyday language is detailed and not always about their immediate experience.

Incorporates a subplot in telling stories and recalling events, before resolving the main storyline.

Uses complex joining words: e.g. meanwhile, therefore

Uses different language depending on where they are, who they are with and what they are doing: e.g. Formal style with the headteacher in school; relaxed and informal with family at home; and ‘cool’ language with friends in the park.

Communicates successfully; shares ideas and information, gives and receives advice, and offers and takes notice of opinions.

Realises when people don’t fully understand and tries to help them. By 14 years of age Y N

Understands instructions which don’t follow the word order of the sentence e.g. before you collect your instruments, complete the work sheet and file it in your folder.

Can build an argument to persuade and respond to views different to own Separates fact from opinion when reading Makes inferences, working out information that isn’t explicitly written or spoken e.g.

The day was dark and thick coats were required.

Understands less obvious ‘sayings’ e.g. you’re skating on thin ice. Confident in noticing and understanding sarcasm with clues. Still challenged by some instruction words e.g. modify,generate,consider Uses patterns in words that: -able, -esque, un-, dis-. Uses ‘academic words’ when prompted to all formal tasks: agitated, arrogant,

excruciating.

Can confidently explain the meaning of subject words and words with multiple meanings

Links sentences using more difficult joining words e.g. even though, however Produces well-planned, complex stories with complete sections and plenty of detail

Gives clear and detailed explanations of rules, or breaks down steps in more complex sequences

Average length of spoken sentences 7 to 12+ words Understands and uses slang terms with peers; keeps up with latest ‘street talk’ Can keep a topic of conversation going even if the person they are talking to finds

this skill harder

Fully understands the difference between talking with peers to speaking in the classroom e.g. I use bigger and posher words in school than when I’m talking to my mates.

By 18 years of age Y N

Able to following complex directions Knows when and why they don’t understand; asks for help in a specific way e.g.

can you explain that to me again? I got the beginning but I don’t understand the last step.

More skilled in using a range of arguments to persuade others Reads and understands a wide variety of topics Fully understands sarcasm and is able to use it well e.g. I’m so happy to see you Knows what these instruction words are asking them to do : evaluate, find themes,

compile.

Uses a good range of descriptive words and expressions: swaggered, noxious, and meandered.

Is able to use difficult joining words to make complex sentences: provided that, similarly.

Can tell long and complex narratives ensuring the listener understands the thread of the story throughout

Average length of spoken sentences 9 to 13+ words

Able to stay on one topic of conversation for long periods and move sensibly from one topic to another

Able to switch easily between informal and formal styles of talking depending on the audience e.g. off to college now for an interview. Seeing my mates later..better watch my mouth with Sam’s mum..was a bit rude last time.

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It is often helpful to think of intelligibility levels when considering whether a referral to Speech and Language Therapy is needed. Consider how well words can be understood by parents (or an adult that knows the child very well). This table can act as a guide: (ref: Caroline Bowen)

By 18 months a child's speech is normally 25% intelligible By 24 months a child's speech is normally 50 -75% intelligible By 36 months a child's speech is normally 75-100% intelligible

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Northamptonshire Every Child a Talker Early Communication and Language Child Monitoring Tool Individual child details Child’s name: Date child started in setting:

Date of birth: EAL:

Setting: Gender:

Practitioner: Additional needs:

Record of completion Date of completion Date: Date: Date:

Age at time of completion

Age: ……yrs ……mths Age: ……yrs ……mths Age: ……yrs ……mths

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Learning, Achievement and School Improvement Notes on monitoring early communication and language Observation and best-fit judgements Judgements of a child’s stage of development are made through a process of ongoing observational

assessment. Observation involves noticing what children do and say in a range of contexts, and includes information from

the family about what children do and say at home. For children learning English as an additional language, it is important to find out from families about how

children use language in their mother tongue and how they communicate at home. The assessment is a ‘best fit’ match to a stage band. This involves considering what is known about the

child, and matching it to the development described in the bands. This should be considered separately for each strand of communication and language.

Development of speech sounds need not be assessed specifically, but it is useful to be aware of typical development which is described in the table on the back of the next page.

Checkpoints Alongside the ‘best fit’ judgement, certain ‘Checkpoint’ statements are included. Marked with a flag and a

specific age, these are particular statements which should be noted. Where a child has not reached a Checkpoint by the age indicated, this is not necessarily a sign of difficulty.

The Checkpoint statements serve as an alert for close monitoring including discussion with the family, and perhaps further assessment or support.

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Making good progress The goal of monitoring children’s development is to plan and provide more accurate support for each child to

make good progress.

How well a setting helps children to make good progress can be determined by analysing the proportion of children who are at risk of delay, as expected, or ahead of expectations in each strand of language and communication. If children are making accelerated progress, the proportion of children at risk of delay should decrease over time.

In considering whether a child is at risk of delay, as expected, or ahead in each strand of language and communication, it is necessary to consider the child’s actual age in months in relation to the overlapping age bands. If a child is within two months of the end of the age band and development is not yet within the band or is judged to be ‘Emerging’, then a judgement of ‘risk of delay’ would be appropriate.

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Stage

ListeningandAttention Understanding(ReceptiveLanguage)

Talking(ExpressiveLanguage)

SocialCommunication

0‐11months

Turnstowardafamiliarsoundthenlocatesrangeofsoundswithaccuracy.Listensto,distinguishesandrespondstointonationsandsoundsofvoices.Quietensoralertstothesoundofspeech.FleetingAttention–notunderchild’scontrol,newstimulitakeswholeattention.

Stopsandlookswhenhearsownname.(by12months)

Graduallydevelopsspeechsounds(babbling)tocommunicatewithadults;sayssoundslike‘baba,nono,gogo’.(by11months)

Gazesatfacesandcopiesfacialmovements,eg.stickingouttongue.Concentratesintentlyonfacesandenjoysinteraction.Usesvoice,gesture,eyecontactandfacialexpressiontomakecontactwithpeopleandkeeptheirattention.(by12months)

8‐20months

Concentratesintentlyonanobjectoractivityofownchoosingforshortperiods.Paysattentiontodominantstimulus–easilydistractedbynoisesorotherpeopletalking.Moveswholebodiestosoundstheyenjoy,suchasmusicoraregularbeat.Hasastrongexploratoryimpulse.

Respondstothedifferentthingssaidwheninafamiliarcontextwithaspecialperson(e.g.‘Where’sMummy?’,‘Where’syournose?’).Understandingofsinglewordsincontextisdeveloping,e.g.‘cup’,‘milk’,‘daddy’

Usessinglewords.(by16months)Frequentlyimitateswordsandsounds.Enjoysbabblingandincreasinglyexperimentswithusingsoundsandwordstocommunicateforarangeofpurposes(e.g.teddy,more,no,bye‐bye)

Likesbeingwithfamiliaradultandwatchingthem.Developingtheabilitytofollowanadult’sbodylanguage,includingpointingandgesture.Learnsthattheirvoiceandactionshaveeffectsonothers.Usespointingwitheyegazetomakerequests,andtoshareaninterest.(by18months)

16‐26months

Listenstoandenjoysrhythmicpatternsinrhymesandstories.Enjoysrhymesanddemonstrateslisteningbytryingtojoininwithactionsorvocalisations.Rigidattention–mayappearnottohear.

Selectsfamiliarobjectsbynameandwillgoandfindobjectswhenasked,oridentifyobjectsfromagroup.

Beginningtoputtwowordstogether(e.g.‘wantball’,‘morejuice’)(by24months)Usesdifferenttypesofeverydaywords(nouns,verbsandadjectives,e.g.banana,go,sleep,hot)Beginningtoasksimplequestions.

Graduallyabletoengagein‘pretend’playwithtoys(supportschildtoimagineanother’spointofview).Lookstoothersforresponseswhichconfirm,contributeto,orchallengetheirunderstanding.

22‐36months

Singlechannelledattention.Canshifttoadifferenttaskifattentionfullyobtained–usingchild’snamehelpsfocus.(by36months)Listenswithinteresttothenoisesadultsmakewhentheyreadstories.Recognisesandrespondstomanyfamiliarsoundse.g.turningtoaknockonthedoor,lookingatorgoingtothedoor.

Identifiesactionwordsbypointingtotherightpicture,e.g.,"Who'sjumping?"(by30months)Understands'who','what','where'insimplequestions(e.g.Who’sthat/can?What’sthat?Whereis.?).Developingunderstandingofsimpleconcepts(e.g.big/little)

Learnsnewwordsveryrapidlyandisabletousethemincommunicating.Usesaction,sometimeswithlimitedtalk,thatislargelyconcernedwiththe‘hereandnow’(e.g.reachestowardtoy,saying‘Ihaveit).Usesavarietyofquestions(e.g.what,where,who).Usessimplesentences(e.g.’Mummygonnawork.’)Beginningtousewordendings(e.g.going,cats)

Useslanguageasapowerfulmeansofwideningcontacts,sharingfeelings,experiencesandthoughts.Holdsaconversation,jumpingfromtopictotopic.Enjoysbeingwithandtalkingtoadultsandotherchildren.Interestedinothers’playandwilljoinin.Respondstothefeelingsofothers.

30‐50months

Listenstoothersinonetooneorsmallgroups,whenconversationintereststhem.Listenstostorieswithincreasingattentionandrecall.Joinsinwithrepeatedrefrainsandanticipateskeyeventsandphrasesinrhymesandstories.Focusingattention–stilllistenordo,butcanshiftownattention.Isabletofollowdirections(ifnotintentlyfocusedonownchoiceofactivity).

Understandsuseofobjects(e.g."Whatdoweusetocutthings?’)Showsunderstandingofprepositionssuchas'under','ontop','behind'bycarryingoutanactionorselectingcorrectpicture.Beginningtounderstand‘why’and‘how’questions.

Beginningtousemorecomplexsentencestolinkthoughts(e.g.usingand,because).Canretellasimplepasteventincorrectorder(e.g.wentdownslide,hurtfinger).Usestalktoconnectideas,explainwhatishappeningandanticipatewhatmighthappennext,recallandrelivepastexperiences.Questionswhythingshappenandgivesexplanations.Askse.g.who,what,when,how.Usesarangeoftenses(e.g.play,playing,willplay,played)

Beginningtoaccepttheneedsofothers,withsupport.Caninitiateconversations.Showsconfidenceinlinkingupwithothersforsupportandguidance.Talksfreelyabouttheirhomeandcommunity.Formsfriendshipswithotherchildren.

40‐60+months

Sustainsattentivelistening,respondingtowhattheyhaveheardwithrelevantcomments,questionsoractions.Maintainsattention,concentratesandsitsquietlywhenappropriate.Two‐channelledattention–canlistenanddoforshortspan.Integratedattention–canlistenanddoinrangeofsituationswithrangeofpeople;variesaccordingtothedemandsofthetask.

Understandshumour,e.g.nonsenserhymes,jokes.Demonstratesunderstandingof“how?”and“why?”questionsbygivingexplanations.Abletofollowastorywithoutpicturesorprops.Understandsinstructionscontainingsequencingwords;first…after…last,andmoreabstractconcepts–long,short,tall,hardsoft,rough.

Extendsvocabulary,especiallybygroupingandnaming,exploringthemeaningandsoundsofnewwords.Linksstatementsandstickstoamainthemeorintention.Useslanguagetoimagineandrecreaterolesandexperiencesinplaysituations.Usestalktoorganise,sequenceandclarifythinking,ideas,feelingsandevents.Introducesastorylineornarrativeintotheirplay.

Hasconfidencetospeaktoothersabouttheirownwants,interestsandopinions.Initiatesconversation,attendstoandtakesaccountofwhatotherssay.Explainsownknowledgeandunderstanding,andasksappropriatequestionsofothers.Showsawarenessofthelistenerwhenspeaking.Expressesneeds/feelingsinappropriateways.Formsgoodrelationshipswithadultsandpeers.Worksaspartofagrouporclass,takingturns

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GuidanceontypicaldevelopmentofspeechsoundsStage Speechsounds

(Developingspeechandbeingunderstoodappliestoalllanguages.Orderofacquiringspecificsounds–hereinEnglish–

mayvarywithotherlanguages)

0‐11months

Babblesusingarangeofsoundcombinations,withchangesinpitch,rhythmandloudness.

Babbleswithintonationandrhythmofhomelanguage(‘jargon’).

8‐20months Speechconsistsofacombinationof‘jargon’andsomereal

wordsandmaybedifficulttounderstand.

16‐26months Manyimmaturespeechpatterns,sospeechmaynotbeclear.Mayleaveoutlastsoundsorsubstitutesounds(e.g.‘tap’for

‘cap’).Usesmostvowels,andm,p,b,n,t,d,w,h

22‐36months Speechbecomingclearer,andusuallyunderstoodbyothers

by36monthsalthoughsomeimmaturespeechpatternsstillevident.

Maystillsubstitutesoundsorleaveoutlastsound.

Emergingsoundsincludingk,g,f,s,z,l,y.30‐50months Speechmostlycanbeunderstoodbyotherseveninconnected

speech.Emerginguseofng,sh,ch,j,v,th,r–maybeinconsistent.Soundclustersemerging(e.g.plinplay,sminsmile)though

somemaybesimplified(e.g.‘gween’for‘green’).40‐60+months Overallfullyintelligibletoothers.

Maybestilldevelopingrandth.Maysimplifycomplexclusters(e.g.skr,str).

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Evidencerecordofspeech,languageandcommunicationdevelopment

Evidencecouldbeparentscomments,referencetoobservations,portfolios,otherprofessionalsreports/recordingsetc.

ListeningandAttention Understanding(ReceptiveLanguage)

Talking(ExpressiveLanguage) SocialCommunication

Atriskofdelay

Asexpected Ahead Atriskof

delayAsexpected Ahead Atriskof


delayAsexpected Ahead

AutumnTerm

Evidence: Evidence: Evidence: Evidence:

Atriskofdelay





SpringTerm


Atriskofdelay





SummerTerm


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Age Sounds 2 years old p, b, m, w

2 ½ years old t, d, n 3 years old end sounds 3 1/2 years f, v, s, z

4 years old k/c, g, l

5 years old s blends e.g. spoon, snow, star 5 years old sh, ch, dge, blends e.g. sm,fl st 6 years old r

7 years old th, Dental and palatal /s/ lisps

Ref: Bowen et al (2003).

speech & language therapy pre-school setting & schools

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