School
support:
 What
are specific speech, language and communication difficulties?
The difficulty here is a motor and/or cognitive weakness with
processing and organising expressive and/or receptive language.
These are children who may have been later starting to talk, and
whose speech is still a little unclear. They may show plenty of
evidence of competence and skill with non-verbal activities (for
example, constructional toys, or visual puzzles) but be less skilled
with language.
Advice
for the classroom:
-
Information processing:
Do not expect immediate answers to oral questions, or assume
that because the pupil’s hand is not up, he/she does not
know the answer – the right answer may be there, but takes
time to be formulated.
Allow for some measure of frustration – remember that
the pupil may be continuously undergoing a ‘tip-of-the-tongue’
experience.
Look for every opportunity to stimulate verbal exchanges and
processing, through question and answer.
Try to give immediate verbal and non-verbal reinforcement and
prompts when he/she is speaking.
-
Assessment:
Be careful not to judge overall levels of ability on the basis
of the pupil’s spoken contributions.
-
Presentation:
Use visual and spatial prompts and aids to learning if and when
possible.
In group work, encourage turn-taking to lead the group –
this needs to be carefully monitored.
-
Motivation and Self-esteem:
Let the pupil know you are aware of his/her difficulty, and
that you are sympathetic – but that you have high expectations.
Be specially generous with praise and cautious with criticism.
Praise can be a natural motivator as long as the child feels
the praise is genuine and deserved. It is important to let the
pupil know why he/she is being praised rather than just to provide
praise. In a behavioural reward system with extrinsic rewards
such as stickers or points, the child can easily see why he/she
is being praised. This can be an effective motivator, as long
as the rewards are meaningful and appropriate.
School
issues:
Ensure that all the pupil's teachers know about the difficulty
and understand its implications. Recommend referral for speech therapy
assessment, if this has not already taken place.
Books
& articles:
Leonard, L. (2000) Children with Specific Language Impairment (Language,
Speech and Communication) (MIT Press).
Martin, D. and Miller, C. (2002) Speech and Language Difficulties
in the Classroom (Fulton).
Reid, Gavin (ed.) (1996) Dimensions of Dyslexia, Volumes 1 and
2 (Moray House Publications).
Saunders, M. D. (2001) ‘Who's getting the message? Helping
your students understand in a verbal world’, Teaching Exceptional
Children, 33, 4, 70–4.
Programmes,
Games and Software:
Basic Exercises for Articulatory Dyspraxia – available from
the Dyspraxia Foundation, tel: 01462 455016; email: admin@dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk;
website: www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk
An excellent range of activities and games to aid word access and
expressive language can be found on: http://members.tripod.com/~Caroline_Bowen/wordretrieval.html
Before Alpha: Learning Games for the Under Fives – this is
a programme of learning games developed by Bev Hornsby (1996, Souvenir
Press) which can be used with children under five. The games are
in a series of structured stages, are multi-sensory and aim to foster
language development and other pre-reading skills such as visual
and auditory perception and discrimination, fine motor control,
spatial relationships, knowledge of colour, number and directions.
Computer games can be useful, as some of these can help with processing
speed utilising both visual and auditory modalities – sources
include:
KCS – Tools for the Computer Enabled, Freepost, Southampton
SO17 1YA; tel: 0123 80584314; fax: 0123 80584320; email: info@keytools.com
National Council for Educational Technology (NCET), Milburn Hill
Road, Science Park, Coventry CV4 7JJ; tel: 01203 416994; fax: 01203
411418; email: enquiry_desk@ncet.org.uk
Xavier Educational Software Ltd, Psychology Department, University
College of Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2DG; tel: 01248 382616; fax:
01248 382599; email: xavier@bangor.ac.uk);
website: www.xavier.bangor.ac.uk
Scottish Council for Educational Technology (SCET), 74 Victoria
Crescent Road, Glasgow G12 9JN; tel: 0141 337 5051.
Crick Software, website:
www.cricksoft.com/uk
Crossbow Education, 41 Sawpit Lane, Brocton, Stafford ST17 0TE;
tel: 01785 660902; website: www.crossboweducation.com
– games for learning.
Useful
addresses & websites:
Afasic (50–2 Great Sutton Street, London EC1V 0DJ, tel: 020
7490 9410; Helpline: 0845 355 5577;
email: info@afasic.org.uk;
website: www.afasic.org.uk)
– a charity for people with communication difficulties.
Association for Rehabilitation of Communication and Oral Skills
(ARCOS) – Whitbourne Lodge, 137 Church Street, Malvern, Worcs,
WR14 2AN; tel: 01684 576795;
email: arcos@globalnet.co.uk;
website: www.arcos.org.uk
Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice
(ASLTIP) (WSS, Coleheath Bottom, Speen, Princes Risborough, Bucks
HP27 0SZ; tel: 0870 2413357;
email: awdry@demon.co.uk;
website: www.helpwithtalking.com)
– information/database concerning appropriate local therapists.
Becta (British Educational Communications and Technology Agency),
Milburn Hill Road, Science Park, Coventry CV4 7JJ; tel: 024 7641
6994; fax: 024 7641 1418; email: becta@becta.org.uk;
website: www.becta.org.uk
Crick Software, website: www.cricksoft.com/uk
Crossbow Education, 41 Sawpit Lane, Brocton, Stafford ST17 0TE;
tel: 01785 660902;
website: www.crossboweducation.com
– games for learning.
Fledglings, Wenden Court, Station Approach, Wendens Ambo, Saffron Walden, CB11 4LB; tel:
0845 458 1124;
e-mail: enquiries@fledglings.org.uk;
website: www.fledglings.org.uk
– a free product and service search for families of children
with special needs, for educational items and developmental toys.
I CAN (Central Office, 4 Dyer’s Buildings, Holborn, London
EC1N 2QP; tel: 0870 010 4066;
email: info@ican.org.uk; website:
www.ican.org.uk ) – an
educational charity for children with speech and language difficulties,
training centre for parents and professionals, numerous factsheets.
Johansen Sound Therapy programmes suitable for children with spoken
language difficulties and literacy difficulties are available –
see, for example, www.johansensoundtherapy.com
and www.developmentalintegration.co.uk
National Information Centre for Speech and Language Therapy (NICeST)
(Dept. of Human Communication Science, UCL, Chandler House, 2 Wakefield
Street, London WC1N 1PG; tel: 020 7679 4207;
website: library.hcs.ucl.ac.uk)
– enquiry service, library and literature search.
Office for Advice, Assistance, Support and Information on Special
Needs (OAASIS), Brock House, Grigg Lane, Brockenhurst, Hants SO42
7RE; helpline tel: 09068 633201;
website: www.oaasis.co.uk – an advice, training and
resource centre for parents and professionals.
Professional Association of Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties (Patoss), website: www.patoss-dyslexia.org
Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, website: www.rcslt.org
Scottish Sensory Centre, and CALL Centre, Moray House School of
Education, University of Edinburgh, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8
8AQ; tel: 0131 651 6501 – provides materials and advice on
sensory difficulties, including language difficulties.
Scottish Sensory Centre promotes and supports new developments
and effective practices in the education of children and young people
with sensory impairments – that is; visual impairment, deaf
and deafblind. SSC collaborates with education authorities, schools
and groups of teachers, voluntary organisations, parents’
groups and young people themselves. Sister website: VI Scotland:
www.viscotland.org.uk
Stass Publications’ catalogue contains books and materials
all written by speech and language therapists: Stass publications,
44 North Road, Ponteland, Northumberland, NE20 9UR; tel/fax: 01661
860440;
email: susan@stass.demon.co.uk
www.afasic.org.uk
www.cafamily.org.uk
www.childspeech.net
www.ican.org.uk/information_centre/speech_and_language.asp
www.inclusive.co.uk/infosite/spandl.shtml
www.speechnlanguage.org.uk
www.talkingpoint.org.uk
– aims to provide a one-stop shop for professionals and parents.
Home
support:
What
are specific speech, language and communication difficulties?
The difficulty here is a motor and/or cognitive weakness with
processing and organising expressive and/or receptive language.
These are children who may have been later starting to talk, and
whose speech is still a little unclear. They may show plenty of
evidence of competence and skill with non-verbal activities (for
example, constructional toys, or visual puzzles) but be less skilled
with language.
How
will this affect my child?
Your child’s speech may not be clear and well articulated,
and he/she may muddle words, and mix up the sounds within them.
It may often be hard for your child to find the right words, even
when he/she obviously knows what he/she wants to say.
There may be delays when answering questions, and a sense that
thought is a bit laborious.
This can be very frustrating for your child – all the right
answers might be there, but it is hard work getting them out, like
a continuous ‘tip-of-the-tongue’ experience.
How
can I help?
-
Encourage as many language and communication opportunities
as possible.
-
Be patient and allow your child to respond to questions even
if he/she takes a long time – encourage explanations,
and listen to what he/she has to say.
-
Activities which allow your child to explain what is happening
in a picture can be useful. This can help with comprehension
as well as verbal expression.
-
It is particularly important to give praise, especially when
your child is describing something or giving some oral response
to a question.
-
Consider a request for referral for speech therapy assessment,
if this has not already taken place.
-
Consider assessment for auditory therapy, with subsequent auditory
training exercises (this may be available through some Speech
and Language Therapy services, or arranged privately –
it is unlikely to be available through the school or education
authority).
-
Exercises: for younger children, an excellent range of activities
and games to aid word access and expressive language can be
found on: http://members.tripod.com/~Caroline_Bowen/wordretrieval.html
-
Basic Exercises for Articulatory Dyspraxia are available from
the Dyspraxia Foundation, tel: 01462 455016; email: admin@dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk;
website: www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk
-
Johansen Sound Therapy programmes suitable for children with
spoken language difficulties and literacy difficulties are available
– see, for example, www.johansensoundtherapy.com and www.developmentalintegration.co.uk
-
Paired reading can be done at home, and actively involves the
parent and the child. It is a very successful method and involves
the parent (tutor) and the child (tutee) reading aloud at the
same time. Both parent and child read all the words out together,
with the parent modulating speed to match that of the child,
while giving a good model of competent reading. The child must
read every word and when the child says a word wrong, the parent
just tells the child the correct way to say the word. The child
then repeats the word correctly and the pair carry on. It is
intended only for use with individually chosen, highly motivating,
non-fiction or fiction books which are above the independent
readability level of the child.
One of the important aspects of paired reading, and indeed
any reading activities, is praise – the parent should
look pleased when the child succeeds using this technique. A
similar technique can be used with another, older, child as
the tutor.
Further information is available from the Centre for Paired
Reading website (www.dundee.ac.uk/psychology/TRW),
where details of the publication Thinking Reading Writing: A
Practical Guide to Paired Learning with Peers, Parents and Volunteers,
by Keith Topping (2001) (Continuum), can be found. The Centre
for Paired Learning website is www.dundee.ac.uk/psychology/c_p_lear.html
and contains information and details of linked publications.
Where
can I find out more?
Afasic (50–2 Great Sutton Street, London EC1V 0DJ, tel: 020
7490 9410; Helpline: 0845 355 5577;
email: info@afasic.org.uk;
website: www.afasic.org.uk)
– a charity for people with communication difficulties.
Association for Rehabilitation of Communication and Oral Skills
(ARCOS) – Whitbourne Lodge, 137 Church Street, Malvern, Worcs,
WR14 2AN; tel: 01684 576795; email: arcos@globalnet.co.uk;
website: www.arcos.org.uk
Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice
(ASLTIP) (WSS, Coleheath Bottom, Speen, Princes Risborough, Bucks
HP27 0SZ; tel: 0870 2413357;
email: awdry@demon.co.uk;
website: www.helpwithtalking.com)
– information/database concerning appropriate local therapists.
Fledglings, Wenden Court, Station Approach, Wendens Ambo, Saffron Walden, CB11 4LB; tel:
0845 458 1124;
e-mail: enquiries@fledglings.org.uk;
website: www.fledglings.org.uk
– a free product and service search for families of children
with special needs, for educational items and developmental toys.
I CAN (Central Office, 4 Dyer’s Buildings, Holborn, London
EC1N 2QP; tel: 0870 010 4066;
email: info@ican.org.uk; website:
www.ican.org.uk ) – an
educational charity for children with speech and language difficulties,
training centre for parents and professionals, numerous factsheets.
Leonard, L. B. (2000) Children with Specific Language Impairment
(Language, Speech and Communication) (MIT Press).
Martin, D. and Miller, C. (2002) Speech and Language Difficulties
in the Classroom (David Fulton).
National Information Centre for Speech and Language Therapy (NICeST)
(Dept. of Human Communication Science, UCL, Chandler House, 2 Wakefield
Street, London WC1N 1PG; tel: 020 7679 4207;
website: http://library.hcs.ucl.ac.uk)
– enquiry service, library and literature search.
Office for Advice, Assistance, Support and Information on Special
Needs (OAASIS), Brock House, Grigg Lane, Brockenhurst, Hants SO42
7RE; helpline tel: 09068 633201;
website: www.oaasis.co.uk – an advice, training and
resource centre for parents and professionals.
Some useful websites:
www.afasic.org.uk
www.cafamily.org.uk
www.childspeech.net
www.ican.org.uk/information_centre/speech_and_language.asp
www.inclusive.co.uk/infosite/spandl.shtml
www.speechnlanguage.org.uk
www.talkingpoint.org.uk
– aims to provide a one-stop shop for professionals and parents.
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