I CAN Early Talk: Enhancing Communication and Language Training

Programme for the day

• • • • • • • Welcome, housekeeping, outline of the day

Unit 1.

What are speech, language and communication needs (SLCN)?

Unit 2.

Identifying children with SLCN

Lunch Unit 3.

Approaches to support children with SLCN to access the curriculum.

Unit 4.

Working in partnership

Target setting

and evaluation.

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Activity 1: G.O.A.L

Write down the following: Give:

what are you bringing to the training (experience, desire to learn more etc)?

Outcomes:

what do you want to achieve at the end of this programme of learning?

Anxieties:

what are you concerned about?

Looking forward

: what are the positives that you want to take from the training?

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Learning outcomes

•know about speech, language and communication development in the early years •be aware of approaches used in identifying and addressing speech, language and communication needs •have an understanding of how to adapt the early years environment to support children with SLCN •understand and develop ideas around your role in assessment and collaborative practice •agree three personal communication targets, including subsequent evaluation dates for implementation of these in your workplace. Enhancing Communication: Unit 1 4

Early Talk & how it links with EYFS 2012

•

Prime area

:

communication & language

  Listening & attention Understanding  Speaking •

Prime area: Physical development

 Health & self care •

Prime area: personal, social & emotional development

 Self-confidence & self-awareness Enhancing Communication: Unit 1 5

Unit 1 Warm up: Discussion

Spend 2 minutes talking to the person next to you about 1 of the following: • Your journey here today

or

• 1 thing you want to do before you die

or

• 1 thing you like about your job.

• Why do we communicate?

• What skills do we need?

• What would be the impact if we couldn’t communicate?

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Speech, language and communication – a reminder!

Speech

is the sounds and sound combinations that are put together to make up words.

Language

Understanding language (also known as comprehension or receptive language).

Talking (also known as expressive language).

Communication

gives us a way of sharing feelings and emotions; a tool for giving and receiving information.

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Talking Words Sentences Grammar Pragmatics

Image adapted from Google images

Unit 1: Communication chain

Listening Understanding Thinking (processing) Planning Remembering Enhancing Communication: Unit 1 8

communication language speech Speech, language and communication Speech, language and communication are different aspects of the interactive process.

It is useful to think about these different aspects – they are multi faceted and multi-layered and all are necessary for effective communication. Enhancing Communication: Unit 1 9

Why do children need speaking and listening skills?

Speaking and listening skills enable children to: • understand what is said • express themselves clearly • share their feelings verbally • make their needs known • use their language as a vehicle for learning • make friends and join in. Enhancing Communication: Unit 1 10

Unit 1. Activity 2: Sorting game •In the envelope are different aspects of :  speech  language  communication.

•In groups, have a go at sorting each aspect into the categories.

•There is not always a right answer, and some may fit comfortably in more than one category.

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Speech Speech sounds Clear speech Fluency Tone of voice Stress on words Intonation Using pitch Volume Sorting activity Language Vocabulary Organised sentences Use of grammar Narrative structure Understanding meanings Verbal reasoning Inference Understanding grammar Communication Adapt communication style to suit situation and audience Listen Take conversational turns Understand non-verbal communication Use language to persuade, negotiate, predict and account for consequences Use language to enable conflict resolution and collaboration Conversations Enhancing Communication: Unit 1 12

Unit 1. Activity 3: Conversation role play Have a conversation in your groups for 5 minutes.

You need to have the conversation in the role given on the card.

After 5 minutes conversation, discuss with the person next to you what you think might have been going on with this person ’s communication.

What aspects of speech, language and communication were they struggling with?

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Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) Any of these areas can be affected on their own or in combination:  

speech

difficulties, like saying one sound instead of another and/or omitting certain sounds

language

difficulties, like not using necessary words, or lack of understanding 

communication

difficulties, like not looking or listening well.

Interaction and communication is then affected, as is access to social interaction and learning opportunities.

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Impact •Attainment •Behaviour •Emotional development •Self esteem •Social skills •Literacy •Learning Enhancing Communication: Unit 1 15

How do children learning more than one language develop SLC skills?

Skills develop by the same means whatever the language.

They always follow a developmental pattern but patterns vary depending on the language .

Bilingualism is a recognised advantage .

Mixing words from both languages in a sentence is a normal part of bilingual language development .

Becoming conversationally fluent in a second language usually takes around 2 years.

Encourage parents to talk to their children in the language they would naturally use at home.

With thanks to The Communication Trust for this model Enhancing Communication: Unit 1 16

Key message

Through understanding relevant terminology and categories relating to speech, language and communication development together with the impact of SLCN, we can begin to identify children with SLCN, and consider targeted interventions to support them in settings.

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Unit 2. Identifying children with SLCN

• • • •

Activity 1: fact or fiction

10% of all young people have speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).

5 –7% of all young people have SLCN as a primary difficulty.

At least 50% of young people with behaviour, emotional and social difficulties have undiagnosed SLCN.

Children do better if you make them work and talk together. 5. Most teachers are confident in their ability to teach speaking and listening skills.

6. Young people who are slow to develop language are likely to be slow to develop reading skills and written language.

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SLCN fact or fiction activity (cont.) 7.Children with weaker vocabularies are more likely to learn new words from incidental exposure than children with larger vocabularies.

8.Talk and social interaction among children play a key role in children ’s social development and learning.

9.Less able richer children overtake more able poorer children by the age of 5.

10.Children from economically deprived backgrounds are at considerable risk of language delay.

11.By age 4 an average child would have experienced almost 45 million words.

12.The acquisition of a first language is the most complex skill anyone ever learns.

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Key message Children with SLCN have major disadvantages to overcome in the classroom and they will suffer educationally unless their needs are recognised and understood. (Lindsay and Dockrell, 2000)

Risk factors: nature • Family history of speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) • Primary diagnoses: • sensory impairment • genetic conditions e.g. Down’s syndrome • other medical conditions e.g. cerebral palsy • cognitive impairment • Pre - or perinatal difficulties (e.g. low birthweight, pre-term and birth trauma) • Upper respiratory tract infections and otitis media effusion (glue ear).

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Risk factors: nurture • Lower socio-economic background* • Physical/mental illness in carer (e.g. maternal depression, alcohol/ substance misuse) • Carer’s communicative behaviours: • reduced responsiveness (parent responds less often) • reduced contingency (parental responses less sensitive to baby ’s lead) • less adaptive interaction (rate and complexity of carer’s talk and use of intonation) • Parenting practices, e.g.: • wallpaper TV • dummy and bottle use. * Linked to communication delay but not Speech Language Impairment (SLI) Enhancing Communication: Unit 1 22

Risk factor?

Are bilingual children more likely to have communication difficulties?

No

Children learning to communicate who are exposed to more than one language at a time may take longer to achieve milestones but they are

no more likely

to be affected by specific language difficulties than a monolingual child. Bilingualism in itself is not a communication impairment and bilingual children will, in time, typically master both languages as proficiently as their peers. Enhancing Communication: Unit 1 23

Unit 2, Activity 3: Identifying children with SLCN

What would you observe if a child has SLCN?

How do you identify if a child has SLCN?

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Challenges within the curriculum for children with SLCN (cont.) • Disengaging from nursery activities • Being angry, frustrated or disaffected • Increasingly anxious behaviour • Being more aware of differences between themselves and their peers • Being isolated / withdrawn from peers • Being highly skilled at masking their difficulties • ‘ Acting up ’ to gain friends / respect from their peers .

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The range of SLCN experienced by children Children with SLCN may be: • unable to fully understand the content of an activity • given instructions that they cannot follow • unable to use language to demonstrate to others that they have/have not understood what has been said to them • unable to use language to express their needs • unable to use language in interactions with peers and adults.

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Challenges within the curriculum for children with SLCN • • • • • Understanding the content of a lesson / activity Poor understanding of instructions and ability to follow them Using language to demonstrate they have understood Expressing their needs or lack of understanding of a topic Using language to support interaction with peers and thus develop social skills.

Unit 2. Activity 4: Identifying children with SLCN

Case studies

Using the checklist in your participant book, work through your case study and identify: •What each child’s strengths and interests are •What areas of communication children might be struggling with •How would this affect their learning?

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Challenges within the curriculum for children with SLCN • • • • • Communication and language PSED Physical development Literacy Maths

Summary • As the whole curriculum is delivered through the medium of language, children with SLCN will struggle unless their needs are understood and appropriate strategies put into place to meet their needs.

•There may be specific effects on the child ’ s communication, language and literacy skills. In addition mathematical development and other areas of the curriculum may be affected to varying degrees.

Lunch

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Unit 3. What do you do to support children with SLCN?

In groups - discuss what you do already to support children with SLCN, thinking about: • The role of the adult and the strategies they use • How you organise the environment • Any additional support you give Enhancing Communication: Unit 1 32

Unit 3. Activity 2 – how do you facilitate this?

Ways Opportunities Desire

Strategies to help children access the environment & the curriculum • Physical environment • Role of the adult • Creating opportunities for interaction Enhancing Communication: Unit 1 34

Strategies to address the environment - physical • • • • • • • Visual timetable Labelling Arrangement of room Designated areas Seating arrangements Support at tidy up time Activities to suit a range of ages.

Role of the adult: TALK techniques

Talking together

Being equal partners in communication

Attention and listening

Supporting a child ’s understanding of language and activities

Level of language

Adapting adult language to fit the child ’s level

Keep on commenting

Reinforcing and extending a child ’s language development

How?

How?

How?

Listen more than you talk Involve children in conversation Use visual cues – gestures, signs and pictures Emphasise turn taking Remove distractions Keep language simple Look at the child you are talking to Say the child ’s name – touch them gently to help them focus Give one instruction at a time Check understanding Keep to a routine Re-phrase information Value what children say Praise good listening and attention skills Offer choices

How?

Comment on what is happening Give children the right language model Repeat language Wait!

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Unit 3. Activity 3: Scenario 1 What could you say?

Teacher:

‘If you have had your milk you can go and play. If you haven ’t made your hat for tomorrow ’s party you can make one now with Sally.

’ Enhancing Communication: Unit 1 37

Unit 3. Activity 4: Language environment - Scenario 2

Teacher:

‘Right then Eli, stand up and tell me your address.

’

Eli:

‘I’m a dress.’ Enhancing Communication: Unit 1 38

Supporting peer interactions • • • • • Peer talk: Encourage and support talking amongst peers Encourage communication in all its forms Group carefully Create opportunities for talking Enhancing Communication: Unit 1 39

Unit 3. Activity 5: What strategies are being used?

I CAN T.A.L.K. video

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Unit 3, Activity 6: Creating opportunities for interaction

In groups discuss how you can create opportunities for children with SLCN to get the most out of: •Circle time •Small group times •Role play •Outdoor play •Times of conflict Enhancing Communication: Unit 1 41

Conclusion for Unit 3

A range of strategies and approaches can be used to support children with SLCN. These involve adaptation to the social, language and learning environment. Practitioners need to be aware of their roles and responsibilities to children with SLCN and be able to monitor their effectiveness. Enhancing Communication: Unit 1 42

Unit 4. Activity 1: Working in partnership

In groups identify who else you would work with to ensure the best outcomes for children with SLCN Enhancing Communication: Unit 1 43

Parents as Partners

• • • • Parents: Know their child best Gain information about the child from the parent Keep them informed about what is happening in the nursery Home / school diaries, regular meetings, sharing IEPs or play plans.

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Unit 4. Activity 2: Using your toolkit What are the strengths that parents have?

What are their needs?

How can you use resources in your toolkit to help parents know more about language and communication?

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Target Setting

Initial assessment Set target/s Evaluation and modification Implementation 46 Enhancing Communication: Unit 1

Target Setting • • • • • Targets need to be precise, measurable and tailored to a child ’s needs - SMART Establish baselines so that progress can be demonstrated Carry out regular observations & target review to ensure that targets are achieving desired outcome. If not then targets should be revised Involve children and parents.

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Unit 4. Activity 3: Setting targets •Using the learning cycle model on slide 46, choose a case study and think of two targets for this child.

•What strategies would you use to help them achieve this?

•Who else would be involved?

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Where to seek support

• • •

Local speech and language therapy service

– referral, assessment and intervention.

Local children ’s centre

– advice and sharing ideas.

Talking Point

– website providing advice and tips for parents and professionals

www.talkingpoint.org.uk

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Where to seek support

• • • •

Talk to your baby

– information for parents and professionals

www.literacytrust.org.uk/talktoyourbaby Early Support Programme

– advice and support booklets available in England but web access UK

www.earlysupport.org.uk

I CAN

– advice leaflets for parents and professionals

www.ican.org.uk

I CAN Help enquiry service

– parents/practitioners can talk to a speech and language therapist about a child ’s development:

020 7843 2544

.

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Where to seek support

• •

Afasic

– organisation primarily for parents but advice leaflets available for parents and professionals

www.afasic.org.uk

Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists

– information about speech and language therapy

www.rcslt.org.uk

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Conclusion

Working with parents in partnership & accurate target setting will inevitably result in the best outcomes for children with SLCN. This approach will also improve support for parents and the practitioners working with both the child and their family.

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Next steps... Target setting • Write down at least one action under each of the three topics.

• Find a buddy • Agree a date for a progress check.

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Online evaluation

To complete course evaluation and obtain attendance certificate, visit:

www.ican.org.uk/validation

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