What particular things I can do to help my child / young person with their understanding, talking or communication

Parent information, advice and resources - Worcestershire

The Worcestershire Speech and Language Therapy service website provides a comprehensive range of resources, advice and You Tube videos to help parents to support their child / young person at home. 

Visit the website to find:

• Information about speech, language and communication
• Free resources you can download and use at home
• Links to our You Tube channel where you will find demonstrations of activities you can do at home
• Further information about the local team, where we work and what services we provide 

Cost: Free

Hear Glue Ear

A free, award-winning app, designed for children experiencing hearing loss due to glue ear.

The Hear Glue Ear app is a valuable tool to help families manage their child’s glue ear at home. Glue ear is one of the most common childhood conditions in children aged 2-6, and the concern is that some young children with persistent or recurrent glue ear might struggle to develop speech, language, listening, and social communication skills. 

Cost: Free App

Slowing down

Find out how to slow down your talking and understand more about how this can help your child.

Cost: Free

Share books with children

Sharing books is a great way to help your child's talking. Making books part of your daily routine really helps to develop attention, communication and language skills.  Nottinghamshire Language for Life have produced this information leaflet about book sharing as well as many other top tips leaflets to help understand how to support speech, language and communication.

Cost: Free

Afasic About Talking

Afasic supports parents and carers with young children who have difficulties with listening, talking and understanding others. Here you will find information about: talking, listening and understanding; the terms used to describe these skills; how to recognise if your young child may have difficulties in these areas; some of the terms used to describe types of difficulties; what might cause these difficulties and the impact that this may have on their development

Enquiry Line

The Speech and Language UK Enquiry Service gives you a chance to discuss questions or concerns about your child’s speech, language and communication development with one of Speech and Language UK’s speech and language therapists.  The therapists can give helpful information about children’s talking and communication development as well as tips on improving these skills. They can also offer advice on ages and stages and what can be done to help your child get the right support.

Cost: Free

Switch off and talk

This webpage and leaflet provides you with information about why it is important to think about switching off electronic devices to help with communication development

Afasic Parent Helpline

If you are worried about your child / young person's speech, language and communication, contact Afasic by telephone or email to speak to someone who can help. 

Cost: Free

Speech and Language UK How to support your child

This information about how to support your child forms part of Speech and Language UK's guide to the typical stages of speech and language development.  Children develop language at different rates and understanding what is typical and what you can do to support your child can help you give them the best start on their journey to developing communication and language skills. 

Cost: Free

TCT Universally Speaking Ages and Stages 5-11 years

Universally Speaking is a series of booklets for anyone who works with children and young people. The booklets show where children should be with their communication skills at any given age.  You can use the booklets to find out whether the children you work with are on the right track, what helps them learn to talk and listen and what to do if you have concerns about any of their communication abilities.

Cost: Free

Signalong

Signalong provides training and resources to assist those with communication difficulties and English as an additional language.

Signalong is a key word sign-supported communication system based on British sign language and is used in spoken word order. It uses speech, sign, body language, facial expression and voice tone to reference the link between sign and word.

Cost: Free & £

Makaton sign and symbol resources

These free Makaton resources are available for you to access and use to support communication with your primary aged child.  These symbols and signs help you to provide extra information and clues about what you are saying as well as support the development of essential communication skills such as attention and listening and understanding. 

Cost: Free

Using visual support

Parents play a key role in supporting their child's language and communication skills in everyday life. Children learn about the world through their experiences and interests particularly within their play. Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust provide information and opportunities for families to learn more about developing their child's speech and language - this video introduces how to use visual support to help communication.

Cost: Free

Leeds Speech and Language Therapy Toolkit

Leeds Community Healthcare's Speech and Language Therapy Toolkit contains advice, activities and general resources to help you with your child's development of speech, language and communication skills.

Cost: Free

Signs and Symbols

Widgit provides symbols that can be used to support communication making information, documents and resources to be more accessible and inclusive.  The symbols can be used for a variety of purposes such as creating communication books to share information; visual timetables to support understanding of structure and routine; task boards to support independent learning; pictures to develop vocabulary and to support children learning English as an additional language.

This website has information to support your understanding of how to use symbols including training resources, events and links to a network of organisations around the UK who offer advice and support.

There is also information for parents and carers to help them understand how they can use symbols to support their child. 

Cost: £9/month upwards

Learning more than one language

Many children grow up learning more than one language. This information leaflet from NHS Forth Valley provides you with useful information and top tips about what you can do to help your young child on their way to being bilingual or multilingual.

Cost: Free

Speech Link Parent Portal

The Speech Link Parent Portal offers you advice, information and activities for developing your children’s understanding, talking and listening.  It includes information about speech, language and communication, how these skills develop, activities and top tips videos.

Cost: Free

SMIRA

SMIRA became a UK Registered Charity in 1992, having been set up initially to support families with selectively mute children. Here you will find further information, advice and resources to help you understand and support your child.

Cost: Free

Symbols

Widgit provides symbols that you can use to support communication such as creating communication books to share information; visual timetables to support understanding of structure and routine; task boards to support independent learning; pictures to develop vocabulary and to support children learning English as an additional language.  Here you will find more information about how to use symbols at home to help communication and independence.  It also include resources and ideas to get you started.

Now and Next Boards

Birmingham Community Healthcare Speech and Language Therapists have produced this video to show you how to use a 'now and next' or 'first and then' board to help your child understand what is going to happen next and to encourage them to do what you want them to do.  It explains how using pictures can help if children are having difficulties with language.

Cost: Free

Using Objects and Sensory Cueing

Birmingham Community Healthcare Speech and Language Therapists have produced this video to show you how to use objects and sensory cueing to link words, objects and routines. This helps children prepare for and anticipate what is going to happen next; supports language development; supports them to become engaged in a variety of daily routines.

Cost: Free

Communication Boards

Birmingham Community Healthcare Speech and Language Therapists have produced this video to show you how to use communication boards through play and everyday activities to supporting understanding and as a way to allow your child to communicate with you.

Cost: Free