How to make sure children and young people at risk of speech, language and communication needs are identified early and effectively

Balanced System for Schools and Settings

The Balanced System Scheme for Schools and Settings is a whole system approach to improving outcomes for children across the range of speech, language and communication needs for any setting that supports children. The framework enables a setting to understand existing need and provision for speech, language and communication and develop provision to address the gaps. The framework supports a setting to demonstrate impact of the support for speech, language and communication.

Cost: £

NHS Services and support for parents

NHS website with details for how to find a GP, Health Visitor and child health clinics in your area

Cost: Free

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

Child Monitoring Tool

A profiling tool to monitor a babies development in relation to Listening and Attention; Understanding; Talking; and Social Skills.  As a practitioner you can highlight statements that the baby can do through ongoing observations and assessment as well as discussion with parents. The tool includes checkpoint statements which need to be particularly considered as, if a baby is not achieving these skills at the age indicated, this may indicate a speech, language and communication need that requires ongoing investigation and monitoring.

Cost: Free

Speech and Language UK Ages and Stages

This is a guide to the typical stages of speech and language development in babies.  Children develop language at different rates. However, understanding what is typical can help you identify speech and language problems early.  This page also provides information about how to support babies' development.

Cost: Free

WellComm Toolkit

The WellComm Assessment is for use with any child aged 6 months to 6 years and enables practitioners to evaluate children's language skills, draw up a detailed profile and identify children at risk of having difficulty in developing language skills.  It identifies those children who need setting-based monitoring and support and those who need referral to specialist support services.  The screen is completed through observation, discussion with families and screening by asking children to carry out a variety of tasks ensuring that results obtained and conclusions drawn are more accurate than using one approach alone.

The WellComm Big Book of Ideas has been designed for use following a WellComm assessment of any child aged 6 months to 6 years.  It includes general strategies as well as very specific activities to develop and improve children's speech and language skills and can be implemented by any early years practitioner or parent using toys and items that can be found in settings or at home.  The activities are used to develop the particular skills highlighted for support in the assessment - this means that the activities delivered are specific and appropriate to the individual child language development stage and can be used in the setting or at home.

Training videos are included in the toolkit.  

ASQ-3

The Ages & Stages Questionnaires^®, Third Edition (ASQ^®-3) is a developmental screening tool that pinpoints developmental progress in children between the ages of one month to 5 ½ years.