What to do to support children and young people with identified speech, language and communication needs
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The resources here will help you reach the outcome: "I know what to do and have the resources to support children with identified speech, language and communication needs."
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Stamma
The British Stammering Association, now known as Stamma since 2019, is a national organisation for children who stammer and their families. It also provides information, advice and support for professionals working with children who stammer.




Switch off and talk
This webpage and leaflet provides families with information about why switching off electronic devices and talking more is important for children's communication development.
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





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





Speech and Language UK Information for Professionals
Speech and Language UK is the children's communication charity which provides training and resources for professionals to develop knowledge, skills and strategies to support children's speech, language and communication skills and needs and links to further information.
Cost: Free




Black Sheep Press resources
Black Sheep Press produce a wide variety of resources for professionals and speech and language therapists working with children with speech and language needs. The resources have been devised by experts and include worksheets, assessments and apps. Resources are colourfully illustrated and come with clear guidance on how to use them. As well as assessment tools, the resources include activities to support speech sound development; attention and listening; vocabulary; word-finding; sentence structure; narrative structure and social skills.
Cost: £


Worcestershire Workforce Audit
Speech Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) Self-Evaluation Audit for practitioners in settings and schools.
Cost: Free




Enquiry Line
The Speech and Language UK Enquiry Service gives parents a chance to discuss questions or concerns about their 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 the child get the right support.
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 learn more about developing their child's speech and language - this video introduces how to use visual support to help communication.
Cost: Free




Afasic
Afasic supports parents and carers with young children who have difficulties with listening, talking and understanding others. Here is information for you use and to share with families of the children you support. It includes a wide range of information about talking, listening and understanding and what might cause these difficulties. If families are worried that their child is not talking or not saying as much as other children of their age, they can contact Afasic by telephone or email to speak to someone who can help.
Cost: Free




Afasic Parent Helpline
If a parent is worried about their child / young person's speech, language and communication, share this Afasic helpline information so that they can speak to someone who can help by telephone or email.
Cost: Free





Talk together in daily routines
This leaflet provides information for you to use and to share with parents and carers about how to use everyday activities and routines to talk about what children can see and what is happening. Children learn from experiences and activities that happen over and over again. This gives adults a chance to use the same words and sentences many times. Linking these to daily routines will help children to make links between the words, sentences and what they mean.
Cost: Free



Speech and Language UK Ages and Stages
This is a guide to the typical stages of speech and language development in children. 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 children's development.
Cost: Free




Universally Speaking 5-11
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




BCTC Toolkit - Effective Communication
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 & £





WellComm Toolkit
The WellComm Assessment is for use with any child aged 6-11 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 and 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. 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 practitioner or parent. 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 school or at home.
Training videos are included in the toolkit.





RADLD
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is diagnosed when children struggle to develop language, resulting in children who have difficulty understanding what people say to them, and struggle to articulate their ideas and feelings. This website provides you with information and resources to help identify and support children with DLD. Information can also be shared with families and carers of children with DLD.
Cost: Free





Afasic My Child Isn't Talking and I'm Worried
Children develop and learn to talk at different rates – some more slowly or quickly than others. However, there are key milestones parents can look out for and it can help them to know how talking develops, what happens and when. Here Afasic provides information for you to share with parents on: identifying who can help; first steps to getting help and support; gathering information and keeping a record and questions to ask professionals.
Cost: Free





Talk Boost KS2
Talk Boost KS2 is a targeted intervention aimed at 7-10 year old children with delayed language, aiming to boost their language skills helping them to catch up with their peers. The programme aims to accelerate children’s progress in language and communication, after an eight week intervention.
Cost: £




Language for Behaviour and Emotions
This practical, interactive resource is designed to be used by professionals who work with children and young people who have Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs and Speech, Language and Communication needs. Gaps in language and emotional skills can have a negative impact on behaviour as well as mental health and self- esteem. Language for Behaviour and Emotions provides a systematic approach to developing these skills so that young people can understand and work through social interaction difficulties.
Cost: £


Vocabulary Enrichment Intervention Programme
This book helps to enhance the understanding and use of vocabulary in secondary school students and young adults. Specifically designed for older children and young adults (8-18) with language and communication needs, this practical language programme was created by a specialist speech & language therapist with input from secondary school teachers and students.
Cost: £105


Narrative Intervention Programme
This book improves the understanding and telling of stories in secondary school students and young adults. Specifically designed for older children and young adults, this practical language programme was created by a specialist speech & language therapist with input from secondary school teachers and students.
Cost: £94.50


Talking Mats
Talking Mats communication symbols tool is based on extensive research and designed by Speech and Language Therapists. It uses unique, specially designed picture communication symbols that are attractive to all ages and communication abilities and is used by clinical practitioners, carers and support workers in a wide range of health, social work, residential and education settings to increase children, young people and adults' capacity to communicate effectively about things that matter to them.


Lift Lessons 6-14
Digital resources with a focus on teaching keywords in science to empower students aged 6 to 14 with their academic language.


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




Word Aware
Word Aware is a structured whole school approach to promote the vocabulary development of all children. The resource is of particular value for those who start at a disadvantage – including children with Developmental Language Disorder, Special Educational Needs and those who speak English as an additional language, but it will extend the word learning of all students. It includes activities that can be used in 1-1 or small groups for children who are finding word learning particularly difficult.
Cost: £


Speech Link
Speech Link is used to identify and support children with developmental speech sound difficulties. Launched in 2003, it is still used widely throughout the UK to help schools decide who needs to be seen by a Speech and Language Therapist and those at risk of literacy difficulties. Suitable for children aged 4 to 8 years, Speech Link helps demystify speech work and helps you to work effectively with children’s common speech sound errors.
Cost: £



Infant Language Link
Infant Language Link is an innovative online package used to identify and support children with mild to moderate SLCN and those new to English. The assessment will also identify any children who may have more severe language needs, such as Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), so that these children can be considered for further investigations and diagnostic assessment with your local Speech and Language Therapy team. Suitable for children aged 4 to 8 years, 500 colourful resources, 12 planned termly language groups, 24 individual teaching plans and 52 handouts for parents make this the most comprehensive SLCN package available for schools.
Cost: £



Speech Link Parent Portal
The Speech Link Parent Portal offers advice, information and activities for you to share with families so that they know how to develop their 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





Junior Language Link
Junior Language Link is an award winning package used to identify and support children with mild to moderate SLCN and those new to English in Key Stage 2. The assessment will also identify any children who may have more severe language needs, such as Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), so that these children can be considered for further investigations and diagnostic assessment with your local Speech and Language Therapy team. Suitable for children aged 7 to 11 years, it focuses on vital higher level language skills such as making inferences, complex grammar and figurative language.
Cost: £



Strategies to support language disorders
Leaflet outlining key strategies to support language disorders in the classroom.
Cost: Free


EIF Early Years Library - Recognising and Expressing Emotions
The Early Intervention Foundation's Early Years Library contains booklets covering core social and emotional skills and key practices that can be used to support skill development. The 'Recognising and expressing emotions' booklet provides information about:
- Learning feeling words
- Identifying feelings using facial expressions and body language
- Describing how we feel
- Recognising other people’s feelings
Click here for the Recognising and expressing emotions booklet
Access all booklets in the Early Years Library here: https://www.eif.org.uk/resource/early-years-library
Cost: Free



EIF Early Years Library - Communicating with others
The Early Intervention Foundation's Early Years Library contains booklets covering core social and emotional skills and key practices that can be used to support skill development. The 'Communicating with others' booklet provides information about:
- Communicating non-verbally
- Engaging in conversation
- Listening
- Greeting others and introducing yourself
- Using polite language
Click here for the Communicating with others booklet
Access all booklets in the Early Years Library here: https://www.eif.org.uk/resource/early-years-library
Cost: Free



Colourful Semantics
'Colourful Semantics' was developed by Alison Bryan and is used by SLTs across the UK and beyond, to support spoken and written language development across a wide range of client groups.
Colourful Semantics – a practical resource is a Mac / Windows-compatible CD-ROM which uses this theory and provides a wide range of practical games, advice sheets and illustrations, to support the use of ‘Colourful Semantics’ with preschool and primary children across the curriculum.
The pictures are fun, the ideas are varied and the advice is practical. Resources can be printed off, copied and used for therapy by SLTs, Teachers and assistants to support expressive and receptive language targets. The disk is clear, easy to use and ready to go.
Cost: £

EIF Early Years Library - Language and Listening
The Early Intervention Foundation's Early Years Library contains booklets covering core language and early literacy skills and key practices that can be used to support skill development. The Language and listening booklet provides information about:
- Learning new words
- Using new words in context
- Listening and responding
- Remembering stories
- Answering questions about a story
Click here for the Language and Listening booklet
Access all booklets in the Early Years Library here: https://www.eif.org.uk/resource/early-years-library
Cost: Free



EIF Early Years Library - Phonological Awareness
The Early Intervention Foundation's Early Years Library contains booklets covering core language and early literacy skills and key practices that can be used to support skill development. The Phonological awareness booklet provides information about:
- Identifying a word’s first and last sound
- Recognising rhyming sounds by listening
- Producing rhyming sounds and words
- Syllable awareness
- Oral segmenting (from words to sounds)
- Oral blending (from sounds to words)
Click here for the Phonological Awareness booklet
Access all booklets in the Early Years Library here: https://www.eif.org.uk/resource/early-years-library
Cost: Free


