What to do to support children and young people with identified speech, language and communication needs

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: £

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.

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

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: £

Communication Supporting Classrooms Observation Tool

Developed as part of the Better Communication Research Programme (2012) following a review of provision for children with speech, language and communication needs, the audit tool is to be used when observing the quality of a learning space from Early Years through the first half of primary school. By auditing the environment, language learning opportunities and language learning interactions, practitioners will be more informed about what they are doing well and what else they could do to support 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 young 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

What Works database

The Communication Trust worked with the Better Communication Research Programme to develop the What Works database of evidenced interventions to support children's speech, language and communication. What Works is endorsed by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.  It supports practitioners to deliver evidence-informed interventions and approaches to support children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.

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

Talk Boost KS2

Talk Boost KS2 is a targeted intervention aimed at children 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: £

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: £

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.

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: £

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

Language for Learning resources

Language for Learning aims to offer really practical strategies to support children in their early years or mainstream setting. They aim to share resources that they use and promote on our training courses, including national initiatives such as the Communication Commitment.