How I will know if a child or young person needs help with their understanding, talking and communication

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.

A Guide to Identification - Worcestershire SLCN Pathway

Identifying SLCN can be problematic for many reasons. Children and young people may have other difficulties as well as SLCN, they may have a wide and complex range of needs and therefore there can be co-occurrence with other diagnoses. SLCN is often considered to be a 'hidden disability'. Some aspects of SLCN are more visible than others, particularly those associated with speech sounds, others are less so. We know that early identification leads to better outcomes for children and young people, so the sooner a need is identified the better.

The Worcestershire SLCN Pathway guide and tools help practitioners to support identification of SLCN.

Download Worcestershire SLCN Pathway's Guide to Identification

Cost: Free

Child Monitoring Tool

A profiling tool to monitor child development in relation to Listening and Attention; Understanding; Talking; and Social Skills.  As a practitioner you can highlight statements that the child 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 child 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

TCT Universally Speaking 0-5

Universally Speaking is a series of booklets for parents or anyone who works with children and includes a booklet for children aged 0-5.  It gives typical communication skills, including attention and listening and understanding; interactions and speech.  Use the booklets to find out whether a child is 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.  You can also share this with the families of children you support.

Cost: Free

Worcestershire Identifying SLCN

Identifying SLCN can be problematic for many reasons: children may have other difficulties as well as SLCN, they may have a wide and complex range of needs and therefore there can be co-occurrence with other labels and diagnoses. SLCN is often considered to be a 'hidden disability'. Some aspects of SLCN are more visible than others, particularly those associated with speech and sounds. Others are less so, for example the child who is experiencing difficulties understanding or using language may appear to be inattentive, passive or even rude. There are children who become very skilled at hiding their difficulties, e.g. by watching other people so they know what to do or by pretending they know when they don't. SLCN may be missed altogether or masked by these other characteristics. 

Early warning signs information available to download.

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

Progress Checker

Speech and Language UK's progress checker provides parents with short questions they can answer to see how their child is getting on with their speech, language and communication development.

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

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

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

LanguageScreen

LanguageScreen gives education professionals a quick and accurate assessment of a child’s oral language skills which provide the foundation for the development of literacy skills and formal education more broadly. Automated language screening can provide a way of indentifying children who would benefit from language intervention. LanguageScreen has been shown to be reliable, valid and easy to administer.

Development Matters

Development Matters supports all those working in early childhood education settings to implement the requirements of the EYFS and support the early learning of young children.  It can be used as part of daily observations, ongoing assessment and to inform planning. It can also be used to make best-fit summative judgements and with parents in relation to whether a child is showing typical development, is at risk of delay or is ahead for their age.  The age and stage bands suggest a typical range of development in many areas including Communication and Language; Personal, Social and Emotional Development and Literacy. The development statements have not been designed to be used as a checklist but can highlight areas to focus on for developing key skills. 

Cost: Free

TCT Progression Tools

The Progression Tools are based on typical speech and language development and provide a way of tracking progression of these skills over time or following interventions. The Tools are not a diagnostic tool, however they do provide information to help decide whether children would benefit from a targeted intervention or specialist assessment and support.

Cost: £

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.  

EYBIC Word Pack

Early Years Based Information Carrying Word Pack is a rich resource of beautiful pictures and interesting activities to help you assess and promote the vocabulary, speaking and listening of young children you work with through the principle of Information Carrying Words.  The Information Carrying Words concept provides a structured framework which helps children increase the amount of information they can remember. At the same time EYBIC will develop their knowledge and language of everyday topics.

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: £

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. 

Speech and Language Chatter Matters

This series of videos for parents and carers outlines how speech, language and communication skills develop; what families can do to support their child; how these skills develop over time; children with speech and language needs and how to access information and support.

Cost: Free

Stoke Speaks Out - Sound Development Checklist

An overview of the typical sounds children should be able to use in words at different ages. 

Cost: Free