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

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Tiny Happy People SEND information

This area of the Tiny Happy People BBC website provides a wide range of information, ideas and activities for parents of children with SEND.

Cost: Free

Tiny Happy People SEND information
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Family SupportIntervention

Expansions - repeat and add

One way to help your young child make longer sentences is to repeat and add a word or 2.  Here NHS Tayside's Rhyming Robin and Chatty Charlie share information about how to do this as well as many other top tips for putting words together. 

Cost: Free

Expansions - repeat and add
Family SupportIntervention
Family SupportIntervention

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

Parent information, advice and resources - Worcestershire
Family SupportEnvironmentIntervention
Family SupportEnvironmentIntervention

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

Hear Glue Ear
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Family SupportIntervention

Be face to face at the child's level

Getting down to the pre-school child's level and being face to face with them helps them to listen, concentrate and understand the message. It also helps you to see where their focus is and what they are trying to communicate. This simple video produced by Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust shows why this is important.

Cost: Free

Be face to face at the child's level
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Family SupportIntervention

BBC Something Special

Something Special uses songs, rhymes and visual humour with Makaton sign language to help you and your child learn how to communicate as well as develop their language in a fun and exciting way.

 

Cost: Free

BBC Something Special
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Family SupportIntervention

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

 

Afasic About Talking
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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

Enquiry Line
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Family SupportWorkforceIdentificationIntervention

Speech and Language UK How to support your child

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

 

 

 

Cost: Free

Speech and Language UK How to support your child
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Family SupportIdentificationIntervention

Follow the child's lead

Giving your child a chance to play with and explore the objects and toys around them gives you the perfect opportunity to follow their lead, see what they are interested in and talk about it.  Talking about what your child is interested in shows them that you value what they are doing and helps them to make links with the words and sentences you say.  

Cost: Free

Follow the child's lead
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Family SupportIntervention

TCT Universally Speaking 0-5

Universally Speaking is a booklet with information about typical communication skills, including attention and listening and understanding; interactions and speech.  Use the booklet to find out whether your young 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.

 

Cost: Free

TCT Universally Speaking 0-5
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PEEP

Peep Communication and Language strand - evidence-based parenting programme for parents and children together to attend together. There is a focus on bonding, attachment and the quality of the home learning environment as well as a focus on communication and language. You have the opportunity to gain 3 credits towards NOCN Learning Together at home.

Peep Early Literacy Strand - evidence-based parenting programme for parents and children to attend together. There is a focus on bonding, attachment and the quality of the home learning environment as well as a focus on literacy. You have the opportunity to gain 3 credits towards NOCN Learning Together at home.

Cost: Free

PEEP
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Family SupportIntervention

Labelling and Commenting

Using real word labels and commenting on what your young child is interested in helps them to learn new words and understand how sentences work.  Here NHS Tayside's Rhyming Robin and Chatty and Charlie share information about how to do this as well as many other top tips for learning words and developing language. 

Cost: Free

Labelling and Commenting
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Family SupportIntervention

Greater Manchester 10 Tips for Talking

The Greater Manchester (GM) 10 Tips for Talking are ten key messages to support the development of language and communication skills for babies and young children and can be used by everyone. Each tip is designed to give families and anyone working with children some small suggestions that can make a big difference and help give children the best start. Each message is based on sound research and is delivered by children.

Cost: Free

Greater Manchester 10 Tips for Talking
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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 & £

Signalong
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Family SupportWorkforceIntervention

Makaton sign and symbol resources

These free Makaton resources are available for you to access and use to support communication with your young 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

Makaton sign and symbol resources
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Family SupportIntervention

Small Talk

Small Talk helps parents turn daily activities with their young child into new opportunities to build their language skills. It includes a website featuring simple videos, tips and information to help chat, play and read with their young child every day. The activities include ideas around meal times and other daily routines such as going shopping.

 

Cost: Free

Small Talk
Family SupportEnvironmentIntervention
Family SupportEnvironmentIntervention

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

 Using visual support
Family SupportEnvironmentIntervention
Family SupportEnvironmentIntervention

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

Leeds Speech and Language Therapy Toolkit
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Family SupportIntervention

Watch, wait, listen and respond

Watching, waiting, listening and responding is a powerful way that we can help children develop early communication skills.  Waiting for children to take their turn or share what they are interested in can be difficult when we are busy getting on with life.  However it is key to giving them opportunities to develop communication and language skills.  This leaflet and video from the Speech and Language Therapy Service in Greater Glasgow and Clyde outlines why and how to wait and respond.  It forms part of a wider series of useful information for parents, carers and professionals.

Cost: Free

Family SupportIntervention
Family SupportIntervention

Developing Joint Attention

Birmingham Community Healthcare Speech and Language Therapists have produced this video to show you how to help develop your child's joint attention - this means being able to focus on the same thing as you at the same time. How to help your child develop joint attention through play is broken down to help you easily understand what to do step by step.

Cost: Free

Developing Joint Attention
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Family SupportIntervention

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

Now and Next Boards
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Family SupportEnvironmentIntervention

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

Using Objects and Sensory Cueing
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Family SupportIntervention

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

Communication Boards
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Family SupportEnvironmentIntervention

Creating Opportunities to Communicate

Birmingham Community Healthcare Speech and Language Therapists have produced this video to show you how to make small changes throughout the day to increase your child's opportunities to communicate and have a reason to communicate.

Cost: Free

Creating Opportunities to Communicate
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Family SupportIntervention

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

Signs and Symbols
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Intervention

Helping social communication development

You play a key role in supporting your 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 you to learn more about developing your child's speech and language including this presentation about social communication.

Cost: Free

Helping social communication development
Family SupportEnvironmentIntervention
Family SupportEnvironmentIntervention

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

Learning more than one language
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Family SupportIntervention

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

Speech Link Parent Portal
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Family SupportIdentificationIntervention

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 baby; how these skills develop over time; children with speech and language needs and how to access information and support.

Cost: Free

Speech and Language Chatter Matters
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Family SupportWorkforceIdentificationIntervention

National Literacy Trust Bilingual quick tips

The National Literacy Trust has produced a series of bilingual quick tips for parents and practitioners to help children develop good talking and listening skills. There are lots of different languages.  Copies can be downloaded and shared with families.

- Say hello to your new baby
- Dummies and talking
- Talk to your baby and child in your own language
- Making the most of television
- Talking with your baby
- Sharing songs and rhymes
- Playing with your baby

 

Cost: Free

National Literacy Trust Bilingual quick tips
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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

SMIRA
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Family SupportIdentificationIntervention

Symbols

Widgit provides symbols that can be used 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 more information about how to use symbols at home to help communication and independence.  It also include resources and ideas to get you started.

Symbols
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