CYPOP 21 and Unit 305:
Work with parents, families and carers to
support their children’s speech,
language and communication development
Learning Outcome 1
Understand the importance of parental support for the
development of speech, language and communication
Speech, language and communication – a reminder
Speech
Language
Communication
3
How do children and young people develop their speech,
language and communication skills?
Develop
through
interacting
with
others
Develop
right from
birth
Follow
expected
patterns
Speech,
language and
communication
Continue
developing
through
adolescence
How do children and young people develop their speech,
language and communication skills?
• They relate what they hear to what they see, feel, experience
and know.
• They try their skills out and see what happens and how they
work.
• The responses they get shape what happens next
• As they learn skills, they practise and consolidate them, extend
them and build on them
Attachment Theory
• Attachment is an emotional bond to another person
• Psychologist John Bowlby was the first attachment theorist
• Theory states that an infant needs to develop a relationship
with at least one primary caregiver for social and emotional
development to occur normally
• Infants become attached to adults who remain as consistent
caregivers for some months during the period from about six
months to two years of age
Why is attachment important?
• If a responsive adult consistently comforts a child, meets their
needs and helps them calm down, a secure attachment forms.
• Through a secure attachment children can gain; basic care,
safety, emotional warmth, stimulation, guidance and
boundaries, and stability (Department of Health 2000).
• The inability of either the parent or the child to be responsive
can impair attachment
• Lack of attachment can impact on behaviour, emotional
development, language and interactions
Children progress through several key stages as they grow up
Newborn
Starting school
Puberty and early
adolescence
Becoming
separate
Early childhood
Late adolescence
.....continued
Newborn
Starting school
Puberty and early
adolescence
Becoming
separate
Early childhood
Late adolescence
Activity 1a
The nature of the parent-child relationship at each stage
• In pairs, choose one of the stages of parent/child
relationships.
• Using your knowledge of speech, language and
communication development, identify the important features
of parents’ roles in supporting their child’s communication in
this stage.
• Share your thoughts with your group to gain an overall picture
of each stage
Activity 1a:
The nature of the parent-child relationship at each stage
Childhood stage
Newborn
Becoming
separate
Early childhood
Starting school
Puberty and early
adolescence
Late adolescence
Parental role
The four styles of parenting
Four styles of parenting were identified by Diana Baumrind
(1967) and Maccoby & Martin (1983)
•
•
•
•
Authoritarian parenting
Authoritative parenting
Permissive parenting
Uninvolved parenting
The impact of parenting styles
Authoritarian
Authoritative
• styles generally lead to children who are obedient and
proficient, but they rank lower in happiness, social
competence and self-esteem.
• parenting styles tend to result in children who are happy,
capable and successful (Maccoby, 1992).
Permissive
• parenting often results in children who rank low in
happiness & self-regulation. More likely to experience
problems with authority; tend to perform poorly in school.
Uninvolved
•parenting styles rank lowest across all life domains. They tend
to lack self-control, have low self-esteem and are less
competent than their peers.
Activity 1b
The influences of parenting styles on speech, language and
communication development
• Consider the information that you have been given about the
4 different styles of parenting. In small groups of 3 or 4, think
about how each of the different styles of parenting might
affect the way a child develops their speech, language and
communication skills.
• Reflect on some parents that you have worked with in your
settings, and share your experiences of different parenting
styles you have encountered. How did this impact on a
child’s development of their speech, language and
communication skills?
Parental involvement is essential
There is a good deal of research that shows the importance of
parental involvement on a child’s development. This will
include the development of their speech, language and
communication skills
Parental involvement is essential
The 1995 Hart & Risley Study
Key findings:
1. The variation in children’s IQs and language abilities is relative
to the amount parents speak to their children.
2. Children’s academic successes at ages nine and ten are
attributable to the amount of talk they hear from birth to age
three.
3. Parents of advanced children talk significantly more to their
children than parents of children who are not as advanced.
Parental involvement is essential
Parental involvement in early learning as part of daily family
life at home has a greater impact on children's wellbeing and
achievement than any other factor, such as poverty, parental
education or school environment.
Supporting parents to provide a positive home learning
environment is therefore a vital part of improving outcomes
for children, particularly those from disadvantaged
backgrounds.
Activity 1c
Parental involvement is essential
Consider the information that you have been given about
parental involvement in children’s development.
Work with a partner to share ideas about how effective
speech, language and communication support could
contribute to a child’s development. Consider all aspects of
speech, language and communication and the relationship
between the parent and child. For example, parents may be
more likely to play with their child if their speech, language
and communication skills are developing well, as they can
communicate more effectively.
Portfolio activity 1.1
• Develop an information leaflet, or a brief presentation for your
setting to raise awareness of the importance of parental support
for speech, language and communication development. Include
 An outline of parent-child relationships at different stages of a
child’s life in relation to speech, language and communication
 What the influences of different parenting styles on children and
young people’s speech, language and communication
development might be
 The benefits for the parent-child relationship and the child’s
overall development at home of parents supporting their child’s
speech, language and communication.
Transfer into practice 1
• Identify one thing that you found the most useful or interesting
• Identify one thing that you will change about your practice as a
result of this learning
• Record in your portfolio how you think your work with parents
will improve as a result of this learning
Learning outcome 2
Be able to work in partnership with parents to support their
child’s speech, language and communication development.
Working with parents is essential
Health Visitor
Parent
Social
Worker
Teacher
Parent
Parent
Parent
Nursery
staff
Parent
Childminder
Activity 2a
Challenges for parents
• Read one of the case studies in the learner handbook.
• What might be preventing this parent from supporting their
child’s speech, language and communication development?
Possible answers
Challenge
This may mean......
Little knowledge of
communication skills
development
Parent may be unaware that there may be an issue as they don’t
know what to expect
Poor understanding of
importance of communication
development
Parent does not prioritise speech, language and communication
skills as they do not understand their importance for learning,
behaviour and socialisation
Parent’s speech language and
communication skills are poor
They may not fully understand what you mean. They may struggle
with own language skills and so be unsuccessful in their
communication with you.
Parent may lack confidence in
their parenting skills
They lack the confidence to try something different and are
concerned that they would not do it the right way.
Parent may feel intimidated by
professionals
May be reticent to attend meetings or discuss their child’s
development
Possible answers continued
Challenge
This means......
They may have had a negative
experience of working with
professionals in the past
They are anxious about discussing their child with someone. They
may feel that they are being judged or that their child’s delay will
be considered their fault.
Family life may be very hectic
Speech language and communication skills are not seen as a
priority, e.g. for a single parent trying to juggle three small
children and work
There may be social issue
within the family, e.g. drug
abuse, domestic violence
Speech, language and communication skills are not prioritised
within the family.
There may be cultural
differences
The family may feel for example that strategies using for example,
gesture to support communication are not seen as acceptable.
Activity 2b
Supporting parents: overcoming challenges
Consider possible solutions to the challenges that you have
identified. How can you help this family to support their
child’s speech, language and communication?
A parent’s role in developing speech, language and
communication
• Children’s language develops best in a parent-child
relationship
• Parents know their child better than anyone. They know what
motivates their child to communicate
• There are lots of opportunities for developing speech,
language and communication skills through everyday
activities and routines at home
• Supporting speech, language and communication skills at
home means everyone can be involved, including dads,
grandparents etc
• Children spend most of their time at home or out of school
How can parents support speech, language and
communication development?
Understand the importance of supporting speech, language and
communication
Know what to expect at different ‘ages and stages’
Support speech,
language and
communication as
part of everyday
activities and
routines
Make
communication a
high priority –
include times and
activities with a
specific focus on
communication
Examples of practical ideas you could share with parents
Listening Walks– what can you hear?
• I spy games with descriptions rather than sounds ... “something you can cut
with”
• Story telling activities – make up your own stories, having as much fun as
you like. What would happen if the Gruffalo bumped into Snow White
whilst he was out on a walk?
• Do some baking – talk about what happens first, next, last. Which
ingredients are heaviest, lightest? Talk about sequences and consequences
“what happens if the cakes are in the oven for too long?”
• Have a treasure hunt, and write down some clues about where you have
hidden your treasure. Older children will enjoy having more cryptic clues
for example “you make me every day, but not with paper and glue” (bed)
Activity 2c
Parents supporting speech, language and communication
In pairs:
• Think of two examples of how a parent could support speech,
language and communication through an everyday event or
activity.
• Think of two examples for parents of a time or activity which
has a specific focus on communication.
• Share these ideas with the rest of your group.
Ways to help parents to support their child’s speech,
language and communication development
• There are many different ways to support parents
• Some ways will work for some parents more than others
• Challenges for parents may affect how well they access advice
and support
• Some parents may be ‘hard to reach’
• It’s important to consider what will work best for the parents
you work with – this may need flexible approaches and creative
ideas
Activity 2d
Ways to help parents to support their child’s speech, language
and communication development
• Think about the different ways that you work with parents in
your setting. This might be ways that you meet with them,
communicate with them or involve them in activities in your
setting. What works well for them?
• Based on this, how could you use these ways to help parents
support their child’s speech, language and communication
development?
• Are there any other ways you could effectively help parents in
this area?
Activity 2d:
Some ideas
Things we have
done or used
How this could help parents support their child’s
communication skills
Home-Setting
diaries
Up to date information about how we feel a child is
developing. Can suggest ideas and activities to do
Workshops
Ideas and activities can be demonstrated and
modelled. Parents can see ways to work with their
child and ask questions if they need to
Open mornings
Parents can see language targets that are being
worked on. They can gather ideas about ways that
they can help at home
Story sacks/
lending libraries
Parents can support the language that children are
learning at school/nursery by being involved in their
learning through home based activities
Activity 2d:
Possible answers
Things we have done How this could help parents support their child’s
or used
communication skills
Parents evenings/
curriculum events
Parents have the opportunities to be told about, and
ask questions about, the language their child needs
for their learning
Lads and dads
projects e.g. a bike
repair session
The emphasis could be on developing problem solving
and developing interaction skills/talking together
Text reminders about
Parents are more likely to remember to attend a
open evenings,
session
school events
Engages parents in their child’s learning. Parents can
Research and enquiry
support learning and communication skills through
homework
hands-on work with their child
Helping parents to support their child’s speech,
language and communication skills
Children and young people’s speech, language and
communication progresses best when parents, practitioners
and the other adults involved with the child share information
and collaborate to monitor a child’s development and make
decisions about support if needed.
Portfolio task 2.1
• Prepare some guidance for your setting about ‘Partnerships
with Parents to support their child’s speech, language and
communication’
• Include some information explaining the challenges for
parents which may influence how they support their child’s
communication
• Explain different ways to work with parents to support their
child’s speech, language and communication. Make sure you
consider how you can overcome any of the challenges raised
to ensure these ways can work effectively for parents
Developing and maintaining a parent’s confidence in
supporting their child’s speech, language and communication
development
Parents will be more confident if:
• They understand why they are doing something
• They know what to expect from their child’s speech, language
and communication skills
• They feel that they have access to support if they need it
• They have had a demonstration, or have observed what they
are being asked to do
• They have had the right amount and type of feedback from
those they are working with
Portfolio task 2.2
• Keep a reflective diary of your work with parents to support
their child’s speech, language and communication
development. This will cover assessment criteria for learning
outcomes 2 and 3.
 In your diary, show clearly how you have supported parents to
understand their valuable role in supporting their child’s
speech, language and communication
 Show clearly how you developed and maintained a parent’s
confidence in their support for their child’s speech, language
and communication
Transfer into practice 2
• Identify one thing that you found the most useful or interesting
• Identify one thing that you will change about your practice as a
result of this learning
• Record in your portfolio how you think your work with parents
will improve as a result of this learning
Learning Outcome 3
Be able to support parents to use activities and approaches to
support their child’s speech, language and communication
development
General approaches for working with parents
Give them
the facts
Be positive
Share targets
Working
with
parents
Explain
strategies
Regular
contact
Be honest
about
concerns
Small steps
Be solution
focussed
Advice for parents on how to support speech, language
and communication
• There are many different resources aimed at helping parents to
support their child’s speech, language and communication
development
• Some of these offer general advice
• Others are targeted at particular ages and stages of a child’s
development
• A number of these resources have been developed by national
organisations
• Local services may also have developed resources which will be
available to learners.
General advice to support speech, language and
communication
• Give plenty of time for a child to respond
• Model good production – don’t correct
• Don’t ask too many questions, use encouraging comments or open
questions, like ‘tell me about your day’
• Make time for communication every day – have a quiet time in the day
where distractions are minimised
• Get their full attention when you are talking to them
• Build on what children say by adding one or two words to their
sentence, for example ‘car’ “yes, a red car”
• Use everyday routines and activities to practise communication skills,
things like bath time and mealtimes are great
• Explain phrases and words a child doesn’t understand
• Model good listening and make time to listen to them
Supporting speech, language and communication
when children are learning more than one language
• Continue to use all language that have been introduced to the child or
young person
• Mixing languages in one sentence is natural for bilingual speakers
• Be consistent in your choice of words in sentences though - use the
same word that you have already used in a sentence
• Keep the focus on your child feeling successful in giving or receiving a
message
• Continue speaking the language you are most fluent and comfortable
with, even if your child responds in English
Activity 3a
Advice for parents on supporting speech, language and
communication
• Choose one of the recommended resources which provides
information for parents on how to support their child’s
speech, language and communication development.
• Summarise for your group, the main points it raises
• Consider if and how this resource may be useful for the
parents you work with
Showing parents how to use activities and approaches
• Different ways to work with parents were discussed in
Learning outcome 2
• It will be important to consider parents’ needs and
experiences, as well as any challenges, when choosing ways to
show them how to use activities and approaches to support
their child’s speech, language and communication
Evaluating your own role in supporting parents
• As with any area of practice, it is important to evaluate the
ways in which your work with parents to support their child’s
speech, language and communication is effective
• Your own reflections are important for this, as well as observing
any outcomes from your work.
• You should also consider how to gain feed back from parents
and children and young people themselves as part of this
evaluation
Portfolio activity 3.1
• Keep a reflective diary of your work with parents to support
their child’s speech, language and communication
development. This will cover assessment criteria for learning
outcomes 2 and 3.
• Describe at least 3 ways that you have supported parents with
activities and approaches for supporting their child’s speech,
language and communication skills.
• Include information on:
• The context and your aims for the support
• The type of support and why you have chosen it
• Your evaluation and reflection on the support
Transfer into practice 3
• Identify one thing that you found the most useful or interesting
• Identify one thing that you will change about your practice as a
result of this learning
• Record in your portfolio how you think your work with parents
will improve as a result of this learning
Learning Outcome 4
Understand the importance of working in partnership with parents
of children with speech, language and communication needs and
relevant professional agencies
What are speech language and communication needs
(SLCN)?
• Most children follow the expected pattern of development for
their speech, language and communication at the expected times.
Some, however, do not. These are described as having speech,
language and communication needs (SLCN).
• SLCN can impact on all areas of a child or young person’s
development including their learning, social and emotional
development and their behaviour.
Children with SLCN
• We know that working in partnership with parents is important
for the development of all children.
• For parents of children with SLCN there may be additional factors
that make this partnership working even more crucial.
Activity 4a:
Working with parents of children and young people who have
SLCN
• Consider the needs of a parent of a child with SLCN. You might
want to draw on any experience of working with a parent in your
setting. Write down some thoughts about why it is important to
work closely with this parent; you will need to think about the
parent, the child and your setting.
Activity 4a
Parents
Child / young person
Setting
Activity 4a
Possible answers
Parents
Child /young person
Setting
Parents will probably be on an
emotional journey as they
come to terms with their
child’s difficulties
The child or young person
may not be able to talk with
their parent about their day;
you can help
You will need to share
language and communication
targets with parents
Parents may struggle to
understand the nature of their
child’s problems and need
your help to explain them;
terminology may be
complicated
The child or young person
may have emotional or
behavioural needs that mean
you need to talk with parents
to ensure consistent
management
You will have useful
information for parents about
the way their child
communicates in your setting.
You will need to share this.
Parents may have their own
SLCN which means they need
additional support
You will need to discuss the
need for involving other
professionals eg speech and
language therapy
Activity 4b
Sources of information and support
• There are a number of organisations and support services for
supporting parents of children with SLCN. These may be local or
national
• Research two different sources of support for families of children with
SLCN. One should be a national organisation/resource and one should
be a local service. Give a brief summary of the organisation/resource
and what they do to the rest of your group.
• As each person feeds back, record the different sources of information
and organisations that you have heard about or used. Collate the
information together to use in the portfolio task 4.2
Information and services for parents of children with
SLCN - examples
National
• I CAN
• Talk to your baby
• Stoke speaks out
Early
• RCSLT
Support
• Afasic
Programme
• Early Support Programme
• The Hello campaign
Local
• Sure start centres
• Local speech and language therapy
services
• Special educational needs services
Portfolio task 4.1
• Produce an information leaflet or poster for parents of children
with SLCN. It needs to contain a list of helpful organisations and
sources of information that the parents will find useful.
• Include a statement about each organisation and what parents
can expect to find there
• Include local and national examples
Partnership working for children with SLCN
Parents
Settings
Child/
young
person
Agencies
Professionals
Activity 4c
Partnership working for children with SCLN
• Consider the role of parents, practitioners and agencies in
supporting children with SLCN.
• What would happen if these different people did not work
together to support a child with SLCN?
Portfolio task 4.2
• Write a statement explaining the importance of partnership
working for children or young people with SLCN.
• Include information on why it is important for you to work in
partnership with these parents
• Explain partnership working across other professionals and
agencies with parents.
• The statement could be included into the special needs policy
that exists in your setting.
Transfer into practice 4
• Identify one thing that you found the most useful or interesting
• Identify one thing that you will change about your practice as a
result of this learning
• Record in your portfolio how you think your work with parents
will improve as a result of this learning
Hello
2011 is the National Year
of Communication
‘Hello’ is a national campaign run by The Communication Trust,
complementing the Government’s commitment to support children
with speech, language and communication needs.
Please visit www.hello.org.uk for more information on how you and
your setting can help improve the communication skills of children
and young people – so that they can live their life to the full.