CY POP 20 and Unit 300:
Support children’s speech, language and
communication development
Learning Outcome 1
Understand the importance of speech, language and
communication for children’s overall development
A simple model:
What are speech, language and communication?
We put together what we hear, and UNDERSTAND
We plan and organise what we will say
We use words to share
meaning - TALKING
We hear,
attend and listen
We make and use sounds
to form words - SPEECH
Using language to interact with other people – COMMUNICATION
We have to want, need and be confident to communicate
Activity 1a
What are speech, language and communication?
• In small groups, use the cut out cards and decide if they are
speech, language or communication skills.
• There may be differences of opinion and some might overlap
• Feed back to the whole group and discuss your answers
Activity 1a:
Speech, language or communication?
says ‘pider’ for spider
Completes a task quicker
if told to ‘get a wriggle
on’
Asks ‘what’s for tea?’
Follows a story
Adds ‘s’ when there’s
more than one ‘3 cars’
Babbles
Names lots of wild
animals
Looks at the person
talking
Takes turns in
conversation
Identifies that bag starts
with ‘b’
Describes what they did
on their holiday
Waves good bye
Activity 1a:
Speech, language or communication? Possible answers
Speech
Language
Communication
Identifies that bag starts
with ‘b’
Adds ‘s’ when there’s more
than 1 ‘3 cars’
Waves good bye
Babbles
says ‘pider’ for spider
Asks ‘what’s for tea?’
Describes what they did on
their holiday
Names lots of wild animals
Follows a story
Completes a task quicker if
told to ‘get a wriggle on’
Looks at the person talking
Takes turns in conversation
Speech is…
The sounds we use for talking
As well as the sounds we use, it also includes
factors such as:
o fluency
o volume
o intonation and stress on different words
o pitch
Language includes…
Understanding and talking use the following:
• Words (vocabulary) and their meanings
• How words go together – their order and how this can change
meanings (e.g. the difference between statements and
questions)
• Grammar – for example how word endings change meanings
(e.g. past tense)
• Sentences joining together to make sense – narratives, stories
we share with each other
• Higher level skills such as reasoning, inference
Communication involves…
• Non-verbal communication – for example body language, facial
expression, eye-contact, gesture and signing
• Conversational skills and rules – for example listening, turn-taking,
knowing when and how to start (and finish) talking, how to change
topic and using language in different ways.
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 children are described as having
speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).
Why may children have difficulties?
• Difficulties with speech, language and communication (SLC)
are surprisingly common
• There are a number of factors which are linked to speech,
language and communication needs (SLCN)
• Sometimes, there may be a combination of factors
• For some children and young people, there is no known reason
or cause for their needs
Factors relating to SLCN 1
Genetic e.g.
Down syndrome,
Fragile X
Neurological e.g.
cerebral palsy,
brain injury
Factors
include:
Developmental e.g.
Premature babies
Developmental delay
Structural e.g.
cleft palate
Factors relating to SLCN 2
Part of other conditions e.g.
Autism; ADHD; Hearing impairment;
learning difficulties
Social
disadvantage
Factors
include:
Family history
Environmental e.g.
Poor communication environment
Portfolio task 1.1
• Develop a glossary for your setting, explaining the terms:
−
−
−
−
Speech
Language
Communication
Speech, language and communication needs
• Give an example of how you might use it in your setting
How speech, language and communication skills
support other areas of development
Behaviour
Learning
Speech,
language and
communication
Social development
Emotional
development
How speech, language and communication skills
support other areas of development
Learning includes
•
•
•
•
Cognitive/ intellectual development
How the brain processes and links information
Imagination , problem-solving and memory
Many complex, inter-related processes
How speech, language and communication skills
support other areas of development
Behaviour
• Self-control
• Following rules
• Understanding cause, effect and consequences
How speech, language and communication skills
support other areas of development
Social development
•
•
•
•
•
Sharing and belonging
co-operation
Interacting with others– adults and children
Understanding rules
Making friends
How speech, language and communication skills
support other areas of development
Emotional development
• Confidence, self-esteem
• Resilience
• Understanding and controlling emotions and having words to
describe them
• Empathy
Activity 1b: How do speech, language and
communication skills support development
• In pairs choose one of the areas of development
• Make a summary of what this area includes
• Using the summaries you have developed and any other
information you have:
− Note down 2 ways in which you think speech, language and
communication skills are important for this area
− It would be useful to think about some children you know to help
with this
− Share these with your group.
Activity 1b: Speech, language and communication skills
support these areas...
Learning
Behaviour
Speech,
language and
communication
skills
Social development
Emotional development
Portfolio task 1.2
• Design a poster for your setting, showing how speech,
language and communication skills support children’s:
−
−
−
−
Learning
Social development
Emotional development
Behaviour
What are the impacts of SLCN?
• Given the close relationship between speech, language and
communication and all areas of development, the impacts for
children with SLCN may be significant and wide-ranging
• As a group, think of any impacts for children with SLCN
Activity 1c
Potential Impacts
Speech
Language
Communication
Activity 1c:
Potential Impacts – possible answers
Speech
Language
Communication
• People misunderstand what’s
being said
• Don’t understand what’s said,
so do things wrong
• Don’t know how to join in
• Have to repeat things a lot
• Miss out on learning
• Can get frustrated, or
aggressive
• Tune out –working out
language can be so tiring
• Have difficulty making and
keeping friends
• Don’t enjoy talking, so can opt
out
• Struggle to learn to read – can’t
work out what sounds are at
the beginning of words
• Struggle to understand or
recognise rhyme
• Struggle to work out patterns in
words to help learn to spell
• Copy other children so hide
difficulties
• May get chosen less to play in
games
• Limited talking - their message
doesn’t get across
• May get invited to fewer play
dates or parties
• Can’t share ideas or express
needs
• Other children may avoid them
• Can become passive
• Can get frustrated
• Other children don’t want to
play with them
• Doesn’t have a solid base for
future learning
• Finds playing with others
difficult
• Following rules can be difficult,
so problems in settings/school
Portfolio task 1.3
Choose one of the three children described in the learner materials
• Using the format provided:
1. Record any strengths you notice from the profile
2. Highlight the child’s speech, language and communication
needs
3. Describe how these needs may affect the child’s development
now and in the future
Transfer into practice 1
• Identify one thing which you feel has been particularly
interesting or useful
• Identify one thing in your practice that you will change as a
result of what you have learned
• Comment in your portfolio on how it changes your practice and
what the outcome was for the children you are working with
Learning outcome 2
• Understand typical speech, language and communication
development in children and young people
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
Activity 2a - How do children and young people develop
their speech, language and communication skills?
• You’re going to learn two words which are probably
new to you
• At the end, which one do you feel you know best?
• What helped you develop your understanding of
this word?
Activity 2b - How do children and young people learning more
than one language develop their speech, language and
communication skills?
• All of the points in the previous three slides apply for children
who are learning more than one language too – for developing
their home language(s) and English
• There are some important things to consider relating to children
and young people learning more than one language
• In pairs, look at the statements and decide if you feel they are
TRUE or FALSE
How do children and young people learning more than one
language develop their speech, language and communication
skills?
Skills develop by the
same means
whatever the
language
Mixing words from
both languages in a
sentence is a normal
part of bilingual
language
development
They always follow a
developmental
Bilingualism is a
pattern but patterns recognised advantage
vary depending on
the language
Becoming
conversationally
fluent in a second
language usually
takes around two
years
You should
encourage parents to
talk to their children
in whatever language
they feel most
comfortable
Speech, language and communication working together
Speech
Language
Communication
Activity 2c
Ages and stages
• Look at one of the available resources describing the ages and
stages of children’s speech, language and communication
development.
• In small groups, choose an age to look at and consider:
– How does this relate to your experience of children of that age?
– Is there anything you notice which surprises you?
– How could the information on ages and stages help you to support the
speech, language and communication development of children you work
with?
Activity 2d
What’s typical?
• This activity focuses on using resources which describe the
speech, language and communication skills children and young
people demonstrate at different ages
• Choose one of the resources to help you in this activity
• Choose one of the following tables focusing on 2, 6 and 14 year
olds
• Using the ages and stages resource, work in small groups to
decide which are skills you would expect at this age and which
are not
Activity 2d:
What’s typical for a 2 year old?
Uses 50 or more single
words
Asks lots of questions
Plays with other children
Points to get your attention
Understands between 200
and 500 words
Talks about something that
happened in the past
Babbles sounds like ba-baba
Understands questions like
‘where’s teddy?’
Makes short sentences of 23 words
Activity 2d:
What’s typical for a 2 year old? Answers
Uses 50 or more single
words
Asks lots of questions
Understands between 200
and 500 words
Understands questions like
‘where’s teddy?’
Makes short sentences of 23 words
Activity 2d: What’s typical for a 6 year old?
Tells stories that set the
scene, have a basic plot and
a sequence of events.
Compares words, the way
they look, sound or mean
Describe events but not in
the right order
Says most words clearly but
struggles with ‘r’ and ‘ch’
sounds and the beginning of
words like ‘spot’ or ‘cloud’
Starts to be aware of
language others use – eg
slang or cool words
Uses newly learnt words
appropriately
Keeps to a topic
Begins to be aware of what
the listener already knows
and checks
Listens well to what is said
and the way it is said.
Activity 2d:
What’s typical for a 6 year old? Answers
Tells stories that set the
scene, have a basic plot and
a sequence of events.
Compares words, the way
they look, sound or mean
Starts to be aware of
language others use – eg
slang or cool words
Uses newly learnt words in
a specific and appropriate
way
Begins to be aware of what
the listener already knows
and checks
Keeps to a topic
Activity 2d:
What’s typical for a 14 year old?
Can build an argument to
persuade and respond to
someone else’s view
Has difficulty saying long
and complex words eg
‘spaghetti’
Copies others’ language and
begins to be aware of
current peer language
Starting to understand
sarcasm when exaggerated
Understands jokes based on
double meanings though
isn’t always able to explain
them
Makes inferences, working
out information that isn’t
explicitly written or spoken
Can confidently explain the
meaning of subject words
and words with more than
one meaning
Gives clear and detailed
explanations of rules, or
breaks down steps in more
complex sequences
Can keep a topic of
conversation going even if
the person they are talking
to finds this skill harder
Activity 2d:
What’s typical for a 14 year old? Answers
Can build an argument to
persuade and respond to
someone else’s view
Makes inferences, working
out information that isn’t
explicitly written or spoken
Can confidently explain the
meaning of subject words
and words with multiple
meanings
Gives clear and detailed
explanations of rules, or
breaks down steps in more
complex sequences
For some children, developing speech, language and
communication is difficult
• They may follow the expected stages of development but at a
slower rate
• They may be developing some skills as expected, but have
particular difficulty in one area
• They may have an unusual pattern of development in one or
more area of speech, language or communication
Activity 2e
• Look at the following case studies
• In small groups, decide if these children and young people are
developing speech, language and communication as expected
• If not, discuss the ways in which their skills are not following the
patterns expected
• Use your ‘ages and stages’ resources to help you.
Activity 2e
Name
Zak
Olivia
Rhys
Skills as
expected?
Why do you think this?
Portfolio task 2.1
• Develop a summary table of the typical stages of speech,
language and communication development of children in the
following age groups:
0-5 years
5-11 years
11-16 years
• For each one, ensure you include understanding and use of
language
• You can use the sample table supplied if you would like
Portfolio task 2.2
• Design a leaflet which clearly explains:
 how children and young people develop their speech, language
and communication (including children who are learning more
than one language)
How speech, language and communication work together for
effective interaction
Include information on the ways a child or young person may
not develop speech, language and communication effectively
Transfer into practice 2
• Identify one thing which you feel has been particularly
interesting or useful
• Identify one thing in your practice that you will change as a
result of what you have learned
• Comment in your portfolio on how it changes your practice and
what the outcome was for the children you are working with
Learning Outcome 3
Be able to identify typical speech, language and communication
development of children and young people
Observing and reporting on children and young people's
communication
This is important because:
• You gain a picture of their speech, language and communication
skills
• You can check this against ages and stages to see if they are on
track or if there is cause for concern
• Over time, you can use observations to monitor progress
• Children’s communication can vary greatly depending on the
context
• Reflecting on observations can help improve your practice in
supporting speech, language and communication
Observing speech, language and communication –
Principles of good practice
• Be clear about the purpose of your observation
• Look at speech, language and communication as part of the
whole child
• Planned and spontaneous observations are both important
• Children and young people and their parents should know
what’s happening, why and have opportunities to share their
views
• Once is probably not be enough…
• Include information about the context
• Note carefully
Portfolio activity 3.1
• Choose a child you would like to use for your observation case
study
• Choose at least 2 different contexts which you will observe
them in
• Plan your observations – think about when, what activity and
how you will record your observations, along with who will be
involved
• Make sure you follow any procedures for your setting and gain
all necessary permissions
• Carry out your observations
• Prepare a brief summary of what you observed
Observation case study
There are a number of skills needed for a case study
• Observation – watching what the child, and others involved, do
and say
• Recording – making a careful note of your observations and the
context
• Checking– using information on development to see if a child is
on track
• Analysing – using your observations and being clear about what
you have found out, using examples to explain
• Evaluation and reflection–what went well, what the child’s
successes were and what you could improve next time
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.