Learning Outcome 1

1. Learning Outcome 1 Understand the importance of speech, language and communication for children’s overall development

2. A simple model:What is speech, language and communication? Children put together what they have heard, and UNDERSTAND Children plan and organise what they will say Children use words to share meaning - TALKING Children hear, attend and listen Children make and use sounds to form words - SPEECH Using language to interact with other people – COMMUNICATION Children have to want, need and be confident to communicate

3. 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.

4. Activity 1a: Speech, language or communication?

5. Activity 1a: Possible answers

6. Speech is… The sounds we use for talking As well as the sounds we use, it also includes factors such as: • fluency • volume • intonation and stress on different words • pitch

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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).

10. SLCN: Quick quiz • How many children have SLCN? • Around 10% of all children have long-term SLCN • In areas of social disadvantage, 50% or more may have delayed language 2. Many different factors e.g. • Hearing difficulties • Learning difficulties • Autism • Cleft palate • Limited stimulation • Poor adult modelling and interaction • For some, we don’t know • Why might children have SLCN?

11. First steps in identifying SLCN

12. 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

13. How speech, language and communication skills support other areas of development

14. Activity 1b: How do speech, language and communication skills support development • In pairs choose one of the areas of development • 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.

15. Activity 1b: Speech, language and communication skills support these areas...

16. 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

17. 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.

18. Activity 1c: Potential Impacts

19. Activity 1c:Potential Impacts – possible answers

20. Portfolio task 1.3 Choose one of the three children described in the learner materials • Using the format provided: • Record any strengths you notice from the profile • Highlight the child’s speech, language and communication needs • Describe how these needs may affect the child’s development now and in the future

21. 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.

22. Learning Outcome 2

23. Learning outcome 2 • Understand the importance and benefits of adults supporting the speech, language and communication development of the children in your setting.

24. Pre-section activity • Arrange to watch an activity in your setting for a short period of time; approx 2-3 minutes. • You may find a structured observation sheet useful for this • Make a note of the activity and who was involved • Write down as much as you can of the language of the adult and the language of the child during this activity • Audio recording will help you to do this accurately but you will need appropriate permissions.

25. Pre-section activity: Follow up and reflection • How many questions did the adult ask? • Who said the most? • How long were the child’s sentences? • How well did the child understand? • What helped support speech, language and communication?

26. Why is it important to support children’s speech, language and communication development? • Because of its relationship to all areas of learning • Because of the impacts for children if we don’t.

27. Activity 2a: How do you support and extend children’s speech, language and communication?

28. What affects language development? Research evidence shows: • Theamount of language children hear is important • Whatadults say to children is also important • Co operative interactions are very important • The more they hear, the more time their parents spend talking with them and the more types of words they are exposed to, the more children use. • Children seem to develop strong language skills when parents ask open-ended questions, ask children to elaborate, and focus on topics of interest to the child. Responding to what the child is talking about and having familiar routines also promote shared understanding. • Conversations about how people feel and how that affects what they do, are important in learning social communication skills.

29. Making a big difference • The skilful communication of practitioners with children is seen as an indicator of quality in early years provision.

30. Quick quiz • When can you support speech, language and communication? • When should you extend children’s speech, language and communication? • Any time – all the time! • From when children are tiny babies • In everyday routines • In all activities and play • 1:1 and in groups • Set up specific opportunities/activities • Use your judgement, based on knowing the child and what they need • Where you can and it is appropriate

31. Supporting the communication development of babies • Attachment is crucial in supporting communication development • Give babies time to process and respond • Opportunities for early communication – eye contact, sound-making, turn-taking • Using ‘parentese’ • Rhymes and songs • Shared attention • Running commentary for every day events

32. Techniques and approaches 1 Watch the clip from Learning to Talk, Talking to Learn Its top 10 techniques are: • Get the child’s attention first • Make learning fun • Use simple repetitive language • Build on what the child says to you • Demonstrate rather than criticise • Imitate the child’s language • Use all the senses to teach new words • Give the child time to respond • Be careful with questions • Use the full range of expression

33. Activity 2b: Questions and activities from DVD • Which of the techniques do you currently use? • Discuss with a partner which of the techniques you find particularly useful and why • Choose one technique you haven’t used before and make a plan to use it in your setting • When you have tried this out, discuss with your group how you used the technique and how effective it was and make a comment in your portfolio.

34. Activity 2c: Techniques and approaches 2 • Different ways to support and extend speech, language and communication • Choose one of the techniques or strategies you have learned or read about • Plan a brief presentation, explaining and demonstrating how you would use this technique to support speech, language and/ or communication • Highlight what age of child this might be particularly good for.

35. Techniques and approaches 3 Exploring different ways of talking with children There are 5 different ways of supporting and extending talking: • ‘Enforced repetitions’ • Two choice questions • ‘Wh-’ type questions • Personal contributions • Phatics

36. Activity 2d:Techniques and approaches 3 • For each one, consider… • How well does the approach support and extend the child’s language? • How could the adult improve their questioning or interaction? • How often do you currently use each approach in your talk with children?

37. Activity 2d: Follow up – Which work well to support and extend language?

38. 1. Enforced questions • Child says: “Biscuit” • Adult says: “Say ‘please can I have a biscuit’” • Child says: “Biscuit”

39. 2. Two-choice questions • The adult asks the child a question where there are only two choices – this includes either yes/no answers or ‘forced alternatives’ Adult: “Is that an elephant?” Child: “No” OR Adult: “Is that an elephant or a giraffe?” Child: “Giraffe”

40. 3. Wh Questions • Adult asks a question starting why, what, when etc Adult: “Who’s that?” Child: “Daddy” Adult: “Where’s he going?” Child: “Shop” Adult: “Why?” Child: “Car”

41. 4. Personal Contributions • Adult avoids asking questions, but gives their personal contributions around something that the child is interested in. Adult: “I went to the park at the weekend” Child: “Me too!” Adult: “I played football with Rosie” Child: “I played on the swings” Adult: “Oh, I’m a bit too big for the swings” Child: “Not me, I can go so high” Adult: “So high you touch the clouds…” Child: “Even higher…”

42. 5. Phatics • Adult tries to say nothing with any ‘content’, just “makes the right noises”. They try to avoid questions and take the child’s lead Adult: “Hey, look at that…” Child: “It’s a princess” Adult: “Aha…” Child: “She’s gonna get eaten by the dragon “ Adult: “Oh no, scary …” Child: “But she doesn’t taste so good” Adult: “Yuk…” Child: “She tastes like slugs” Adult: “Disgusting – even for a dragon” Child: “Yeah, cos he likes marshmallows”

43. Activity 2d Answers: Which work well to support and extend language?

44. Transfer into practice 2 • Choose either personal contributions or phatics and try this technique out in your setting • Make a note of the activity, context and child you were working with • Record (or ask someone else to) a short section of yours and the child’s language in this activity • What do you notice? • Evaluate how well this worked and make a note in your portfolio.

45. Summary: what works well to support speech, language and communication? Techniques with a child What settings can do Training for practitioners Language interventions Language embedded throughout the day Structured activities Communication groups Parent programmes • Encouraging the quieter children • Using many different types of words • Taking child’s lead • Routines for understanding • Conversations about feelings • Open-ended questions • Children asked to elaborate.

46. Supporting the speech, language and communication of children with more than one language • All techniques and approaches to support speech, language and communication are equally useful for children with more than one language • Speaking more than one language is a great opportunity • It is important to value the child’s home language • For children with very limited English, think about the best ways to engage them – maybe learn some key words in their home language • Consider the best ways to involve parents • Children learning more than one language DO NOT have SLCN UNLESS they are having difficulties learning their home language as well

47. Portfolio task 2.1 • Choose 3 different activities or daily routines from your setting • Show ways that adults can support speech, language and/or communication • Include at least one supporting method and one method which extends speech, language or communication • Explain why these methods will help speech, language or communication.

48. The benefits of supporting children’s speech, language and communication • We have looked at why it’s important to support children’s speech, language and communication development: • Because of its relationship to all areas of learning • Because of the impacts for children if we don’t.

49. Portfolio task 2.2 • Complete the chart, showing the positive effects for children and their families when children's speech, language and communication is supported • You could include information about the different areas of child development in your answers.

50. Speech, language and communication development • Speech, language and communication each have expected patterns of development and follow a typical order • Many of the skills build upon each other • Children may, however, develop these skills at their own pace • There are a number of useful resources, which outline the expected pattern of development for children’s speech, language and communication • Knowing and using these resources will help to check if a child is following the typical pattern and is at an appropriate stage for their age.