CYPOP 15 and Unit 303:

1. CYPOP 15 and Unit 303: Supporting positive practice with children and young people with speech, language and communication needs

2. Learning Outcome 1 Understand the concept of positive practice when working with children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).

3. Revising Speech, Language and Communication This unit is based on a good understanding of: • What speech, language and communication are • How we support everyone’s speech, language and communication development and skills • What Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) are • How common they are and some factors which may contribute to SLCN • How we can spot children and young people who may have SLCN

4. Revising speech, language and communication 1

5. Revising speech, language and communication 1 • In small groups, look at the following examples. • Decide if they describe ‘speech’, ‘language’ or ‘communication. • You may have some differences of opinion and some may overlap. • You may wish to make a note of these discussions too.

6. Revising how you support speech, language and communication • In small groups, share 3 different ways in which you support speech, language and communication in your work. Talk about how you use them and how effective they are. • Try to include an example for each of the following: • Supporting speech, language and communication through everyday activities or routines • How the environment supports speech, language and communication • How you use or adapt your own language to support speech, language and communication

7. Revising SLCN • In pairs, write a definition for Speech, Language and Communication Needs • List 3 different factors which may contribute to a child or young person having SLCN • Look at the following two statements and decide if they are TRUE or FALSE

8. Revising SLCN 2 – what can contribute to a child or young person’s individual pattern of SLCN?

9. What is positive practice?

10. Positive Strategies: • Ensure that social and emotional well-being, including confidence and self-esteem are supported alongside speech, language and communication skills • Are based on a child or young person’s strengths • Where strategies focus on a specific area of difficulty, these should be used in ways which ensure confidence and self-esteem are supported throughout. • Examples of different strategies will be looked at in learning outcome 2

11. Activity 1a - Comparing strategies based on strengths or difficulties • In small groups, look at the following strategies • Firstly, choose any strategies that you think use a child or young person’s strengths and why you think this. • Highlight the strategies which you think are based on a child or young person’s difficulties. • Discuss what is different between the two types of strategies • For the strategies targeting a child or young person’s difficulties, how could you make sure these are positive practice • Are there any strategies which you feel are negative and should not be used?

12. Activity 1a

13. Activity 1a – Possible answers

14. Activity 1b – Positive practice in action? • In pairs, choose one of the case studies in your learner handbook – either Danny or Shellah • How would you find out about their strengths? • Identify any positive strategies which are already being used to support their SLCN • Are any strategies being used which seem to place more focus on their difficulties? • Choose another two positive strategies which you think may be useful

15. Evidence for positive practice • As part of your portfolio, you will need to give examples of evidence for positive practice • Your tutor will give you examples based on the strategies and approach they show you

16. Portfolio task 1.1 • Develop a brief presentation, either for colleagues or parents • This could be a written or verbal presentation • Explain how to recognise and build on a child or young person’s strengths to support their SLCN • Give examples of some positive strategies and how these compare to those based around children’s difficulties • Include examples of evidence describing positive practice

17. Learning Reflection 1 • Identify one thing which you think has been interesting and/or useful from Learning Outcome 1. • How will this change your practice? • In your portfolio, reflect on how your practice has changed and the impact this had on the children or young people you work with.

18. Learning outcome 2 • Know how to work alongside speech, language and communication specialists to use appropriate strategies and targets to support children and young people.

19. A model of support

20. Positive strategies include

21. Discussion point • In small groups, choose one of the areas from the previous slide • Using your experiences, what might be different when these approaches are used at universal and targeted or specialist levels? • For example, think about different SLCN, who is involved, what their roles and responsibilities might be, how target-setting and progress monitoring are used.

22. Process of choosing and using supportive strategies What are the roles of: YOU SPECIALIST CHILD/ YOUNG PERSON FAMILY

23. Target setting • It is important to set targets for children and young people with SLCN • Targets can help focus specific support for children with SLCN to develop their skills • Effective use of target setting can help show progress • Target setting is based on assessment – this can be informal or formal assessment and may be informed by a number of different professionals • How targets are chosen will vary according to the child or young person and the setting – working together is key

24. Questions to help select targets

25. Target setting

26. Activity 2a Considering your role in using targets

27. Activity 2b Target setting • In small groups, choose one of the following children: Artem, Josie or Pete. • From the brief descriptions, first decide if their needs seem to relate to speech, language and/or communication. • Discuss how you would go about setting a target for them. • If you can, draft a possible target for them, remembering to make it as SMART as possible. • Share your ideas with the rest of your group

28. Portfolio task 2.1 • In your portfolio, draw a diagram which shows the process of how targets are set, monitored and evaluated for children or young people with SLCN in your setting • For each part of the process, explain your own role and the role of the specialist.

29. Strategies to support children and young people’s SLCN Many different strategies e.g. Will vary according to Child or young person’s: Age Needs Interests Targets Priorities Setting Level of support in place • Adapting adult language and communication • Enhancing the environment • Using resources and tasks • Supporting confidence and self-esteem • Facilitating communication between peers • A focus on areas of speech, language and communication Develop this section using structure – eg universal -> targeted Using the blobs on slide 19 to help this The environment stuff Specific examples focusing on skills Specialist things Reorder accoringly Plus intro about why we aren’t giving loads of egs

30. Sources of information There are many accessible, practical guides to supporting children and young people with SLCN. The Inclusion Development Programme also has valuable information, resources and learning activities focusing on children and young people with SLCN in primary and secondary school. Local services will also have specific information, advice and support if you are working with children and young people with SLCN.

31. Strategies to support children and young people’s SLCN - General areas to cover • How can good universal strategies effectively support SLCN? • Some targeted strategies focusing on particular areas of speech, language and communication • Points to consider for specialist strategies and interventions

32. Strategies to support children and young people’s SLCN - Building on universal strategies • Many universal strategies are really useful to support SLCN • However, there are key things to consider when using them at a targeted or specialist level

33. Activity 2c – Developing universal strategies to support SLCN • Choose a universal strategy which supports all children and young people’s speech, language and communication • It should either be about: • Adapting adult language and communication or • Activities focusing on speech, language and communication • Outline how you would use this strategy to best effect in your work with a child or young person with SLCN • What is different when you use it to support SLCN? • You could use an example from your practice

34. Activity 2d Using structured interactions to support SLCN Interaction is an important way for young children to learn, for example children playing imaginatively together, role play, and working together on creative projects. Older children also benefit from having structured opportunities to discuss their learning. These approaches support communication development generally– however, you will need to consider ‘extras’ to support children and young people with SLCN to access these opportunities effectively. You will also need to teach or demonstrate skills explicitly Look at the following examples of structured interactions. How could you make them accessible to all?

35. Examples of structured interaction

36. Thinking time Give lots of time to respond • Our natural instinct is to leave less than 1 second after asking a question, before jumping in with another question or comment. • Try leaving 3 to 5 seconds after a question, to give children or young people plenty of time to respond. • What do you notice about their response? • This is useful for all children and young people and essential for children with SLCN.

37. Adapting and modifying adult language and communication to support SLCN • Label actions and objects with one or two words at a time • Use new or target words frequently • Model to support their language • Minimise words that they won’t understand • Chunk information • Pause after important points • Use gestures or signs to support what you say • Give instructions in the order that they need to happen • Use reminders • Avoid idioms which may be confusing

38. Activity 2e - Adapting adult language • Working in pairs or small groups, look at the following examples of adult talk. • For each one, highlight any potential difficulties you can see which may be problematic for a child or young person with difficulties understanding language. • Then, suggest a way that the adult could change their language to help support understanding better

39. Activity 2e - Adapting our own communication

40. Activity 2f – Observing your own communication • Ask a colleague to observe or record an example of yourself interacting with a child or young person with SLCN. Make sure you have the appropriate permissions • Using your observations: • Give an example of when and how you have adapted your language or communication for that child or young person • Give any examples of how you could have adapted your language more or differently

41. Discussion - Enhancing the environment to support SLCN A supportive environment for communication • Has good light, space and minimal background noise • Uses the opportunity to develop vocabulary and literacy by labelling equipment and resources • Has clear and consistent routines • Has access to relevant and interesting books • Has opportunities for activities led by the child or young person • Has clear learning areas • Why might these features be particularly important for children and young people with SLCN?

42. Activity 2g - Enhancing the environment to support SLCN • Work in small groups • You have an opportunity to redesign a setting to make its environment as supportive as possible for children or young people with SLCN. • Draw and label what this would look like • Alternatively, take photographs (with permission) of an existing setting. Highlight ways it currently supports SLCN and identify any ways this could be developed further.

43. Adapting resources and tasks • As part of learning outcome 3, you will need to demonstrate how you adapt resources and tasks to support children and young people with SLCN. This includes: • Everyday activities • Specific resources or activities you use as part of your work (e.g. within a curriculum) • Daily routines • Published resources and written information

44. Activity 2h - Adapting resources and tasks • Work in small groups. • Choose one of the case studies provided • Think of a task that happens in your setting – it could be an everyday activity, a daily routine or something specific to your role (e.g. something as part of a curriculum) • Bring in a resource you use – this could be a game, book, toy or written materials for example • For both the task and the resource think of how you will adapt them so that they are accessible and beneficial for your case study child.

45. Positive Strategies may focus on particular areas of speech, language and communication: • For example • Listening and attention skills • Developing skills in monitoring their own understanding • Phonological awareness tasks (e.g. syllable awareness, rhyming skills, blending and segmenting) • Word learning and word finding skills • Vocabulary development • Narrative abilities • Sentence building • Social communication skills

46. Activity 2i - Strategies focusing on areas of speech, language or communication • Choose one of the areas of speech, language and communication from the following slide • Describe a strategy you have used to support a child or young person’s SLCN in this area. • Include: • Why that strategy was chosen • Who it was used with • How it was used • What the benefits were from using this strategy. • Explain how this was a positive strategy • Share this with your group

47. Strategies focusing on areas of speech, language or communication

48. Strategies to support learning new words • Teach new words using a range of techniques • Label objects and actions often • Use real objects to introduce new words • Use words often and in context • Relate them to what they already know • Once words are learnt, relate them to categories , with lots of sorting tasks and discussions around odd-one-out. • Try and involve all of the senses if possible • Represent words visually – use pictures, symbols, fonts to make them memorable

49. Positive Strategies learning new vocabulary 2 • Use techniques such as mind maps, spider diagrams, concept maps to highlight and organise information about: • Meaning • Sounds • Similar words • Different contexts • Use questioning to get children and young people to use the words and apply their own meaning, such as: • When might you...? • How might you....? • Have you ever....?

50. Activity 2j - Learning new words • Working with a partner, choose 2 words that you need to introduce to a child or young person with SLCN who you work with • Make a brief plan outlining the different ways you will introduce and support the child or young person to learn these new words. • You could include illustrations to show how you might do this too