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Speech, Language and Communication

Speech, language and communication helps a child make sense of the world, to form friendships, to learn, achieve and to be happy. Our team of qualified Early Years Educators and Teachers are committed to ensuring children have the essential communication skills to develop socially, emotionally and academically by the time they leave for school.

At Seymour House the nursery environment is language rich with play spaces, resources and activities to support language development. Although it can seem like it, communication does not simply develop on its own. Visual cues, makaton, daily story, song and rhyme times, chatter boxes, talking points  and most importantly high quality adult-child interactions, are just some of the provisions  in place to support your child in becoming the best communicator they can be.

Our staff are well trained in the different stages of language development. With an estimated 1 in 10 children experiencing speech, language and communication difficulties, we recognise the importance of staff knowing what typical language development looks like, in order to identify language needs. We also know that with the right support and encouragement, many children are able to overcome language difficulties, often catching up with other children of the same age.

A child with speech, language and communication needs might have difficulties in one, or several of the following areas:

  • They might have speech that is difficult to understand due to unclear speech sounds or dysfluency.
  • They might have difficulties using language, for example putting words together to express their thoughts in a way which makes sense grammatically. This is known as expressive language.
  • They might struggle to understand or comprehend words heard or read, known as receptive language.
  • They might find it difficult to use speech, language and communication appropriately to interact with others, known as social or pragmatic language.
  • Or they might have difficulties eating, drinking and/or swallowing.

Your child’s key person, with support from the settings SENCo and external speech and language therapy, will plan and deliver a programme of strategies, activities and games tailored to suit your child’s speech, language and communication needs. For example if your child is struggling to form a specific speech sound, their programme might include a bank of exercises and activities to strengthen oral muscles needed to create the target speech sound clearly, and auditory bombardment games so your child can hear the sound accurately pronounced several times within a short period.

Should you have any concerns regarding your child’s speech, language and communication development please speak to your child’s key person or the settings SENCo for reassurance, advice and guidance. With your permission we are able to make a referral to speech and language therapy on your behalf.

Find out more:

www.ican.org.uk

www.talkingpoint.org.uk