Speech, language, and communication advice
Advice and useful websites for parents and children.
Speech The child/young person may:
Have speech that is difficult to understand
Talk like a younger child
Get frustrated when they cannot express their wants/needs
Mix sounds when they talk (this may affect reading/writing)
Be reluctant to talk because they are aware others can't understand them
Advice sheets
Useful websites
Early language skills The child/young person may:
Not be using any or many words yet
Find it difficult to follow simple instructions
Advice sheets
Useful websites
Language Understanding language
The child/young person may:
Struggle to understand what is said to them
Appear to not listen, which is interpreted as unacceptable behaviour
Misinterpret what has been said
Struggle to access what is being taught in the classroom
Using language
The child/young person may:
Be unable to express basic needs
Have difficulties expressing their thoughts
Struggle to find the right words
Mix up word order, making them difficult to understand
Use short simple sentences when speaking (this may affect writing)
Advice sheets
Useful websites
Social communication The child/young person may:
Struggle to play with others
Find it difficult to start and maintain interactions with others
Have language but not know how to use it to communicate
Have no words and also not use non-verbal communication
Advice sheets
Useful websites
Complex needs The child/young person may:
Require tailored, holistic support from the adults working with them
Be communicating in a variety of different ways, for example, through body language or sign
Be supported to understand using objects, signs, symbols, and pictures
Advice Sheets
Voice The child/young person may:
Present with a hoarse, croaky, strained, breathy or weak voice
Be unable to control volume, so it may be difficult to be heard by other people
Experience pain in their throat when talking
Advice sheets
Useful websites
Stammering The child/young person may:
Give up when their words get stuck
Avoid speaking or change what they want say as they are worried about stammering
Feel frustrated when others respond unhelpfully when they stammer.
Experience a range of emotions/behaviours linked to their stammer
Advice sheets
Useful websites
Selective mutism The child/young person may:
Be very anxious about speaking in some situations
Be able to speak freely with people they feel comfortable with in certain places
Also have difficulty using other forms of communication (e.g. nodding, pointing)
Want to avoid situations where they feel they might be expected to speak
Advice sheets
Useful websites
Dysphagia Dysphagia is a difficulty with swallowing. Your child may be referred to a speech and language therapist if they have problems with eating, drinking, or swallowing.
The child/young person may:
Frequently cough or choke with food and or drink
Parental/professional concern about the mechanics of eating or drinking
Gag or choke on age-appropriate textures
Be tube fed and require support to develop the oral skills necessary for food progression
Useful websites
