Speech, language, and communication advice
Advice and useful websites for parents and children.
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
The child/young person may:
- Not be using any or many words yet
- Find it difficult to follow simple instructions
Advice sheets
Useful websites
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
The child/young person may:
Advice sheets
Useful websites
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
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
- STAMMA
- Action for Stammering Children
- Michael Palin Centre for Stammering
- STAMMA - Videos for parents - Please visit this website for some short videos answering frequently asked questions about stammering
- 'Penguin stammering support' mobile app - This is a free app and can be downloaded clicking the link or by searching 'penguin and stammering' from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. This app consists of a 10-day course, with 5-minute daily videos and activities to offer advice to parents and carers about how to support their child through the early stages of stammering. It is aimed at parents of children aged 2-6 years old but parents of older children can also benefit from the themes discussed.
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 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
