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5 tips to support children with unclear speech
By Kathryn Stinton
About the author
Kathryn is a specialist early years teacher and trainer who has worked with children for nearly 25 years, including 10 years as an Area SENCO. She is a licensed Tutor for ICAN Talk Boost as well as an ELKLAN Speech and Language Trainer. She regularly writes and delivers courses for early years practitioners on all aspects of SEN. You can follow her on Twitter or visit her website for more information.
Most early years settings have children attending with unclear speech. To support children in your day-to-day role, you can use something simple like the Every Child a Talker (ECAT) Child Monitoring Tool or the Universally Speaking booklet from The Communication Trust. Tools like these will give information on the typical development of English speech sounds in children so you are in a good position to provide knowledgeable care.
If there is a delay, bear in mind that parents might not share your concerns as they have “tuned in” to their child’s speech and they also might not be aware of how developed their child’s speech should be for their age. As a key worker, you should work closely with parents to help support a child’s speech development.
There are also numerous support agencies you can turn to, such as your local Speech and Language Therapy department, who are well placed to provide guidance on any general concerns you may have. There is also a national communication charity called ICAN, which has a useful free phone or email enquiry service you can use too.
So, what can you do to help? Here are 5 tips that you can use in your own setting