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Communication for young people - primary age
Last Modified May 18, 2023
All children and young people are entitled to
- Quality first teaching to challenge and develop all children including those with communication needs
- Staff with knowledge of the typical developmental stages for speech, language and communication and the implications for teaching and learning
- Staff who understand the effect of language development that does not follow a typical pattern
- Teachers who can communicate effectively and explicitly teach speech, language and communication skills
- Practitioners who create a language rich environment, which provides language learning opportunities and interactions in daily activities
- Careful and detailed transition arrangements made for all transition opportunities, including year 7 and post 16
- Access to a communication friendly learning environment
- Integrating communication into everyday situations and scenarios
- Access to a school setting or professional that can refer to speech and language therapy
- Named speech, language and communication lead in school for provision and strategies. Guide on resources for continuation of provision
- Practitioners who recognise and respond to all methods of communication
- Access to a GP
- Child has access to pre-teaching and learning for vocabulary, concepts and reading
- NHS telephone advice service short appointments
- Baseline and monitoring assessment in the primary years
- Access to reception hearing test
- Knowledgeable parents and practitioners aware of their role in supporting speech, language and communication development and working together in partnership.
Some children and young people may need
- Identification of speech, language and communication needs where pupils are not meeting age-related expectations
- Access to appropriate school-based interventions, including Elklan strategies, to provide a short-term boost to language learning delivered by appropriately trained members of staff
- Person-centred approaches to meeting identified needs either for individuals or in small groups
- A graduated approach to speech, language and communication which may require a referral to the Inclusion Team or speech and language therapy (SaLT)
- Identified members of staff who can deliver the speech and language programme in the setting following advice and guidance of the speech and language therapist
- Child to have access to a personalised communication passport. Templates available from Call Scotland Creating communication passports.
A few chidren and young people may need
- Access to a speech and language therapist who can assess, provide advice and guidance and, where appropriate, intervention to the young person
- Identified members of staff who can support speech and language programmes in the setting (if required) following the advice and guidance of the speech and language therapist
- Involvement of SEND Advisory Teacher around complex speech, language and communication needs/social communication difficulties
- Advice about alternative, augmentative communication (AAC) available through Highfurlong Communication Aids and Assistive Technology (CAAT) Team
- Access to educational psychologist if appropriate
- Access to diagnostic pathways
- Access to specialist communication software and equipment