Support Available, At St Thomas’ Nursery we are passionate about supporting children reaching their full potential in their learning and development. Speech, Language and Communication is a big part of their development and affects all areas of their learning.
What is Speech, Language and Communication?
Speech is the name given to how sounds are made in the mouth to form spoken words.
Language is the structure for words to be used. It describes how sentences are made up, the order of the words and the little parts of the words that change – for example, ‘cow’ into ‘cows’ or ‘need’ into ‘needed’.
Communication describes how we pass on and receive messages with other people.
Makaton Signing
One of the ways that we encourage communication in nursery is by using Makaton. This is a brilliant method to use for all children. Along with using the sign you also say the word. We have a Makaton sign of the week at nursery, which is displayed on the blue display board just outside nursery. Please keep a look out for images like this.
Parent Concerns
If you are concerned about your child’s Speech, Language or Communication there is a lot of support that nursery can offer. Firstly, speak to your child’s keyperson. Using observations, we can determine whether a child needs extra support or a referral to the Speech and Language Team
. Parents are also able to refer their child by going the following website
If You Need To See Us
This website is where you can gain access to information for referrals to the Speech and Language team.
https://ican.org.uk/i-cans-talking-point/parents/
This website is good to see what a child at your child’s age is expected to be doing and what to look out for if they need extra support.
https://ican.org.uk/i-cans-talking-point/progress-checker-home/
This website is brilliant for assessing your child at home. You select your child’s age and then click on statements that your child can do and it will give you a result of what to do next.
https://ican.org.uk/i-cans-talking-point/parents/resources/
There are lots of resources and advice sheets at this website