Speech, Language and Communication Needs

At Elms school we are committed to supporting pupils with SLCN to achieve their full potential. We support pupils by using a range of strategies. These include visual reinforcements, visual timetables, social stories, pre-teaching vocabulary, task management boards and Communicate In Print and Lego Therapy. We also provide individual Speech therapy intervention for pupil’s with specialist involvement. Elm’s school employs a full time Speech Therapy assistant with termly visits from a NHS Speech Therapist.

A child with speech and language needs may have difficulties with receptive and expressive skills, speech sounds, communication skills, Autism Spectrum Disorder or Asperger’s syndrome. Some children may have one or more speech and communication difficulty.

If there are concerns that a child has speech and language difficulties then they will be assessed and an intervention programme will be put in place. A referral to the NHS Speech and Language Service, may be recommended if needed or when progress is not made following intervention.

Interventions

Lego Therapy

Lego-based therapy is a social development programme for young people with autism spectrum disorders or related social communication difficulties. Young people work together to build Lego models and through this have the opportunity to develop social skills such as turn taking, collaboration and social communication.

Individual speech therapy sessions

NHS link Speech & Language Therapist

Our school works to support speech, language and communication with support from our NHS link speech & language therapist Belinda Robbins and Rachel Capper as well as specialist teachers. Your child may come into contact with Belinda and Rachel within their classroom or around school. The School Speech and Language Assistant, Mikyla McIntosh, will have regular meetings with Belinda and Rachel to discuss our school’s provision.

If you have any concerns about your child’s speech, language or communication skills, please speak to your child’s class teacher in the first instance.

If we have discussed a specific concern with you about your child’s speech, language or communication, or you have raised a concern, we will decide together whether to discuss this with our link therapist. You will be kept informed of any plans to support your child.

Videos explaining some of the top tips for parents can be found here: 

https://speechandlanguage.info/parents/top-tips