Developing Speech, Language, and Communication Skills in Education

This practical guide equips teachers and other educators across the age phases with the knowledge, skills and confidence required to fully meet the speech, language and communication (SLC) needs of children and young people.

Hazel Richards is a specialist speech and language therapist who worked with children and young people with complex needs in mainstream, specialist, and alternative settings for over 20 years. Her experience of working with SENCos as a professional, school governor, and parent motivated her doctoral studies investigating SENCo identity and influences on practice. Natacha Capener has over 16 years' experience working within education, from early years through to secondary, in both mainstream and specialist settings. As a speech and language therapist she has worked collaboratively with teaching staff in schools to embed speech and language therapy practices and approaches within the academic curriculum. Aaron Emmett is a speech and language therapist whose most recent clinical role was lead for secondary and further education. He has worked with children and young people as part of a secondary school team and as a youth worker. Aaron has engaged in research analysing the experiences of SENCos in accessing speech and language therapy services.

Glossary of terms and accronyms. Introduction Section 1: Fundamentals 1. Inclusive Pedagogy for Supporting Speech, Language and Communication (Stephanie Brewster) 2. Attention and Listening (Hazel Richards) 3. Play and Conceptual Development (Tom Hopkins) 4. Emotional Regulation in the Classroom (Helen Knowler) 5. Multilingualism: Growing Up with More Than One Language (Aydan Suphi) Section 2: Key speech, language and communication areas 6. Speech (Charlie Ayling and Lorraine Bamblett) 7. Understanding and Using Language (Lorraine Bamblett and Natacha Capener) 8. Literacy and Language (Tom Hopkins and Natacha Capener) 9. Communication Intent and Social Interaction (Hazel Richards) 10. Enabling Communication for Children Who Stammer (Aaron Emmett) 11. Supporting the Communication of Children and Young People with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) Needs (Claire Westwood and Teri Oakshott-Marston) 12. Speech, Language and Communication Needs in the School Exclusion Process (Claire Westwood and Helen Knowler) Section 3: Implementation and moving forward 13. Preparation for Adulthood (Aaron Emmett) 14. Creating Inclusive Environments That Maximise Functional Speech, Language and Communication Skills (Niki Stokes and Lorraine Bamblett) 15. Interprofessional and Collaborative Working (Sally Philpotts and Alice Murphy). Conclusion.