Next steps - Children 5 years plus

If you are concerned about your child’s speech and language development

Talk to your class teacher, school SENCO or school nurse. They will be able to:

1. Observe your child in class to get a full picture of your child’s abilities and assess their needs.
2. They will be able to put more focused support in place, using a range of different resources, as part of the school day and review their progress.
3. Give you some tips and advice to try at home
4. The school can make referral to specialist support services such as speech and language if they feel this is necessary.

To promote speech and language development:

1. Spend time together, one to one, with your child, every day having conversations face to face
2. Have some quiet times, with little or no background noise to promote listening skills
3. If your child struggles to learn new words make sure you explain new words as you come across them
4. Read books and stories together- this introduces speech and language in a fun way ad exposes your child to more language
5. Sing songs together – the rhythm of songs helps language learning and it is fun
6. Make sure your child can hear- if in doubt ask your school nurse for advice
7. If your child needs glasses make sure they wear them

More information 

Staffordshire County Council website: Hungry Little Minds

Staffordshire Connects website: The Role of the SENCO

Institute of Health Visiting website: Top Tips for Parents

BBC website: Should I be worried my child isn't talking?

Website: Speech and Language UK

National Literacy Trust - Ready to read

Public Health Agency - Birth to 5