Early years speech and language therapy

Speech, language and communication are crucial to every child’s ability to access and get the most out of education and everyday life.

10% of children will have a long-term speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) – that’s 3 children in every classroom.

Children with SLCN are among the most vulnerable:

• 2/3 of children who are at risk of exclusion from school have SLCN
• 60% of those people accessing the youth justice service have SLCN
• 81% of children with emotional/ behavior disorders have unidentified SLCN
• Children with good spoken language skills by age 5 predicts later academic success.

They are most in need of effective support to reach their potential.

Ealing speech and language therapy in early years foundation stage

You can access training run by a speech and language therapist. Free online trainings for parents and/or practitioners aimed at supporting children under 5, which can be accessed via facebook and/or Ealing CPD.

Dates are sent via email directly to children’s centres, nurseries, childminders and health visiting teams.

Groups to support children aged 0-5

There is no referral needed to access these:

• Makaton Sign time- a group for parents and children aged 0-5 run by the SLT Team in children’s centres and online. Parents and children can come and learn around 140 Makaton Signs!
• Talk and Play - a play based group run by children’s centre staff, supported by the SLT team, for parents and children aged 18 months-3 years who would benefit from support with their language development.
• Fun and Learn - a play based group run by children’s centre staff, supported by the SLT team, for parents and children aged 0-5 with social communication needs - especially attention and social interaction difficulties.

Speech and language communication needs (SLCN)

You can access further information and resources are available to support children's SLCN needs:

From Ealing speech and language therapy service

For advice about a child’s (0-18 years) communication or general questions about speech and language:

• Follow Ealing speech and language therapy Facebook page
• Call our advice line
  • to speak with a Speech and Language Therapist
  • Open Monday – Friday 1-4pm
  • on 07512 716 478
  • this is for parents and professionals
• Email: ealing.sltadvice@nhs.net
  • Monitored by a Speech and Language Therapist, Monday-Friday
  • this is for parents and professionals
• Access our Youtube channel for workshops, school assembly videos and awareness content. Upcoming content will include more of the above plus bite-size clips on Speech and Language Therapy strategies.Visit our website: http://www.westlondon.nhs.uk/slt​

Promoting a communication friendly environment in the classroom

A collaborative evaluation of the communication environment in the classroom to enhance the participation of children with speech, language and communication needs. The checklist should be used jointly by a speech and language therapist, class teacher and SENCo/senior staff member. Use to identify areas or specific strategies to be developed in the classroom to support childrens needs as specified in their statement of special educational needs:

• For EYFS classroom environment communication checklist (doc)
• For KS1 classroom environment communication checklist (doc)
• For KS2 classroom environment communication checklist (doc)