Specific language impairment: new series of AFASIC videos

AFASIC are working on a series of videos to look at speech, language and communication impairments. I look forwards to a day when everyone understands these issues!

Thank you to Damien and AFASIC for sharing this:

Early Words Together up-date

We are finally ready to start the sessions. It's one hour a week over 6 weeks, where we follow a suggested programme to help families improve the 'home learning environment'. It's a pilot in 10 Children's Centre across Staffordshire, so if we can prove it works, they will do it all over the country. We are using volunteers to help us.

Their research has shown that parents  are the biggest influence of a child's education however good the school they later go to, so the idea is we empower parents as early as possible. The sessions will include things they can do at home such as using books, singing, pre-literacy and pre-maths activities plus visiting the library and introducing to the Children's Centre activities they could access.

We're asking professionals to refer families with whom they work or know about (maybe you know siblings) to take part. Ideally they are not accessing other services but the loosest criteria is they should have access to fewer than 30 books (probably safe to say anyone you think would benefit!). The children should be between 2 and 5 years.

We start:

Willows Children's Centre on Friday 31st January 1.30-2.30pm

Chadsmead Children's Centre on Wednesday 29th January 1.30-2.30pm

Springhill Children's Centre Monday 27th January 1.30-2.30pm

If you need a referral form please email Kerry Heath kerry.heath@staffordshire.gov.uk or leave a comment on here. I appreciate we  are on a tight deadline so I apologise for the speedy action required.

Next week I'll let you know about the South Staffs dates and times too.

As a speech and language therapist, I am only too aware of the decline in school readiness. I believe this could be a very small step towards improving the situation.

Thank you very much. 

Tamworth Transition project update

Just a quick up-date about what we've been doing:

We have finished phase 1 of the project which was the consultation: we had  a stakeholder session, surveyed all the nurseries and primary schools and also parents about the current transitions and how we might improve on what is already happening.

As a result of the findings, we have planned:

• Parent workshops at the children's centres to look at what they need to help their child do before starting nursery at 2/3 or school at 4 years.  This was felt to be useful by 75% of those asked
• Parent information booklets to support these, produced in conjunction with local parents for think 2 children/3 year olds and one for school entry, as requested by 80%. They talked about the common concerns and how they can get over them
• Training session for nursery staff in preparing for the language demands of school, as requested by 70% of nurseries
• A Bear Hunt themed session in nurseries which will then be carried over into the school visits for those schools wanting to take part. This would satisfy the 70% who felt that a joint project between schools and feeder nurseries would be useful

Obviously we will be monitoring the results closely and evaluating each part.

Its a lovely project to run and hopefully the results will show it has been successful!

Are you working with 2 year olds in your nursery? Would you like training to make a better difference?

It's a big ask for nursery staff to start taking much younger children. There are all the anti-social behavious of toddlers plus communication and language skills which may be developmentally way behind.

It's probably not fair to expect this but this is the situation faced by so many nursery staff.

Training has to be paid for but you need to know that any money spent will be well worth it. The course we are offering has had great feedback and has been written specifically for this purpose.

What is it?
A practical training course for staff working in Early Years settings to enable them to develop the communication skills of babies and very young children, written by Henrietta McLachlan, Jo Belsten and Liz Elks.Delivered by Lbiby Hill, Consultant SLT and licensed Elklan trainer. £325 (or early bird rate of £295 before 14/1/14)

Developed to support the revised EYFS framework this course links research on early language development with best practice to give practitioners up to date theoretical knowledge and practical tools to promote communication. Although designed to support the 2 year review and Development Matters statement in England the strategies underpin all curricula wherever taught.

When is it?
14th February, 28th February and 21st March

Where is it?
Stafford Children's Centre, Faraday Rd, Stafford

How is it delivered?
It is taught as an intensive three day programme. The course uses interactive teaching methods, practical activities, videos and group discussion to engage learners.

What does the course cover?
What is Communication?
Identify the processes involved in communication.
Adult-child interaction and non-verbal communication
Examine the effect of adult-child interaction on the development of communication skills.
Explore the importance of non-verbal communication behaviours.
Play for Language
Explore the link between play & language development and the development of social play.
Develop skills to promote play & support language development at key developmental stages
Listening, attention and understanding spoken language
Develop strategies to promote listening and attention and link these to the EYFS Development Matters statements.
Develop strategies to encourage the understanding of language including additional languages.
The Language Journey
Explore typical development of language learning.
Learn strategies to help children to develop a wide and varied vocabulary.
Consider how to meet the needs of the different EYFS age groups
The Blank Language Scheme
Facilitate development of supporting verbal reasoning.
Practise modifying the adult’s language according to individual needs.
Encouraging the development of spoken language and clear speech
Develop strategies to encourage the use of early phrases and sentences.
Explore how we articulate sounds and their typical development.
Discuss strategies to support young children with unclear speech.
Sharing books, using rhymes and exploring the link to early literacy
Consider the link between speech, language and early literacy development.
Explore how to use songs, rhymes and books to support communication.
Working with parents and carers to support communication development
Discuss effective ways of supporting parents to develop their child’s early communication skills.
Discuss how knowledge gain from the course links with the two year review process.
Linking it all together
Present evidence of applying knowledge gained across the course during everyday activities.

Who can attend?
Anyone interested but spaces limited to allow better discussions

contact info@smalltalk-ltd.co.uk for an application form

Do children need to be perfect or just need perfect praise?

We welcome Natasha Hallam to our blog team:

After recently reading an article by Hanen “Good Job! Is praising your children a good idea?” it got me thinking about how much or how little we really do praise our children. Although the article suggested that everyday phrases such as “good boy, well done and awesome” can actually lead to negative implications, I am still a firm believer in praise! And feel that since working with children with speech, language and communication needs, that praise has become an important expect of their progress journey.

But I question as to whether, as a society, we are really using praise as much as we think we are? And is this praise actually benefiting them in any useful way?

After reading the article I was surprised to find that there are in fact two different types of praise and can now see 

Hanen’s point of view:

1.     Person praise – whereby praise such as “good girl and you won” is seen to judge the child’s personality or intelligence. This is focused only on a perfect performance and can lead to a reduction in motivation if pressure to achieve is put on the child.

2.     Process Praise – focuses more on the child’s behaviour and the actual effort they are putting into the task “You are trying really hard with that colouring”. This type of praise is effective in improving motivation, performance and boosting self-esteem.

Of course we all want are children to be confident, hard-working and be able to take on new challenges; so maybe the question is not so much “is praise good?”, but more about “is the way we praise good?”

Here are some top tips to Perfect Process Praising from Hanen!

1.     Each activity should always leave the child with a positive experience – no matter how big or small the achievement may appear, there will always be something to praise.

2.     Don’t correct – when it comes to a communication difficulty it can be very detrimental to self-esteem if the child is aware of the fact they are not saying it right. However nicely you say “no say it like this please”, what you are really saying is “no not like that, like this”.

3.     Modelling – instead of correcting, it is much more beneficial to just give the correct model; if the child says “it’s a horse” just say “yes it is like a horse, this one is a donkey”.

4.     Don’t overdo it – praise must always be sincere and when it becomes meaningless it will lose its effect.

5.     Limit Praise – once people get praising it soon becomes just a habit, you don’t need to praise everything so if the child is fully attending to an activity, then the activity should be its own reward.

6.     Don’t just say it, Do it! – when a child who struggles to communicate says “bubb” for “bubbles”, don’t just say “great talking” actually give her the bubbles, as this highlights that her communication attempt was effective.

7.     Praise Failure – but carefully; if a child is only praised when they have succeeded then praise becomes negative if they are constantly reminded of their mistakes. However, even children don’t like to be pitied so instead of saying “you tried your best”, try and focus on what they did achieve “you were so determined”.

8.     Attend to Positive behaviour – encourage good behaviour rather than just success, even if a child is struggling with an activity you can still use encouraging praises such as “ you are doing really good sharing” to make a positive experience.

9.     Ignore the Negative – small children are bound to fidget or find it hard to sit still, but ignored behaviour is likely to decrease.

 This is not to say that when children do something that is deemed as inappropriate behaviour such as; hitting another child, we should simply ignore it. No, children need to learn boundaries from an early age.

What I am saying is that when the situation is due to a communication difficulty – it is always better to provide a positive model then negative reinforcement.

Good Luck and get Praising!

By Natasha Hallam

Have  a look at the Hanen website for lots of practical tips Hanen.org

Are you a teacher with a hoarse voice or sore throat today?

I've read so many FaceBook posts today from teachers who have a sore throat  or hoarse voice I thought I'd better post this:

Things TO DO if you have a sore throat or hoarse voice

·         DO use your voice quietly but NOT a whisper – whispering can be damaging to your voice because it puts the vocal cords under a great deal of stress.

·         DO cut down on talking but do not stop speaking all together. Unless you have been advised by a health care professional to totally rest your voice for a period of time, it’s necessary to keep the muscles involved in speaking fit and healthy by speaking regularly but quietly.

·         DO drink plenty of soft drinks to keep your throat/mouth moist: water is especially good (healthy adults should drink around two litres per day) but diluted pure fruit juices are also useful – it’s best to avoid fizzy drinks that contain caffeine and/or too much sugar.

·         DO eat plenty of fruit – fleshy, watery fruits such as peaches, pears and grapes are ideal.

·         DO relax and try not to worry about your voice. Put aside some time each day for relaxation – this will require a minimum of 20 minutes.

·         DO be aware of changes in your surrounding atmosphere, e.g. hot, cold, smoky. Try to keep your larynx and neck at an even temperature by wrapping up against the cold.

·         DO keep the air in rooms humid. In centrally heated rooms, keep a bowl of water on a table or on the windowsill above the radiator, or throw a wet towel on the radiator, so that the air is not too dry. Open a window to allow air to circulate. [CAUTION: DO NOT BLOCK AIR VENTS ON HEATING EQUIPMENT.]

·         DO watch your dietary habits. Avoid a lot of milk and starchy foods, as these can thicken the mucous in the mouth and throat.

·         DO try to understand what makes your voice good for you and what makes it poor. Be aware of your voice as often as you can.

·         DO regular physical exercise – this will especially help your breathing. IF YOU ARE IN ANY DOUBT ABOUT YOUR FITNESS LEVELS, ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE BEGINNING A NEW EXERCISE SCHEDULE.

·         DO inhale steam – this will help relax and lubricate your vocal cords. You can do this either (1) over a bowl of hot water with a towel over your head (BE CAREFUL NOT TO SCALD YOURSELF), (2) by using a ‘facial sauna’, or (3) by lying for 20 minutes in a hot bath, so that the room fills with steam. Breathe regularly and evenly through your mouth. Do this twice a day for 5 minutes each time – once in the morning and once before going to bed.

·         DO any voice exercises you may have been given when you have plenty of time, not when you are rushed. Concentrate when you are doing them. There are no short cuts to improving your voice – it’s one step at a time.

Things NOT to do

·         DON’T shout or try to raise your voice, and don’t force it in any way. No singing whilst the voice is poor.

·         DON’T continue speaking for long periods if you have laryngitis or a sore throat. You will need to rest your voice and give it time to recover.

·         DON’T drink too much coffee, strong tea or soft drinks with high caffeine content – the caffeine has a drying effect.

·         DON’T drink too much alcohol, especially spirits – the alcohol has a similar drying effect to caffeine and causes irritation.

·         DON’T keep coughing or clearing your throat. If throat clearing has become a habit you need to (1) become aware of when you are tempted to clear your throat, then (2) try taking a sip of water, (3) if this doesn’t work then try a ‘firm swallow’, (4) if this still hasn’t worked then carry out a ‘dry’ cough.

·         DON’T smoke. Smoking is generally bad for your health and it can severely impair your voice.

·         DON’T suck ‘acid drops’ or harsh sweets – if you are thirsty, drink instead.

·         DON’T drink liquids when they are too hot – let them cool a little. If you can manage it, drinking the occasional ice cold drink can be helpful...but not too many.

·         DON’T try to talk above a lot of background noise. Avoid noisy places. If your lifestyle is such that you cannot avoid noisy places then you need to develop strategies for dealing with this. For example, instead of shouting across a room to attract someone’s attention, go over to them before you speak; at home, don’t shout upstairs for people, go upstairs and talk to them there.

·         DON’T suck lozenges containing menthol or eucalyptus oil if you have a sore throat – these have a drying effect. If you are able, take a spoonful of runny honey instead. If your sore throat is painful and you do need to suck a medicated lozenge or use a spray (such as Strepsils, Ultra Chloroseptic), remember that they typically have an anaesthetic effect to reduce the pain. You will, therefore need to rest your voice for about an hour after use so that you do not unduly irritate your vocal cords. IF THE SYMPTOMS OF A SORE THROAT DO NOT GO AWAY AFTER A TWO WEEK PERIOD YOU SHOULD CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR.

·         DON’T let tensions build up. Follow a proper relaxation and exercise programme. Share your concerns by talking to others.

Early Words Together: can you help me please? I need volunteers for this great project.

We are looking for volunteers to help with this very worthwhile initiative. No experience necessary as all training given. You would only be required to pass a safeguarding check, as I'm sure you'd understand is essential for anyone working with children.

https://audioboo.fm/boos/1736197-early-words-together

Please ring Kerry on 01543 421830   or Becky 01922 415632

Or email info@smalltalk-ltd.co.uk or LibbyHill1@aol.com