Please help AFASIC... and have some fun too! 'Zip It' for Afasic

As we enter a New Year, AFASIC are encouraging us to get involved in their latest challenge that should be a bit of fun, and also raise some money towards their work. They are often the only place a parent can turn when they have a child with SLCN and no-one else seems to understand that it affects the entire family.
 
They really need  help to ensure that Afasic has the funds it needs to provide this ongoing help and support for children, young people and their families who are affected by speech, language and communication disabilities now and into the future.
 
How to get involved
Please take part in the Afasic ‘Zip It!’ challenge this spring  - you can take part yourself, encourage your local school to take part, get people in the office to take up the challenge, or get the family to have a quiet and challenging evening at home!
 
The challenge is to stay silent and use only non-verbal methods of communication for a period that you can decide (it could be 5 minutes, an hour, a morning, a day etc.). For more information and to register for a full information pack go to  http://www.afasic.org.uk/support-us/fundraise-for-us/zip-it-challenge/

AFASIC: help and support for parents

Listen to Abby's story as she talks about her early childhood and the frustrations she felt by not being able to express herself and to understand others. There's lots of helpful advice for parents on the AFASIC website http://www.afasic.org.uk/

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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:

How to help in the classroom by those who really know

See how pupils at Hetton School have provided their own training film and compiled a leaflet of how teachers, therapists and parents can help children with speech and language difficulties in the classroom

Is it ADHD, ASD or SLI?

The overlap of ADHD symptoms and autism symptoms have confused many families. When a child can’t sit still for homework or a meal, or stay in his chair in class, when he fidgets or talks too much and too insistently, most parents and practitioners think, “This child must be hyper-active!”

The first explanation most doctors arrive at is also attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The condition is familiar, it’s been around for a long time, and there are effective strategies to manage it. It is important to remember, however, that almost any psychological or developmental disorder of childhood can look like ADHD, with or without the hyperactivity. Children under stress, due to learning disabilities, anxiety, depression, communication based difficulties, specific language impairment (SLI) or sensory integration problems, may exhibit the same symptoms. It takes a skillful evaluation to tease out explanations for the behaviors.

The biggest part of our case load have had an ADHD query at some point but with time getting to know them, listening to parents and careful assessment show those who do and those who just have attention control issues.

www.private-speech-therapy.co.uk

Finding the ‘invisible’ voice of children with speech and language needs

Abigail Beverly

A group of experts in speech, language and communication has teamed up to create a book about the importance of listening to children with SLCN. Listening to Children and Young People with Speech, Language and Communication Needs, edited by Sue Roulstone and Sharynne McLeod, features chapters by many well-known experts in the field including The Communication Trust’s Professional Director Wendy Lee,
Hazel Roddam PhD, Chair of Council at the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, and Chris Markham PhD, a senior lecturer from University of Portsmouth.


Chapters have also been contributed by Abigail Beverly – a young person who grew up with speech and language difficulties and graduated from Central St Martin’s in London – and Robbie Simons, a student with Asperger’s Syndrome who took part in the Speech and Language Therapy Project.


It is widely known that there are great benefits to consulting children with speech, language and communication needs, but very little has previously been written about the challenges involved in the process.
The editors and authors of the book, published by J& R Press, have pledged to donate £1.50 from the sale of each book to Afasic, a charity which supports children with speech and language difficulties and their parents.


In the book, the authors look at:


• The voice of the children and young people with speech, language and
communication needs
• Insights from researchers, speech and language therapists, social workers, psychologists, teachers, advocates and parents
• A diversity of disciplines: health, education and social care
• A range of creative techniques and solutions for listening to children and young people
• Links to service implications.


Linda Lascelles, Chief Executive Officer at Afasic, said: “We’re delighted to have contributed to this book and that the authors have decided to give all the royalties to Afasic. This will go towards our work in helping children who have a speech and language impairment. Too often this group of children is invisible. If we are to understand what they want from services and how they can best be tailored to meet their needs, it is crucial for us to listen and consult with them.”

Sue Roulstone said “It has been a fantastic experience to collaborate with so many knowledgeable people. The book is full of their expertise in listening to the voices of those with speech, language and communication needs. Professor McLeod and I hope that the book provides a useful resource and stimulus to others who work with these children and young people.”


The book is available to order from publisher JR Press priced at £19.99 (not including postage and packing). To order a copy visit the website http://www.jrpress.co.uk/communication-needs.html

Will mainstreaming my child improve their social skills?

Studies at the University of Washington compare  the peer relations of preschool children with communication disorders to those of normally developing preschoolers and throw light on this complicated aspect. Surely if there are better role models to follow, this will help our language impaired children?

Children with communication disorders do not generally participate in group play as much as their peers and their social bids do not receive positive responses. They are the “less preferred” playmates and have fewer reciprocal friendships. These children also tend to interact more with adults than peers.

The study divided children into 12 play groups, each with 6 members. 6 of the groups were specialized groups, where 3 of them had only children with diagnosed communication disorders and 3 had only normally developing children. The other 6 groups were mainstreamed environments where 4 normally developing children were grouped with 2 children with communication disorders. The groups met for 2.5 hours per day, 5 days a week, for 2 weeks. They were involved in preschool-like programs which included circle time, music, art, snack, story and 30 minutes of free play. During free play the children were monitored based on the type of play they engaged in- solitary, parallel or group. They were also analyzed based on the different measures of cognitive play- 

• functional
• constructive
• dramatic play
• games with rules. 

Children not engaging in play were identified as being:

• unoccupied
• an onlooker
• reading or listening
• exploring
• participating in active conversation
• transitioning
• interacting with adults. 

The study looked at the different types of social behaviors that these children engaged in:

• gaining attention of their peers
•  using peers as resources
• expressing affection 
• directing peers. 

Lastly, the children had to rate their peers based on who they would most rather play with.

There were some commonalities between the findings in the groups, but it was noted that children with communication disorders are involved less in active conversations, spend more time transitioning, have fewer positive social behaviors and are less successful in gaining the attention and support of their peers. However, it was also noted that most of the children could be defined as “socially competent” which implies that those with communication disorders could adapt to different interactions, at least in the short term. It was hypothesized that the children with communication disorders placed in mainstream groups would have different reactions than those in the specialized groups. However, that was not the case. Both groups had similar rates of social interactions and this was explained by the variability among those with communication disorders. In the specialized groups, the children with the strongest social skills took the role of facilitating group involvement. The setting did not matter.

This study is important to our understanding of Communication Disorders because it disproves the idea that mainstreaming these students will help to increase the quality of their social interactions. Rather, it was important to note that the children with the weakest social skills will more often than not were at the periphery of group activity, regardless of their environment. Therefore, educators must understand that there needs to be a better solution than merely mainstreaming the students.

Guralnick, Michael J., Robert T. O’Connor, Mary A. Hammond, John M. Gottman, and Kelly Kinnish. (1996). The Peer Relations of Preschool Children with Communication Disorders.  

Parents, has your child got Specific Language Impairment?

Parents and families of children and young people with Specific Language Impairment (SLI)
now have access to the first comprehensive guide on SLI, officially launched today by
I CAN, the children’s communication charity, and Afasic.
Commissioned by The Communication Trust, as part of the Hello campaign, the SLI
Handbook aims to provide a clear and concise guide on SLI, to help identify and support
children with this ‘invisible’ difficulty. Endorsed by Jean Gross, the Government’s
Communication Champion, this handbook will help both parents and practitioners to better
understand the issue, find practical ways to support children and young people with SLI and
signpost to further support.
About 7% of all children and young people have SLI, and are often as intelligent, able and
healthy as other children, except they have enormous difficulty talking and understanding
language. SLI is not caused by any known neurological, sensory, intellectual or emotional
difficulty, so many children and young people across the UK have needs that may be missed
or misdiagnosed. SLI is a very broad term, with some children having mild problems that are
short-lived, with others having severe and persistent difficulties with both understanding and
talking.
The SLI Handbook uses clear language and illustrations to ensure it is accessible to parents
and professionals who will encounter children with these needs. This will include: teachers,
TAs, SENCOs, Educational Psychologists, SLTs, Paediatricians and Occupational
Therapists.
Mandy Grist, I CAN Communication Advisor and SLI Handbook author, said, “Parents and
practitioners often tell us there isn’t one place to find comprehensive information about SLI.
The Bercow Review of Services for Children and Young People with Speech, Language and
Communication Needs (SLCN) in 2008 found that 77% of parents did not get the information
and support that they needed when they needed it. SLI is often misunderstood and ‘invisible’ as children try to hide their difficulties by imitating others or their frustrations come out
through negative behaviour. Finally, families and practitioners can use this handbook to help
identify, understand and support these children and young people so they can live life to the
full and achieve their potential.”
Linda Lascelles, Afasic Chief Executive, said, “At the heart of the Hello campaign is
supporting children and families affected by speech, language and communication
difficulties, including SLI.  7% of all children struggle in school and throughout their lives with
this ‘invisible’ difficulty. The SLI Handbook is an essential resource to empower parents and
families by providing them with easy to understand information on SLI. The SLI Handbook
was written by I CAN and Afasic with parents specifically in mind, and will give them
accessible information and useful guidance from the first instance when their child’s needs
are identified, through to accessing the right services and how to support children throughout
their education.”
A parent of child with SLI, said, “The handbook explains SLI clearly and in an easy to
understand way.  We found it very difficult to get any information when our child was
diagnosed, especially a clear explanation of SLI. This is a really helpful booklet and will
definitely be very useful and informative to other parents.”

For more information, interviews and pictures, please contact Emma Selim (Press and PR Officer)

eselim@ican.org.uk or 0207 843 254

How do we know if it's SLI?

It is often very difficult to make a positive assessment of Specific Language Impairment which has meant that many children have not had the specialist help or additional educational provision they need. I know many Speech and language therapists who would be unwilling to commit to the diagnosis. However, there is a new test developed by Harvard which identifies this more specifically. It has been trialled and the results published in the American online scientific journal Plos One. 


Professor Heather Van De Lely of Harvard University explains why her "gaps" test was found to be 98% effective in identifying specific language impairment. Click here for the link to the podcast 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9551000/9551215.stm

This is a serious problem as although the percenatge of children thought to have thge condition is small, it equates to thousands of children across britain. 


One of my bugbears is that children are labelled with other conditions, esepecially ASD. I have 2 on my current caseload who I know have SLI, but who have been given the ASD label. For now, we are keepinhg quiet, as there is help for children with ASD but none for children with SLI. If education could be convinced of the validity of an assessment leading to diagnosis, they would have to look into provision. I'm looking forwards to finding out more as they widen the trial.