Laser Lessons - Lesson

Understand how the Early Years practitioner supports the development of speech, language and communication of children

Use an internet search engine to find the website of the Royal National Institute for the Deaf. What extra skills might you need to communicate effectively with a child who has hearing difficulties or who is deaf? Are there are any short courses in your local area that you could take, to find out more?

Table of Contents

Look up speech difficulties on the internet and find out more about some of the reasons children find learning to speak difficult. For example, consider English as an additional language, stuttering/stammering, hearing loss, cleft lip and palate. We need to be aware of them so that we can support and assist the child, giving them the best opportunities to learn.
Click on the icon to the left to the website of Afasic, a children’s charity supporting those with speech, language and communication impairments.
Use an internet search engine to find the website of the Royal National Institute for the Deaf. What extra skills might you need to communicate effectively with a child who has hearing difficulties or who is deaf? Are there are any short courses in your local area that you could take, to find out more?
Obtain and read a copy of ‘How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen so Kids Will Talk’, by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish. Picadilly Press, 2001.NB You should not have to buy this book, you should be able to borrow it from your local library or setting.
Click on the icon to the the left to go to the website of the Literacy Trust which promotes literacy for all.
Consider if you had a child in your setting who had a hearing or sight impairment what help might you be able to receive from other professionals and agencies? Who would you contact?
Click on the icon to the left to go to the Makaton webpage.
Use the internet to find out about the following communication difficulties. Find out what each one is, how it might affect a child’s attempts to communicate, and consider how you might be able to help children in your care who experience these difficulties:Loss of hearing DyspraxiaStutteringEar infectionVisual impairment
Click to read 'Development Matters', which offers an expanded version of the new 'Early Years Outcomes' document published in 2013.
‘How digital technology can support early language and literacy outcomes in early years settings: A review of the literature’ from the National Literacy Trust.

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