For many children with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN), just getting through the day can be incredibly challenging.
Imagine being constantly surrounded by words when you find them so difficult; trying to follow and understand what is being said; getting your voice heard in group discussions or explaining what you need.
When communication is hard even simple interactions can feel exhausting.
But there are things we can all do to help. All children with SLCN benefit from being around adults who understand the nature of their difficulties, whether that be in the classroom, playground, at home or out and about.
Some children with SLCN need additional support or intervention, in small groups or individually, in and out of the classroom. Some of this work can be complex and intensive, needing support from speech and language therapists or other professionals with specialist expertise.
However, there are small actions we can all take that make life easier for children with SLCN. There is one small (yet surprisingly difficult) tweak in particular, that the evidence says can make a great difference…
Talking Time
A simple thing we can all do to support children with SLCN. It’s free (kind of) and you don’t need lots of expensive training or equipment. TIME is the thing! That old age commodity that we never seem to have enough of… but time is so important.
Children with SLCN need that little bit more time
time to process what has been said
to work out what the words and sentences mean
time to think of an answer
to formulate a response
time to work out which words to use
to organise them in a sentence
time to find the right speech sounds
to check out it makes sense…
and that’s just the start of it…!
But time really helps.
Research tells us that seven seconds is the optimum amount of time between asking a question and expecting an answer. This additional time can result in better questions as well as better answers for all children and the teachers who work with them!
Children with SLCN need this time – and often more. As a speech and language therapist, I’m very lucky to be able to give children lots of time to do their thinking. It’s a real privilege to be able to allow a good chunk of thinking time so that children can come up with their good ideas and take the time to explain them.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m also guilty of rushing through life, dashing here and there, being very busy, hurrying conversations because we should be somewhere, seeing someone or doing something…
But when we do slow down the pace, it can be amazing to see the benefit it can have on all children, though most particularly those with Speech, Language and Communication Needs. I’ve had some of the best ever conversations with these children…it just takes a bit of time.
For an example of the types of difficulties children with SLCN can experience, take a look at this video by the Communication Trust. A group of wonderful and brave children with language disorders agreed to share their time and have a chat…