June 2017 – The Winford Centre for Children and Women

A lot of parents, carers and educators worry that children are not “talking” at a certain age. “Talking” in this particular context refers to the topmost part of the language pyramid called speech. Without understanding that speech and language develop in stages, parents, carers and educators may end up putting unnecessary pressure on themselves as well as the children in order to get them to “talk”. Whilst speech and language continues to be one of several indicators of other medical conditions, it is important to remember that speech and language difficulties can improve with the right support and children can catch up without an underlying medical condition being present. If we understand how speech and language develops, then we will be better positioned to know if there is something to worry about.

Attention and Listening: When babies are born, they first learn to listen before making sounds. This means they take in information using mainly their eyes and ears. Attention therefore involves being in a ready state to receive and absorb new information. Because this is such a critical step in the language development pyramid, if this skill is not properly developed in children, they are likely to struggle with other steps on the pyramid.

Play: You will often hear that children learn through play, this is true. Children learn lots about communication through playing with toys and people and so they need lots of opportunity to play. The play develops from exploratory play to functional play and then to imaginative play. More importantly, through play, children learn how to interact, take turns and share with other people.

Understanding: Further up the pyramid is understanding. This is where children learn to give meaning to new information that has been picked up. Particularly, this is the ability to understand what is being said or the instruction that is being given.

Talking: At this point, children start to use words. This will start from single words and then progress on to a combination of words. The words may not be absolutely clear but they can be deciphered.

Speech: This is the final stage where a child is able to make sentences which have meanings either to the child’s immediate family or to a wider audience.

How it all ties together: A child that has poorly developed attention and listening skills will struggle with taking in new information. If new information is not taken in fully, then full information cannot be processed. As a result, such child may struggle with fully understanding what things mean and be unable to act or provide an appropriate verbal response.

Remember, you are not required to give a diagnosis. Your focus should always be “how can I support this child better”.

Please look out for the next post (2 of 2) where I will be sharing strategies that can be used to improve each step on the pyramid.

Teachers play a critical role in the lives of children for which we will be eternally grateful. But there is no denying that teaching can be tough. It has its many demands and catching up can be challenging. Sometimes non-commensurate pay doesn’t even make it better. Of course loving what you do can make it feel less of a herculean task but for everything including things we love, it still requires effort and commitment. Teachers seek to inspire students, impart knowledge, be role models and promote learning. When these goals are achieved, the feeling can be surreal but what it takes to achieve these goals today is different from what it took 10 years ago. Times are changing and so are teaching methods.

Once upon a time, children with special educational needs would have no choice than to go to special schools (if they exist). Some may not even go to school because our mainstream schools and classrooms did not (and many still do not) have the right tools and resources to support these children. But things are changing. Research now shows that a lot of children may not need to attend special schools if only teachers can modify their teaching methods to ensure that every child learns.

This means one thing- For us to make any meaningful progress with promoting an inclusive learning environment for all children, we need teachers more than ever before to move away from some old practices and embrace new ones. This change and adaptation will not be easy but it is what will stop us from going extinct in the first place. It is also what will help us ensure that we get over the barriers that are in the way of our children’s learning- one child, one school at a time.

An inclusive learning environment for all children CAN BE ACHIVED and we are counting on you and your love for what you do to make this happen.

Month: June 2017

How to support language development in children (1/2)

You are at the core of our advocacy- WE NEED YOU.