www.leicspart.nhs.uk
Developing Expressive
Language Skills
Alice Templeman
Speech and Language Therapist
Aims of today
• To think about what ‘SLCN’ means.
• To consider the impact of expressive
language difficulties.
• To think about strategies and activities you
can use to support children in the classroom.
• To signpost you to resources and further
information.
What does it mean?
‘Expressive Language’
‘Receptive Language’
‘Speech and Language’
‘Communication’
‘Speech’
‘SLCN’
What does it mean? SLCN – ‘Speech, Language and Communication
Needs’
Speech – the sounds in words.
Language – the actual words/sentences which
are understood and used.
Receptive – understanding spoken language.
Expressive – using spoken language.
Communication – the exchange of thoughts and
ideas.
What is ‘expressive language’?
May not be ‘language’ or words!
• Vocabulary – learning new words and
retrieving learnt ones
• Syntax and grammar
• Telling a story (narrative, sequencing)
• Prediction
• Inference
Why is it important? • 7% of children around five years of age have speech,
language and communication needs (SLCN).
• In 2013, SLCN were the primary special educational
needs in state-funded primary schools.
• Vocabulary difficulties at age five are significantly
associated with poor literacy, mental health and
employment outcomes at age 34.
• Children with language difficulties have an
impoverished quality of life in terms of moods and
emotions, and are more at risk in terms of social
acceptance and bullying.
• Changes that we might make can have a huge impact on the communication of the student.
• Different strategies may need to be used to meet differing communication needs
• They may help a student’s receptive AND expressive skills.
You can help!
PausingAllows extra processing time (the
average teacher waits just 2 seconds
before saying something else).
Gives time to process.
Reduces pressure on child to talk.
Students may give fuller answers.
10 SECOND RULE!
Matching and expanding
Keeps the conversation going.
Gives the child models and examples that they can use.
Encourages their language development.
Reduces pressure –acknowledges/rewards what they are doing.
Expansion
Keeps conversation
going.
Encourages vocabulary
development.
Encourages
grammatical
development.
It shows the ‘next step’.
“ pebbles”
“Yes, smooth
pebbles”
“home”
“Oh, he went home”
Commenting
Reduces pressure to talk.
Focuses on the ‘here and now’.
Aids vocabulary development.
Provides language models.
1 IN 5: It is suggested that adults should aim to
make at least five comments for each direct
question that they ask.
He looks
fierce
ActivityThink of comments that you could make
about these things that would promote a
child’s communication.
Giving InstructionsGet child’s attention
Keep it easy
-Short, simple sentences.
-Stress key words.
-Use other supports.
-‘Chunk’ information in chronological / logical order.
-Check for understanding.
-REPEAT – don’t rephrase!
Asking Questions
Is your question appropriate to the students level of understanding?
Is it in the ‘here and now’?
Will your question encourage communication?
Why are you asking it?
Is the language concrete or abstract?
Has the student got a way of answering?
Vocabulary (Biermiller in Beaumann and Kame’enui (2004)
Understanding a spoken word
Representation in the mind of :
Phonology - sound
Semantics – meaning
Syntax - grammar
Build word knowledge from multiple
exposures at least 6 in context
We can make a difference –
‘Word Aware’Anchor words (small group)
-thorough understanding/spontaneous use, may not need to be pre-taught.
Goldilocks words (whole class)
-not too easy or too hard – just right.
-used by average adult – will be encountered again.
-topic specific but core to the topic.
Step on words (whole class/specific teaching)
-beyond the average adult – topic specific.
Activity – history topic (Romans)
– year 3
Put the following into the 3 categories
(anchor, Goldilocks, step on):
Hill fort, Roman, Anglo- Saxon, mosaic,
trade, troops, invade, transport, forum,
settle, immigration, a long time ago,
basilica, legion, refugee, Celtic, tribe,
hypocaust.
Selecting Vocabulary
Goldilocks
Anglo-Saxon
Celtic
Roman
Refugee
Tribe
Trade
Mosaic
Troops
Invade
Settle
Immigration
Anchor
Long time ago
Transport
Step on
Hill fort
Hypocaust
Forum
Basilica
Legion
Word Finding Activities
• Category sorting/generation
• Dice Games
• What am I?
• Word webs
• Same/different
• Synonyms (same meaning) and antonyms
(opposites).
Word Webs
Narrative To support children’s story telling or
reporting skills
Can be used to retell familiar stories or
events in their own lives or current
affairs
Oral and written story sequences
Narrative promptsEncourage longer narratives by using a simple
story telling format
Who?
Where?
When?
What happened?
What next?
The end
(Black Sheep, Colourful Semantics)
How can you support?
• Pre-teaching vocabulary – look at anchor
words.
• Revisiting anchor words and Goldilocks
words – 1 by 1.
• Sequencing – understanding concepts of
who, where, what, when etc.
• Practise language with peers.
• Implementing strategies.
Information / Advicewww.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk – The
Communication Commitment, ‘Other Ways of
Speaking’
www.talkingpoint.org.uk – resources, progress
checker, strategies.
www.afasic.org.uk – parental support, professional
information/downloads.
www.stammering.org – British Stammering Association
www.rcslt.org – Royal College of SLTs (‘Giving Voice’
campaign)
Resourceswww.blacksheeppress.co.uk – resources
www.elklan.co.uk – books, courses
www.alexkelly.biz Talkabout –social
communication
http://www.leicspart.nhs.uk - ‘Speech and
Language Therapy’ – Early Intervention Resources
http://www.londonspeechtherapy.co.uk/workspace/
uploads/resources/colourful-semantics-
programme-march-2011.pdf - Colourful Semantics
www.twinkl.co.uk – resources
Any comments or questions?