A pathway for SLCN Maxine Burns Speech and Language Advisor

Early years; a critical period Good vocabulary at 16-24 months, predicts good reading accuracy and comprehension five years later (Darby, 2016) Children with unexplained language disorders have higher social, emotional and behavioural problems, with 88% failing to achieve early curriculum targets (Norbury, 2016) Nearly three quarters of pupils with SLCN as a primary need do not achieve a good level of development (GLD) at the end of the EYFS.

The right pathway challenge No clear dividing line between delay and disorder No ‘single point in time’ assessment will get it right Lots of late talkers will catch up UNLESS they have additional risk factors: Low socioeconomic factors; broader vulnerability Parental education Familial history of neurodevelopmental conditions such as DLD, dyslexia, autism Early complex needs diagnosis Narrowing the gap is difficult Stability of language from school age Shifting the distribution curve along rather than shifting children up Think less about standard scores and more about readiness at different ages and stages

Integrated approach: education, health & care Specialist Individualised package Targeted Evidenced; time limited; tailored to needs; monitored Universal Skilled & confident staff; quality first provision for language; informed parents A few children at time intervals agreed according to need, potentially indefinitely Integrated approach: education, health & care 10% of children Some children for periods of time Up to 50% of children All children all of the time

TCT provision to regions Initial ‘induction’ training session What does a good pathway look like How does my setting measure up Free Level 3 qualification Deepening workforce knowledge Creation of Local Action Communication Leads Input to 1 action learning set per region LA audit of existing pathway Gaps analysis; best practice examples Critical friend input to action plan to plug gaps

What could good look like? Key feature What it could look like Don’t see SLCN in isolation SLTs are integrated into educational settings. They go where the children go. Joined up Integrated commissioning. LA/NHS commission core, add-ins directly from schools/settings Strong local leadership A working LA policy for children’s SLC and SLCN. Engagement from local stakeholders e.g. MPs Workforce development A rolling programme of evidenced training, Communication TAs, identified SLT for each school/setting Relationships and communication Systems that foster close relationships between educational and health colleagues The role of SLT is critical Clear and appropriately present at each level of the 3-tier model while ensuring SLC and SLCN is everyone's business Co-production Collaborative development of the SLCN pathway Making the case Prevalence and impact data at a population level

Get involved Apply to have support from TCT with your local SLCN pathway Identify possible Local Action Leads who could commit to completing the Level 3 Award Get in touch with people who know more about regional and local action learning sets Contact us to hear more about the pathway training mburns@ican.org.uk lbittles@ican.org.uk