1. Life after language units:
A three year evaluation of an alternative model
Jennie Welton
Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist
Hywel Dda Health Board

2. Background Information:
Closure of an infant and junior Language Unit and the I CAN provision for 3-5 year olds in 3 nurseries: July 2012.
How to support children with SLI/SSI in Pembrokeshire?
Creation of The Enhanced Provision for Children with Significant Speech and Language Difficulties - September 2012.
To provide intensive speech and language therapy support for pupils aged 3-11 years who have significant, specific speech and language difficulties.

3. Who is eligible?
Pupils with SLI/Language disorder /Speech Disorder/Dyspraxia.
Attending nursery, infant or junior school in Pembrokeshire.
No longer use cognition as criteria.
Referred by the Mainstream/Community Speech and Language Therapist.
Panel meetings to decide on placements.

4. How does the Enhanced Provision work?
The intensive support is offered in the child’s own school.
A speech and Language Therapist and/ or an Advisory Teacher for Speech and Language make weekly/fortnightly visits to the school to work with the child, LSA (Learning Support Assistant) and the Class Teacher. No set time-limit – average 3 terms.
The school supports the child’s targets by carrying out daily targets in the class/1:1 with a designated LSA.
Training offered in school/in county, eg Elklan, Signalong, Cued Articulation.

5. The first three years:
Three Speech and Language Therapists have been involved in providing the Enhanced Provision, offering a total of 12 sessions per week. The Advisory Teacher offered 5 sessions per week.
From September 2012 to July children accessed the Enhanced Provision.
The average time that a child spent on the provision was 3.2 terms, with the range being between 1 and 10 terms.

6. Outcome measures collected:
Questionnaire to parents following provision
Questionnaire to teachers/LSAs following provision
Formal assessments of language– change in Percentile Rank/Standardised scores
Nuffield Assessment for speech – change in percentage of C/CV/CVC etc.
Yark assessment of literacy

7. Differential Diagnosis:

8. Children with Speech Sound Difficulties – Outcomes:

9. Receptive language difficulties- 5 and under:

10. Expressive Language Difficulties- 5 and under:

11. Language Scores - Children aged 6+

12. Children with Literacy Difficulties:

13. Parental Questionnaires – progress?

14. Teacher/LSA Questionnaires:

15. Teacher and LSA Questionnaire 2:

16. Summary:
Continuing to meet the needs of children with SLI/SSI in Pembrokeshire.
Varying abilities of schools to support.
Varying demands on SLT Service – now 2 SLTs rather than 3.
Empowering schools to manage other children with Speech and Language difficulties within the classroom.