1. Every child talking Nursery Clusters

2. Supporting speech, language and communication skills Nursery Clusters Cluster 2 Understanding Spoken Language

3. Objectives To share information on the development of : Understanding Spoken Language To explore how we support development of these language skills in Nursery

4. The Importance of Language The essential tool for: Learning, thinking and problem solving Developing and maintaining relationships

5. Attention and Listening Understanding Expression Sounds Memory Social Skills

6. Speech sounds

7. Young children with speech and language impairments are at risk for continued communication problems, as well as for associated cognitive, academic, behavioural, social and psychiatric difficulties (Bashir & Scavuzzo, 1992). The initial pattern of speech and/or language deficits is related to overall prognosis. Children whose impairments involve only articulation/phonology generally fare better than those whose impairments involve language [processing] (Beitchman et al., 1994) Early language impairment (rather than speech impairment) is clearly associated with continued academic difficulties into adulthood. (Young et al, 2002)

8. Understanding spoken language Receptive Language Comprehension Understanding

9. “Play that is well-planned and pleasurable helps children to think, to increase their understanding and to improve their language competence.” “Well-planned, regular and skilful observation of children’s play and language should ensure that, over time, an accurate picture emerges of the progress each child is making in each area of learning.” “It is important to identify early any difficulties a child is experiencing.”

10. “…a rich variety of challenging play activities and other experiences in a stimulating environment. “The focus should be to allow children to learn at their own pace, gain a positive image of themselves as learners, be able to cope with uncertainty and to learn through trial and error.”

11. A child who has poor understanding may: not do as told have poor attention skills rely on routines echo what has been said give inappropriate answers only follow last part of instruction lack awareness of what is going on around them be either very withdrawn/active

12. Choose stimulus LookHear Listen Focus Attention Remember Understand vocabulary Understand grammar and word order Understand Nonverbal Communication/Underlying meaning

13. Processes Involved in Understanding Attention and Listening Auditory Memory Vocabulary Social Skills Sentences

14. Strategies for improving comprehension Give time Simplify Stress key words Use visual support

15. Children lets stop playing now, tidy up and go inside to the quiet room for a very special story” Information Carrying Words (ICWs)

16. Information Carrying Words

17. Age: ICW’s/Key Words: 2 3 4

18. Vocabulary Object names (Nouns) Action names (Verbs) Adjectives (Adjectives) Requires semantic (meanings) and phonological (sounds) knowledge

19. Vocabulary size at age 6 = 2 500 – 5 000 Learn 8 new words/day from 18mths – 6 yrs Storage –Word meanings –Sounds in words –Associated information Vocabulary size has been directly linked to reading comprehension

20. Concepts Words that describe a characteristic (e.g. colour, size, shape) time (e.g. before, first, yesterday) position (e.g. over, under) Difficult as they’re abstract and meaning can change

21. Lots of relevant, multi sensory experiences in lots of contexts with lots of repetition Told words as s/he experiences what they mean Use concept check list One at a time Need to use it

22. Blank, Rose and Berlin 1978 Studied the language used by teachers and graded it in order of abstractness. Assess the level of abstract language a child can understand Use appropriate level of language Plan how to develop a child’s language and abstract reasoning

23. BLANK LEVELS Level 1 Little language processing required/direct matching of language to perception/activity Level 2 Child begins to focus on parts of what is before them. (Language development – concepts, object function, organisation of vocabulary)

24. Level 3 Child uses material to help organise language to provide an appropriate response. (Language development – narrative skills, understanding of emotions) Level 4 The materials provide the stimulus for the discussion. At this level they start to problem solve. Only 60% of 5 year olds can cope with level 4 questions

25. Label “What’s is this?” Locate “Where’s the mouse?” Level I Concrete Language

26. Level II Characteristics Describe Talk about: shape size colour Finish the phrase “Where was the mouse going?” “What was the wood like?”

27. Level III More Abstract Information is based on materials but not explicit Recall Make judgements Predict “What will happen next?” “How does the owl feel now?” “Tell me about the story”

28. Level IV Most Abstract Explaining/ Why “Why did the gruffalo run away?” Reasoning/Inferencing “Why does the mouse want to scare the gruffalo”

29. AgeLevel ILevel IILevel IIILevel IV 3 years95%35%30% 4 years95%60% 50% 5 years95%75%70%60%

30. Visual Support Gesture Makaton Pictures

31. Language learning does not happen in isolation, it takes place within meaningful everyday interactions with adults and peers.