Supporting the Development of Speech, Language and Communication in the Early Years: Includes Downloadable Assessment Tools, Checklists, Recording Forms, Advice and Information Leaflets and Intervention Strategies

Speech and language impairment can have a huge impact on cognitive development. Identifying what is going wrong - and what effective intervention looks like - can be daunting. Short of retraining you as a speech and language therapist, this thorough guide will give you everything you need to change that. An essential resource, the book contains a wide variety of online resources, including phonological and sound awareness documents, assessment tools, and recording forms that can be downloaded straight to your device, providing excellent materials and activities to use in the classroom. Written by speech and language therapists and designed exclusively for Early Years practitioners, this book provides a complete overview of how children acquire language and what language impairments look like at this age. You will find both strategic and practical advice on how to manage and encourage the development of speech and language skills. Creating the optimum communication environment for every child in your setting is an important part of what the book offers. Equally, practitioners are supported to be able to recognise the features of specific language difficulties such as Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and feel confident to intervene when children are struggling.

About the Author :
Diana McQueen is an experienced speech and language therapy practitioner and is a director of Soundswell Speech and Language Therapy Solutions. She has co-authored the Wellcomm Big Book of Ideas and has presented research at speech and language therapy conferences in the UK and Europe. She lives in Staffordshire, UK. Jo Williams has worked with children with speech, language and communication needs for 30 years and undertakes management consultancy work for NHS Trusts and is a director of Soundswell Speech and Language Therapy Solutions. She is also a Local Government Association Early Years Peer Reviewer and lives in Tipton, UK.

Review :
This book is written by experienced SLTs to help Early Years Practitioners (EYPs) understand early communication and development and how they can help. It includes an overview of how children learn language, developmental norms, support recognising specific difficulties, case studies and downloadable checklists. It's easy to read with chapter summaries, signposting and additional materials which supplement and support the learning. Practitioners can dip into the parts that are most relevant to them. It's also framed to get us thinking about why communication is important to EYPs as well as thoroughly evidence based. I will definitely be dipping into this and recommending it to EYPs too. (Five stars) The book is brimming with practical ideas and tips steeped in theory and expertise. It is a book to dip into time and time again to enhance universal, targeted and specialist practice in early years provision. A professional book for practitioners and students of child development, inclusion workers and those working to develop integrated services for children. During my 25-year career in early years I have never come across a more useful tool for early years practitioners. This book and the resources in it are a breath of fresh air for a novice who is developing an understanding of how speech and language develops in young children and beyond. The book also supports knowledgeable practitioners and leaders to embed good practice in their settings. The learning points and toolbox is a valuable addition. I wish this book had been available years ago. This book has been greatly valuable to my development as a student speech and language therapist and has provided me with a level of support no other resource has given. The additional online resources along with the 'learning points' throughout the book help to make it feel as though there is someone supporting me right the way through my paediatric year of study. I find myself reaching for this book often, especially when I feel that I need some added support, whether that be; planning intervention or assessment in a clinical setting on placement, to solidify the theory that I have learnt in lectures and how it is applied to practice or to further develop my understanding in particular areas of difficulty. The tone of writing and language used throughout has allowed the book to feel accessible to me as a student, even in areas where I only have a very base level of knowledge, or have not yet learnt about through university... I feel that this book has significantly increased not only my knowledge and practical skills but in turn my confidence in my ability as a speech and language therapist, especially in situations where without the support and knowledge provided by this book I may feel lost or panic in a clinical setting. This is a book I have and would recommend to anyone working in areas of child development, but particularly those studying, early in their career or looking to further develop their skill set. This book is my new bible! As an early years practitioner I have found the amount of young children coming into nursery with speech, language and communication delay in the last year, especially, to be not only worrying but also frustrating as getting the right help and meeting the maze of referral criteria can and has been sometimes very overwhelming. However, reading this book has been a reassuring journey and makes so much sense of what is needed in terms of child development knowledge, screening, assessing and targeted intervention. This book is packed with knowledge, tips, ideas, downloadable resources plus a never ending supply of further info via links and research. It covers every topic you can think of in a thought provoking way such as how to engage parents, the link between SCLN difficulties and Physical development, Selective Mutism and how to audit your learning environment. I like the fact that I can use this book as a study book to read in chunks or to just dip into for an on the spot reference or idea. I really liked the format, it is not a tedious read and the navigation points keep it interesting and easy to follow. I particularly liked the 'Learning Points' that are strategically placed within the book and give standout information on the main focus being discussed. I definitely recommend this book to any level of Practitioner working within Early Years, it is without doubt the missing piece of the Speech, Language and Communication jigsaw puzzle that we are all facing at the moment. Following the Covid-19 pandemic more children than ever are needing additional support with their speech, language and communication at a time when services and support are stretched more than ever. With this in mind, this book and accompanying resources could not be more welcomed. Reading this book is a bit like having a chat with a really lovely Speech and Language Therapist. The style feels incredibly supportive and it is packed full of useful, practical advice and tips that will make a huge difference to children. The chapter 'Think like a therapist' will be so beneficial to help educators recognise their own skills and knowledge and how they can support children in the here and now while waiting for specialist support. Too often as educators, we doubt our own skills and attributes when we've identified children who need additional support. This book not only helps educators to develop their skills further but positions them as experts in their own right; those with incredibly useful knowledge about the child that can be used to provide early intervention. One of the key themes of the book is the importance of universal support that will benefit all children, so this resource does not just become useful for supporting children who have difficulties with speech, language and communication, but supporting every child. Reflective practice is such an important element of early years practice and the resources included will help all educators to think about what elements of their provision, interactions and environments can be developed further. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book and I think it has the potential to make a significant difference to how children in early years education are supported. As an experienced teacher it is great to see the book and its resources available to support practitioners. I only wish this book was available when I first started working with children who are developing language as the book clearly explains the development of speech and language as well as providing resources to support those children who need intervention to enhance and support their development. This book is a great tool for all teachers, not just those teaching in the Early Years, as it will equip them to support children with delayed development.