Social communication support for children who are using short phrases or sentences to communicate (including echoed phrases):

An open chest with colours coming out and a symbol on the front.

 Who is this advice for?  

They will be useful if your child: 

  • is using some language (including echoed phrases)
  • struggles to understand questions
  • only uses their language to ask for things
  • makes comments
  • is beginning to have conversations.

How will this advice support my child?  

(Setting staff can use this wording to write targets)  

These play-based resources are designed to support your child to communicate in more ways for more social reasons. They will support your child to: 

  • communicate for more reasons to others such as sharing their interests or responding to others sharing their interests using spontaneous or copied comments or their non-speaking modes of communication
  • understand and respond to questions appropriate for their language development.

 

Advice

Create a reason for your child to comment and model comments to suit their language profile

Webinar: Encouraging commenting for children with social communication differences.

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'Encouraging commenting for children with social communication differences': Watch this 23 minute webinar explaining how to create reasons for your child to comment, model comments at your child’s language level and understand when and how to use questions with your child.

Download 'Encouraging Commenting' advice sheet: Advice sheet: Learn strategies that can be used in everyday play and routines to encourage meaningful, functional and spontaneous communication for a range of reasons.   

 

Specific resources for children who love intonation and use copied phrases

Check out the advice sheet and webpage if your child:  

  • uses phrases that they have heard other people say (e.g. on TV, online videos or from songs)  
  • says echoed phrases in situations where they don’t appear to relate
  • says the phrase using the same intonation the way and the same accent
  • repeats back questions that you ask them 

Download the  'Supporting children who use echoed phrases to communicate' handout

Speech and Language UK: 'When children use memorised phrases, and information on gestalt language processing'

 

Support understanding and use of language using visual coding

Using visual coding advice sheet: Using Hertfordshire Integrated Visual Coding to support children to understand question words (e.for example, Who? Doing? How? and so on) and to answer questions.  

Support and accept different play styles

Webinar : Understanding and supporting different play styles   

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'Understanding and supporting different play styles': Watch this 6 minute webinar to learn to understand and support different play styles. And, how to support others to value your child’s play styles and preferences.

Understanding and supporting different play styles handout: learn to understand and support different play styles. And, how to support others to value your child’s play styles and preferences.

 

Further support

Training for setting staff – Supporting children’s understanding of language, and vocabulary and grammar. The Speech and Language Therapy service provide a mixture of free face to face and virtual trainings.  

We recommend the following trainings:  

  • Blanks Levels of questioning  
  • Narrative approach to learning language in the classroom

Support from Hertfordshire’s Speech Language Communication and Autism (SLCA) Team – Training or workshops to support speech, language and communication needs in the classroom . Go to 'How to request support'. 

Staff can request training at a targeted level with no referral required.

Specialist support also available via teaching staff referral to the SLCA team. 

How can we help you?

  1. Work with us
  2. Our services
  3. Children's services
  4. Adult services
  5. Make a referral