Generating ideas

Difficulty detecting and using speech sounds 

This could be presented as consistent mistakes in pronunciation, particularly of longer or more complex words. They may also make inconsistent errors. They can find this difficult to understand which can interfere with healthy interactions with adults and peers. 

Strategies to support:

• Give extra time for the child to express themself. 
• Accept any form of communication that helps them to get their meaning across. This could include but is not limited to gestures, pointing or drawing. 
• Make sure the child knows that what they are saying is important to you. 
• Be kind but honest when you don't understand what they are trying to say. 

Difficulty generating speech sound patterns and manipulating the speech sound structure of words 

Presenting as difficulty imitating and manipulating speech sound sequences, referred to as expressive phonological skills. 

Phonological skills are needed to replicate words (sound sequences) accurately, blend sounds to read, generate rhyme and use rhyme in classroom tasks and use sounds in “word play”.

Success in phonics learning, vocabulary learning, reading and performing functional classroom tasks using speech sounds are all dependent on good phonological skills.

• Be aware of points of breakdown in expressive phonological skills. 
• Give multiple opportunities to imitate words or sound sequences. Support to build towards success. 
• Once the pattern can be held, give multiple opportunities to say the word or sound sequence independently. 
• Support individual difficulties and build skills. This includes manipulating sounds, sound blending, and generating rhyme. 
• When generating rhyme, provide consonant sounds and blend 'onsets' to put in front of spoken 'rhyme' elements or words.  
• When generating rhyme provides semantic cues to aid a feeling of success, but also give tasks that are reliant on phonological skill only. 

Difficulty storing and retrieving the meaning of words or the speech sound patterns that make up words 

A child may have 'word-finding difficulty', this is where they have trouble retrieving words that are wanted and needed to express themselves. This can result in the use of non-specific words such as "thing" or "stuff" or can result in long-winded descriptions but still unable to find the target word. 

This can lead to anxiety or frustration when it happens regularly. 

Strategies to support: 

• When learning words learn them thoroughly. Analyse the speech sound structure and the meaning. Practise and then apply the word. 
• Teach the strategy of self-cueing by thinking about the meaning of the word, or by describing it. 
• Play games to help with description skills, so that if a word can't be retrieved it can be described. 
• Give the child time to think and search. Ask if they want help.
  • If help is wanted give sound or meaning cues to help the child retrieve the word. 
• Point out when you have difficulty recalling a word when you speak. This helps them see it can happen to everyone. 

Difficulty with Rote Learning

This may be presented as being unable to recite rhymes or language sequences, such as counting or the days of the week. For example, a child may be unable to join in with 'lines' in a school play. This can leave them feeling exposed and helpless. 

Strategies to support:

•  Practise this skill by starting small and building up gradually. 
• Let them reflect on what they couldn't do, and what they are now able to do after practising. 
• Provide supporting visuals and gradually remove them, helping the child picture the resources in their heads. 
• Target simple rhymes. 
• Help to learn specific choruses or repetitively used phrases so the child can contribute to acting out, or singing in school plays.