Visual approaches to support speech and language

The underpinning reasoning for this approach is that children who have language learning difficulties often show strengths in their visual skills (Archibold & Gathercole, 2006). The approach covers a wide range of ways of supporting children’s language learning through the use of additional visual clues.

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  • Visual approaches to support speech and language

    The underpinning reasoning for this approach is that children who have language learning difficulties often show strengths in their visual skills (Archibold & Gathercole, 2006). The approach covers a wide range of ways of supporting children’s language learning through the use of additional visual clues.

    Evidence Rating: Indicative

  • Millieu teaching/ therapy

    Milieu Teaching/Therapy has a long history in the field of psychiatry and psychiatric nursing. It is a planned treatment environment in which everyday events and interactions are designed as part of therapy to enhance social skills and build confidence. The milieu, or "life space," provides a safe environment that is rich with social opportunities and immediate feedback from caring staff.

    Evidence Rating: Moderate

  • Social thinking

    Social Thinking is a Treatment developed by Michelle Garcia Winner that is popular in the US and increasingly so in the UK. It's aimed at children and young people with high functional autism and Asperger’s syndrome. It's based on the ILAUGH Model of Social Thinking as described by Winner (2000), which is a summary of the evidence based research.

    Evidence Rating: Indicative

  • Oral Language Programme

    The Oral Language (OL) programme aims to support language skills of reception age children who have language difficulties. It includes direct instruction to develop vocabulary, inferencing, expressive language and listening skills.

    Evidence Rating: Moderate

  • Social stories

    Social Stories is an intervention programme, originally used with children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but has started to be used more widely to improve pragmatic language skills (use of language) as part of speech and language therapy.

    Evidence Rating: Moderate

  • Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI)

    Nuffield Early Language Intervention (published by OUP) is an oral language intervention for children who, on school entry, have poor language skills. Training for Assistants delivering the programme was previously provided by Elklan, a specialist provider of speech and language training within education. Nuffield Early Language Intervention is available to schools throughout the UK. Randomized controlled trials have found the intervention effective.

    Evidence Rating: Strong

  • Social Communication Intervention Programme

    The Social Communication Intervention Programme (SCIP) aims to support children’s language and communication. Specifically, working on word meanings (semantics) and high-level language skills (such as verbal reasoning or inference). It supports difficulties children may have with their functional use of language (pragmatic skills) through social interaction and supporting children to understand social cues, which are needed for social interaction (Adams and Gaile, in press).

    Evidence Rating: Moderate

  • Road to the code

    Road to the Code is a phonological awareness programme for young children. Principles include the explicit teaching of phoneme manipulations and blending and segmenting in each lesson, as well as sound-symbol awareness activities. The programme is 15 hours long and contains material sufficient for 20 hours of phonological awareness programming. The programme has been used universally with children and here we report outcomes of its use with children with moderate to severe language impairment.

    Evidence Rating: Moderate

  • Reading and Language Intervention for children with Down Syndrome ...

    RLI is a targeted intervention aimed at improving the reading and language skills of children with Down syndrome in primary school aged 5 years and over. This intervention was designed to be delivered by teaching assistants.

    Evidence Rating: Moderate