An introduction to speech, language and communication

Our online short course is free and a great place to start learning about children and young people’s speech and language development.

An introduction to speech, language and communication

Our free Introduction to speech, language and communication course introduces how to support children and young people’s speech, language and communication skills, why this is crucial for learning and wellbeing, and how to identify children with challenges.    

Staff who work with children and young people in early years, primary school, secondary school and further education. This could include childminders, early years staff, health visitors, support workers, teachers, teaching assistants and other staff working in health or education. Everyone who works with children and young people will benefit from doing this course! 

This is an introductory course – you don’t need any prior knowledge or skills. However, we assume learners will have some experience working with children and young people. 

The course has four modules, titled: 

  1. The importance of speech, language and communication skills to children’s learning and wellbeing 
  2. Typical development of speech, language and communication skills 
  3. Universal support for all children and young people across the curriculum 
  4. What are speech and language challenges and how do they impact on learning and wellbeing? 

Most of the modules will take around an hour to complete, although module three is slightly longer. You can do the course at your own pace and in your own time. We recommend splitting the course up over several weeks, perhaps completing one module per week. This will allow time for you to reflect and put your new knowledge and skills into practice.

Each module includes suggested practical activities for you to apply what you have learned to your workplace. 

Got another question? Please reach out to info@speechandlanguage.org.uk. 

Click below to access the course on our new Learning Centre. To access the course, you will need to create an account. Using this login, you will then be able to access any new courses or resources we release in the coming months!