Speech, language and communication are all important to a child's overall development. They are used to interact with others, explore the environment, make sense of everyday experiences, access information and understand concepts, organise thoughts and formulate ideas and to express your feeling and understand the feelings of others.Speech is basically vocalised language. Usually this is learnt before leaning to write.
We use speech to articulate and express ideas, thoughts and feelings through vocalised sound. With speech, symbols are not written or signed they are spoken as sounds. Gestures and signing are forms of speech for individuals who may have a disability or an impairment. English has over 40 different sounds/phonemes however the number of sounds children need to learn depends on their chosen language.Language can be very specific.
It is a set of symbols that are written, spoken or signed that enable us to communicate and convey meanings to others and enable us to understand what others are saying to us. Language includes a complex set of rules. In the English language, words can be added together to make phrases and sentences and some words can be added to and changed. For example, adding an ‘s’ to show more than one of something or adding 'ed’ to show something happened in the past. Linguists suggest that once users understand, use and have mastered the rules they will be able to convey anything they wish to.
At first children cannot use the rules, toddlers begin by pointing at objects and saying just one word, but after a while they learn how to construct sentences.Communication is the process of conveying a message or meaning to establish a shared understanding to others. There are several ways in which we communicate all of which involve all our senses. For example, spoken, written, pictures, sounds, symbols. We also use non-verbal communication such as facial expressions, gestures and body language. Being able to listen to the person that is speaking and know how to take turns in listening and talking is an example of good communication.
Communication is an essential life skill that underpins a child's social, emotional and educational development.Speech, language and communication needs this term refers to any difficulty that a child has is any of the three areas mentioned above. Some children find it hard to understand what is said to them or be difficult to understand themselves, form words and construct sentences, find the right words to express thoughts and feelings, and understand rules for social interaction and conversation. SLCN can have a lasting effect on children’s lives. Studies of children with SLCN have shown that children whose language difficulties are unresolved by the time they start school are more likely to have later academic, social and emotional difficulties associated with their language difficulty.
