It can be frightening for any parent thinking about their child starting school, but if your child also has difficulties with their speech, language and communication, we know that it can be even more terrifying.
How will they cope?
How will they manage to express their needs to staff who aren’t familiar with them?
Will they be understood?
We have been supporting many families recently with this preparation for school in our Reception Ready assessments. They’re specifically designed to identify speech, language and communication issues that we can help to improve, making the transition easier for them plus being easier to manage and less worrying for their parents.
We have the chance to meet your child and understand their specific difficulties, suggesting ways that the transition to school can be fully planned and supported. We write a detailed report that highlights areas of worry or fear from the child’s point of view, then plan for their new school with lots of advice and recommendations for fun developmental activities you can do at home, that we know from experience can make the world of difference.
At Speech4Kids, we recently worked with a gorgeous 4-year-old and her family to do just that. The little girl is on a waiting list for an assessment for possible autism, but this can take a long time, and we needed to get things better for her ahead of starting primary school, with or without a diagnosis in place.
We started by looking at how her current nursery setting can start preparing her for the world of primary school, as well as things the new school can have in place from day one. We suggested they use a visual timetable to provide reassurance of the routine and to reduce any potential anxiety, helping her to understand what is happening NOW/NEXT. We further suggested the idea of introducing a ‘change’ sign as a way of pre-warning her if something different is happening.
She was struggling to move smoothly from one activity to the next, sometimes becoming fixated on one task. With this potentially being problematic and challenging within the classroom environment, we suggested printing photos of activities which can be removed and put in a bag to clearly show her that a particular activity is finished, helping her to transition more smoothly. If it can’t be seen, it’s done – put away, we don’t need to think about it right now. One idea is to start with one activity of the adult’s choice and then one of the child’s choice, so that they retain some control.
In the session we noticed how much better she was able to concentrate if her hands were kept busy. Her parents were shocked by her improved concentration when she was fiddling with some kinetic sand. Previously, she would flit between activities and only managed to concentrate for 2-3 minutes; but when her hands are occupied, she can manage 7-8 minutes. In school, we have suggested experimenting with various discreet fidget toys to boost concentration and see which works best for her when she is sitting on the carpet, for example.
We also noticed she struggled to interpret various question words and so this has become the focus for the summer in preparation for school. Her parents now have some visual aids to try to show her if they have asked a ‘who’ or ‘where’ question, etc – like this example:
Not understanding the question meant that she wasn’t able to respond in the desired way – which can cause friction. But simply knowing that this area of communication needed a hand and is being worked on will help to prepare her.
We felt it would be a super idea for the little girl to be given opportunities for additional transition support for starting school. This should include extra visits as well as a photo book to look at regularly over the summer holidays that includes photos of her teacher, TA, her classroom, her peg area, the toilets, the dinner hall, and the outside space - all to familiarise her and reduce worry.
We talked about Social Stories being a great way to tackle any specific issues that may arise; these are simply a method of walking a child through an experience or skill they need to know about or are likely to encounter. Her parents already think she will hate the noise of the hand-driers, so Social Stories are a great way of preparing her for that and minimising any agitation or distress they might cause – such as this example:
Her parents were also concerned that getting ready in the morning for school could be challenging, so she now has some photos for simple routines we agreed she might need support with:
Washing
Getting dressed
Eating breakfast
Cleaning her teeth
Brushing her hair
Putting her shoes on
Our founder, Sidonie Delaney comments, “Our work with this little girl is a great example of how we take a rounded approach to helping children with their communication; it’s not just about helping a child to verbalise what they want to say, but also about supporting their understanding of the world and situations they face in day-to-day life, and expressing their thoughts and needs. She has become calmer and more accepting of changes in her day to day routine.
Frustration can sometimes be interpreted as ‘naughtiness’ in children; a clear report to the school staff helps to aid understanding of a child’s behaviours, even without a diagnosis in place. Through proper preparation, a potentially unsettling new experience such as starting school can be something to look forward to instead.
“This is just a taste of some of the wonderful things we can do that can make a real difference to children and their families.”
If your child has situations they find tricky to deal with, try downloading our social stories template to help them prepare; print it out and add notes and pictures that show them what to expect, what they can do to help make the experience easier, and key things to remember to reassure them, if necessary.
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