collaboration

Sitting on both sides of the fence

While speech and language therapists and teachers both want the best for every child, our overlapping worlds have differences that create barriers to effective working. Drawing on her dual training and recent experience as a consultant on the StoryPhones project, Kirstie Page explores what she has learnt from sitting on both sides of the fence.
Once upon a time there was a speech and language therapist who worked with young children. One day she had the bright idea of becoming a teacher This therapist was me, and I would like to share with you the reality of this experience and look at what we, as speech and language therapists, can gain from an increased understanding of the other side of the fence. Although teachers can learn much from the world of speech and language therapy, we can also learn a lot from the world of education. to learn. If Im honest, I thought that it would be a relatively easy transition and that the learning curve would not be too difficult. The reality was somewhat different
READ THIS IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND A DIFFERENT CULTURE IMPROVE COMMUNICATION ENVIRONMENTS HAVE YOUR ADVICE PUT INTO PRACTICE

The reality

The idea

The learning curve I experienced was steep in many ways. From a theoretical point of view a background in speech and language therapy stood me in very good stead. However, becoming more familiar with the curriculum, educational theories and the planning procedure were all hurdles I had to jump.

As a speech and language therapist I worked mainly within the educational environment. Like many others, I felt I had good working relationships with teachers. Although things were never perfect, I tried wherever possible to make any advice I gave as applicable to what was going on in the classroom as I could. (With hindsight I realise there are many things I could have done differently and more effectively, but we will come back to that later.) My role at Sure Start Stanley allowed me to spend more time in fewer settings than before. As a result, I became increasingly interested in the impact childrens speech and language skills have on their education and learning as a whole. I also began to look at how good Early Years practice strongly overlaps with speech and language therapy advice. I felt many childrens needs could be met more fully and effectively by advising teachers and practitioners on: the layout of the setting interacting and talking to children at the right level incorporating activities and resources to promote speech and language development specific resources such as Beat Baby, Lola and Storyboxes. Advising on some of these issues can be tricky as a speech and language therapist, so this is where the idea to become a teacher came from. The initial aim was to widen my perspective, to make me more aware of educational issues and 10

The hardest things centred around the practical issues of being a teacher and the level of preparation and organisation this involves
The hardest things I had to learn centred around the practical issues of being a teacher and the level of preparation and organisation this involves. I thought that I was aware of a teachers workload before, but I now realise I wasnt. In the past I also didnt properly understand that, when a teacher said they had no time, it was the truth. By raising these issues I am not saying that teaching is harder or more stressful than speech and language therapy or vice versa. If asked to choose I couldnt answer, as they are just different. I would say, however, that my days as a teacher in a Foundation Unit were physically very busy and demanding. Along with the learning opportunities I wanted to create and language experiences I wanted the children to have, there was an endless stream of running noses (excuse the pun!) and behavioural issues that needed sorting out as well as accidents of both kinds. (Trying to

change a boy with a language disorder who was highly distracted and interested in anything but socks and shoes, whilst wondering what the other twelve little darlings were doing, was interesting.) Experience of working with children and knowing how to interact with them obviously helped. Many of these skills can be transferred when you work with larger groups of children, but that does not make it easy. On reflection, I feel I gave myself quite a hard time as a teacher and had potentially unrealistic expectations of how well and how quickly I could help the children learn to listen. This was compounded by my awareness of the expectations of some other people, who liked the idea that I had a magic wand which would sort out all of the listening, speech and language problems. Although a strong grounding in child development allowed me observe and think about the children at a different level and in a different way to many newly qualified teachers, it was often a cause for frustration when teaching. Being very aware that a child does not understand or is not ready to learn something was often very difficult to cope with if there were limits to what I could do about it. As therapists we think of the child first and what he or she needs second. The world of education, however, encourages teachers to think curriculum first, child second. In reality, this can mean that differentiation involves the teacher watering down what they are teaching rather than focusing on what the individual child needs.

The other side of the fence

People on both sides of the fence want the same thing. Therapists and teachers want a child to be safe, happy, to learn and to develop to their potential. Although the worlds we inhabit strongly overlap, they are also very different. These differences can create barriers to effective working, and make us forget that we want the same thing.

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StoryPhones in action

From our side of the fence

In an ideal world, advice and targets for an individual child from a speech and language therapist should be taken on board and implemented and embedded by the childs teacher and school. Sometimes this happens, but often it does not. When things dont go as well as they could, we are often quick to look to the other side of the fence for reasons. Lack of knowledge, understanding and motivation on the teachers behalf are all common reasons why we feel our advice has not been as effective as it could have been. Although these thoughts are sometimes valid, they are rarely the only reasons for breakdown. Looking closely and critically at our own side of the fence can also give us a lot of reasons and solutions. We need to consider some of the following: a) Do I ask the education practitioner for their thoughts and observations on a child? Although the practitioner may focus on different strengths and needs, and although they may use different terminology, they are usually a great source of information. b) If the practitioner doesnt understand the childs difficulty and how this will impact on their learning, do I support the practitioner with this through discussion, training, report writing and so on? c) Does the practitioner know how to support the child in the give and take of daily conversations? Strategies such as talking to children at the right level or modelling speech sounds and grammar are not part of teacher training. Just because it is so instinctive to us, we cannot assume that other people know what they have not been told. d)Does the practitioner have a toolbox of strategies which they can support the child with during stories, group time, and adult-led activities? Strategies such as sitting the child who finds it hard to listen opposite and gaining their attention visually and / or kinaesthetically can be easily integrated into general practice. These strategies will also support many of the other children in the class who may not be known to speech and language therapy, but who cause educational concern. e) Can our ideas for activities be easily incorporated into the activities which are going on already? Although some activities are very specific to an individual child, most will support many childrens learning within the class. Embedding advice in this way will also make it easier to carry out as it will no longer have the same implications for adult time and support. f) Could we use more educational terminology to make our advice more effective? If we can link our advice to the curriculum where possible, even if the link is just to an area of learning or subject area, a teacher will see how the advice fits in. Speech and language therapy advice, therefore, is not robbing time from the curriculum and what the practitioner should be doing. 11

The world of education places many demands on teachers. Just as therapists have legally binding elements to their work, so do teachers. As a therapist, I feel that understanding the culture within which teachers work can make us more effective: 1. Value added as a teacher I am under huge pressure to demonstrate that the children in my class are making progress. My competence as a teacher, the schools Ofsted inspection and potentially my pay and promotion prospects will depend on this. Progress will be judged on a childs assessment results and levels. The world of education creates an environment where progress can be encouraged by pushing children on towards their target. The world of speech and language therapy believes that the best way to encourage progress is to go in at the childs level and to build them up from there. If we are advising the latter, we need to support teachers and help them realise that they will be encouraging long-term progress, even if this is at the expense of short-term gains. 2. Curriculum The National Curriculum and the Foundation Stage Curriculum (the Early Years Foundation Stage from September 2008) are legally binding documents in England. As a teacher, it is my duty to deliver these. If speech and language therapy advice is portrayed as separate, I may see it as an extra thing which is taking time away from what I should be doing. Contrary to popular belief, the National Numeracy and Literacy Strategies (which have now become the Primary Frameworks) are optional and are not legally binding. In reality they will often be followed to a greater or lesser extent in most schools. If a school is to opt-out, they will need to prove to Ofsted that what they are teaching instead is just as good if not better. This is scary, but an increasing number of creative and innovative schools are opting out. 3. Early Years Foundation Stage the new early years curriculum extends from birth to five years and has received some bad press for formalising education too quickly. In reality, it may make

the lives of speech and language therapists easier. It offers a lot more scope for targeting earlier stages of development to meet a childs needs. Although this is often what therapists advise already, the fact that this is part of the curriculum will make it easier for a teacher to incorporate advice, and to see it as part of the childs education rather than their therapy. 4. Literacy an awareness of the links between speech and language and literacy is becoming more commonplace within the world of education. Phonological awareness, however, will still

Differences can create barriers to effective working, and make us forget that we want the same thing.
be confused with phonics, and many teachers continue to feel difficulties with literacy are due to the fact that the child doesnt say words properly. The depth of the links may not be fully appreciated by some teachers. Although the new Primary Framework for Literacy embeds speaking and listening throughout, a closer inspection reveals that this is often speaking and listening for literacy rather than for communication. It is a great improvement though, and therapists can potentially support teachers with how they could use this time and create opportunities to meet more fully the needs of those children with speech and language delay / disorder. 5. Groups versus individuals As a teacher I work with groups and rarely individuals. I will need you, as a therapist, to understand that this is my world. For your advice, I want you to tell me what I can do which will fit into the way that I work. Giving me ideas for one-toone activities which you would do with that child on a one-to-one will be less meaningful.

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The best of both

At the moment I work as a freelance trainer on issues relating to speech and language development and early literacy. For this training I try to combine the theoretical knowledge and experience I gained as a therapist with the practical insight and curriculum knowledge I gained as a teacher. As a teacher I became increasingly concerned that many of the advances within educational ICT (Information & Communication Technology) focused mainly on childrens visual skills rather than their auditory and verbal skills. Visual ICT has many benefits but is often overused due to the fact that teachers are encouraged to embed ICT across the curriculum wherever possible. As concerns about childrens listening and language skills increase, the amount of audio work being done with children is in reality decreasing. I am therefore also working as Educational Consultant for StoryPhones, a new digital audio system for the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. StoryPhones have been specifically designed to promote listening, language and literacy skills. The MP3 headsets have no wires so can be used to listen to stories, music, songs and rhymes or to carry out listen-and-do activities throughout the environment, both indoors and outdoors. Although they are a resource for all children, there are many applications for children with speech and language delay / difficulties and could easily be utilised by therapists as they start to appear in schools. Many of the listenand-do activities which will be available to download and use on the StoryPhones have

in-built differentiation within the audio track. This will allow teachers and therapists to select different levels to target the individual needs of different children. The record facility will also allow speech and language therapists to record and make their own resources. These could then be left at the school or nursery, allowing the child to carry out the activity many times with or without adult support. In an ideal world, these could also be sent home and shared with parents. This facility can also be used by the children to record their own thoughts, stories, ideas and songs. As this saves digitally, there are many opportunities for assessment and monitoring childrens progress. The Education Team at StoryPhones would like to hear from therapists and teachers who are keen to develop and publish good quality resources for use on StoryPhones. We would also like to hear about how people have used SLTP them in different ways. Kirstie Page is a speech and language consultant with StoryPhones, e-mail educationteam@ameeca.co.uk, www.storyphones.co.uk.

TEN STEPS TO BETTER PRACTICE WORKING WITH TEACHERS: 1. ASK FOR AND LEARN FROM THEIR EXPERIENCE AND OBSERVATIONS 2. ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR CULTURAL CONTEXT AND WORKLOAD 3. LINK RECOMMENDATIONS WITH THE CURRICULUM AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY 4. USE EDUCATION TERMINOLOGY 5. EMBED ADVICE WITHIN WHAT THE TEACHER IS ALREADY PLANNING 6. OFFER SUGGESTIONS THAT ARE SUITABLE FOR GROUPS 7. PROMOTE LISTENING FOR COMMUNICATION ACTIVITIES / ICT 8. EXPLAIN YOUR PLAN IN TERMS OF THE IMPACT ON LEARNING 9. SPELL OUT STRATEGIES NEVER ASSUME THEY ALREADY KNOW 10. MAKE IT CLEAR HOW SUPPORT COULD BENEFIT OTHER CHILDREN TOO What issues has this article raised for you? What has helped you collaborate more effectively with teachers? Let us know via the Winter 08 forum at http://members. speechmag.com/forum/.

Resources (Foundation Stage / KS1)

Beat Baby - by Ros Bayley and Lynn Broadbent, Lawrence Educational Publications, www.educationalpublications.com Lola by Ros Bayley and Lynn Broadbent, Lawrence Educational Publications, www.educationalpublications.com  Storyboxes (50 exciting ideas) by Helen Bromley, Lawrence Educational Publications, www.educationalpublications.com StoryPhones www.storyphones.co.uk

news extra
SENDIST petition
An online petition is urging the Prime Minister to stop government plans to change Special Educational Needs Tribunals (SENDIST). This appeal system is available to parents who disagree with Local Education Authority provision for their child with special needs. Regulations have been amended so that from November 2008, SENDIST is to be part of a unified tribunal system called the Health, Education and Social Care Chamber with the Care Standards Tribunal and the Mental Health Review Tribunal. Some parents of children with special needs are expressing concern that the detail of the changes could lead to their children being assessed against their wishes and at their expense. They also believe that it will now be impossible for parents to attend a Tribunal without the expense of hiring a barrister. The petition is available at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/SENDISTtribunals/.

Self-referral welcomed

The Parkinsons Disease Society has welcomed the health secretarys announcement that confirms and extends the right to self-refer to allied health professionals. Self-referral is not a new concept in speech and language therapy, but awareness and access is not universal. Although the announcement applies to all allied health professions, it has been prompted by research with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy which showed that people who self-refer access services more quickly and are also more likely to complete their treatment. The Parkinsons Disease Society hopes that self-referral will enable more people with the condition to access physio, occupational and speech and language therapy. www.parkinsons.org.uk

Cochlear implant ruling The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has ruled

Write on

that the NHS should offer cochlear implants to all profoundly deaf children where this is the preferred option of the family. A number of deaf charities who have lobbied for an end to the previous postcode lottery have welcomed this development, along with a ruling that all profoundly deaf children should also be offered the option of cochlear implants in both ears, providing this is done at the same time. The National Deaf Childrens Society website has a summary of the guidance and further information on cochlear implants, www.ndcs.org.uk.

WriteOnline, an online word processor, has won the English Speaking Unions Presidents Award 2008 for being interactive, empowering and educationally useful. The Award is given annually for innovation in the use of new technologies to enhance English teaching and learning worldwide. The tool aims to provide users of all ages and abilities with a consistent level of writing support on any computer with an internet connection. The word processor has an integrated Wordbar to give easy access to words and phrases. Predictive text and speech functions are available along with switch access if necessary. Preferences are saved online, so are automatically applied wherever the student logs in. www.cricksoft.com

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SPEECH & LANGUAGE THERAPY IN PRACTICE WINTER 2008