There has been a surge in demand for speech and language therapy support for post KS2 pupils as the impact of limited or no access in primary school really begins to bite. Young people are now not only faced with the demands of increasingly specialist vocabulary across a range of subject areas but also the challenges of the social aspects of communication which accompany the development of new and more complex relationships with peers and others.
Sometimes it can be difficult for us to explain the range of strategies and interventions we can provide to support students in all our settings. One of the ways we can illustrate the range of options is via our toolbox model.
There are three toolboxes, one for each level of the pyramid of intervention:
- Universal: tier 1
- Targeted: tier 2
- Specialist: tier 3
We use the pyramid of intervention model
which will be familiar to a range of
professionals working with children and
young people.
Gascoigne M. (2006) “Supporting children with speech, language and communication needs within integrated children’s services”
It is a good practical way of illustrating the range and depth of services from Soundswell.
Each toolbox lists the strategies and interventions which, once in place, will support pupils at every level.
Tier 1: all pupils.
Best practice: whole-setting awareness of a range of strategies & interventions to support communication & access to learning.
Tier 2: targeted groups and individuals
Best practice: staff develop additional skills to be able to use more targeted strategies.
Tier 3: those in need of direct help from a speech and language therapist.
Best practice: there is timely access to a speech and language therapist.
Each one of our toolbox models provides a number of facts about speech, language & communication needs (SLCN) and the wide-ranging impact they have on future life-chances. This helps to convey the vital importance of getting children and young people the help they need now.
