Edinburgh

Click here for a summary of our Universal and Targeted SLT supports for families. Please feel free to print and share these with any of the families that you work with.

For information on webinars for parents/carers please see info from your local SLT team

Supporting Communication in the Early Years

The SLT department offers training to Early Years Workers across Edinburgh, including staff from early years centres, nurseries, partner provider nurseries and voluntary agencies.

The session is now available online and is hosted by two local Speech and Language Therapists.

The aims of the session are:

• To share practical ideas for supporting communication development in the early years setting.
• To consider when and how to seek additional support from the local SLT team.

If you work in a nursery or early years centre you can register to attend this training through Eventbrite by clicking here. Please contact us on 0131 536 9652 if you would like more information.

Online information sessions for Health Visiting teams are also now available on a rolling programme. Dates will be circulated internally through Team Managers.

Hanen Teacher Talk: Encouraging Language Development in Early Childhood Settings is available across Edinburgh for any practitioners working within early years. The full day training is run by a Hanen trained SLT and aims to support professionals with core strategies that help create rich and stimulating learning environments for the children they work with. The training addresses how educators can use everyday conversations, play and daily routines to promote the communication and social development of all children, including those with language delays and those who are second language learners.

Participants learn how to:

• Identify children’s conversational styles and the role teachers play in interactions
• Implement six steps to following the child’s lead: Observe, Wait and Listen, Be Face to Face, Imitate, Interpret, Comment, and Join in and Play
• Help children become better conversation partners by using appropriate questions, comments and turn-taking cues
• Use five important steps to ensure that no child is left out of the interaction during group activities

For more information or to book a place on a Hanen Teacher Talk training session, please contact Sarah Paterson 0131 312 2146

Signalong

Signalong is a sign supported communication system, designed to help children and adults with communication difficulties. It is designed to support spoken language to help people with communication difficulties understand and express themselves.

Unlike British Sign Language training, or that provided by some other organisations, Signalong training focuses on developing communication skills rather than teaching blocks of signs, many of which will be quickly forgotten through lack of use. The precise Signalong method of presentation enables users to remind themselves of signs which have been forgotten and to learn new signs from the manuals. Training programmes therefore focus on the application of sign-supported communication, e.g. aspects of total communication, such as facial expression, body language and voice tone; plus simplification of language and keyword selection.

Formal Signalong phase 1 courses (and occasionally phase 2) run regularly in Edinburgh for early years workers and parents. To find out more about courses running, please contact your local SLT department.

Universal

The Visual Support Project (VSP) is a joint venture between the City of Edinburgh Council ASL services and NHS Lothian SLT Department. It is a programme delivered in early years centres, nurseries, mainstream primaries and special school establishments to raise awareness, change practice and improve access to visual symbol supports, e.g. whole class visual timetables and environmental visual labelling.

The Visual Support Project aims to:

• Enhance staff confidence, knowledge and practice in the use of visual symbol supports.
• Ensure equal and consistent access to high quality visual symbol supports for all children to meet their communication and educational needs.

Once an establishment has enrolled to participate, a member of the Visual Supports Project Team: runs a 2 hour whole school professional learning session on visual symbol supports; provides a ready made pack of visual symbol resources; and arranges follow-up visits to each school to support and guide the implementation and use of the resources.

If you would like to take part in the Visual Support Project please contact your school’s ASL service lead.

Targeted

Up Up and Away!

The CIRCLE Collaboration Up Up and Away resource has been adapted and revised from the original 2011 version. It has been rolled out across Edinburgh through cluster based training sessions. Participants receive copies of the resource once they have completed the training.

This practical resource contains tools, information and ideas to optimise opportunities for children (aged 0-5 years) who are at risk of poor literacy and learning. The resource, which supports the Edinburgh Literacy Strategy, aims to improve literacy in the most vulnerable children through early intervention.

The resource can be used alongside the Pre-birth to Three, Building the Ambition and Curriculum for Excellence guidance. It also complements AHP and parent and carer interventions being used locally. The resource is applicable and useful for children with English as an Additional Language.

To find out more about Up Up and Away, or to request training, please speak to your link Educational Psychologist.