Category: Communication and Interaction needs


Sep
2025

Social Story Generator Created with Gemini

categories: Communication and Interaction needs, SEND

I’m excited to share a new tool I’ve created using Gemini to help parents and professionals working with children with Special Educational Needs (SEN). This “Social Story Generator” is designed to help you quickly create personalised social stories tailored to a child’s specific situation.

Social stories can be a powerful way to help a child understand a new situation, prepare for a transition, or navigate social interactions. This tool makes the process of creating them much faster and easier.

Simply describe the situation, and the generator will provide a well-structured social story you can use. You can then edit and adapt it to fit the child’s individual needs.

Get in touch if you’d like to know how to employ AI tools to support inclusion and learning in your setting.

Click here to try the Social Story Generator


Sep
2024

AAC Forum for Tower Hamlets

categories: Communication and Interaction needs, SEND

Inspired by the inspiring Communication Matters AAC forum (which you should join also), I’ve set up a similar space for professionals interested in AAC, specifically for Tower Hamlets.

It’s a place for all professionals involved in AAC to ask questions (no question is too daft), share, learn, and work together to improve the provision and knowledge of low and high-tech AAC within the borough.

If you wish to join, please send a blank email to lbth-aac-professionals+subscribe@googlegroups.com.

I hope to see you there!


Jun
2024

Online safety for parents and carers of children with special educational needs such as dyslexia, autism and speech and language difficulties (NSPCC)

categories: Communication and Interaction needs

For parents, the summer holidays are a great chance to sit down with your children. Together you can visit their favourite sites and play their favourite games, this is a great way to stay up to date with online lives and show them that you’re interested in what they are doing. The holidays are also a good opportunity to have positive conversations about the internet, so if something ever does upset your child online they would feel more confident in confiding in you.

Online safety for children with SEND | NSPCC

Not sure where to begin? These conversation starter suggestions can help.

  • Ask your children to tell you about the sites they like to visit and what they enjoy doing online.
  • Ask them about how they stay safe online. What tips do they have for you, and where did they learn them? What is OK and not OK to share?
  • Ask them if they know where to go for help, where to find the safety advice, privacy settings and how to report or block on the services they use.
  • Encourage them to help someone! Perhaps they can show you how to do something better online or they might have a friend who would benefit from their help and support.
  • Think about how you each use the internet. What more could you do to use the internet together? Are there activities that you could enjoy as a family?

These downloadable resources aim to support families who face very specific challenges and ensure your online safety advice is more inclusive:

Helping your child with cyberbullying in games PowerPoint Presentation (nspcc.org.uk)

One page profile cso_send_one-page-profile_jan2022.pdf (nspcc.org.uk)

Talking to people online PowerPoint Presentation (nspcc.org.uk)


Jun
2024

Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) New Course 2024

categories: Communication and Interaction needs

“Despite improving attendance numbers across the board, it’s important that we don’t lose sight of the fact that 1 in 5 children with speech and language challenges remain at an increased risk of not attending school. So far this academic year, overall absences are at 7.5%. This is an improvement on last year’s final number of 10.7% and we certainly hope that this trend continues. However, the absence rate remains higher for SEND children, and the improvement in attendance is smaller than for other children and young people.“

Pupil attendance in schools, Week 21 2024 – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk)

Children struggling with talking and understanding words will find it easier to attend school if teachers have the right training to develop children’s speech, language and communication skills and spot those who may need additional support.

The Language Literacy and Communication Team will be running a NEW course next year. It will be aimed at SENCos and class teachers interested in deepening their understanding of how language develops and learning more about how speech, language and communication (SLCN) difficulties impact learning. The course will be run as twilight sessions across the year, with a blend of face to face and online sessions.

Please email Linda Hall if you would like to arrange any staff meetings or INSET on literacy,
communication or language for next term.

Linda.hall@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Key-speech-and-language-tips-for-teachersDownload



May
2024

Teachers and campaigners say more needs to be done to provide rising numbers of children with Speech and Language Therapy.

categories: Communication and Interaction needs

After being diagnosed with apraxia at two years old, Mikey Akers had 13 years of Speech and Language Therapy (SLT), just to be able to communicate with others.

The 23-year-old’s latest petition, calling on the Government for more investment in SALT, reached over 12,000 signatures in just a matter of weeks, prompting a response.

Click the link below for the full story:

https://www.itv.com/news/central/2024-05-16/thousands-of-children-misunderstood-as-speech-and-language-therapy-demand-grows


May
2024

Summer with Signalong

categories: Communication and Interaction needs

The Learning Advisory Service is pleased to announce the next

Signalong Foundation Course.

It will run at the PDC 229 Bethnal Green Road, London E2 6AB

Signalong is a key word signing system. Signs are always used alongside spoken language. It is particularly suitable for children and young people who have delayed language and/or learning difficulties. Our course will support you to sign effectively and naturally, and you will learn over 300 signs.

SESSION 1Wednesday June 5th   9 am. to 12.30 pm  
SESSION 2Wednesday June 19th 9 am to 12.30 pm  
SESSION 3Wednesday June 26th 9 am to 12.30 pm  
SESSION 4  Wednesday July 10th 9 am to 12.30 pm

Cost: £75 per person

Full attendance is required to gain your Foundation certificate.

To book: use SLA online

For more information: contact reshna.khanom@towerhamlets.gov.uk or dil.begum@towerhamlets.gov.uk

signalong-flyer-for-summer-term-2024Download

Jan
2024

Signalong Get ready for Easter

categories: Communication and Interaction needs

Signalong, The Communication Charity, provides resources, training and free advice, and readily works with others in the field to promote communication skills for children and adults with speech, language and communication needs and English as an additional language.

They produce a free education resource every Friday. This week’s theme is ‘Get Ready for Easter!’

Signalong-Hot-Cross-BunsDownload

Signalong – The Communication Charity

Download the song and recipe PDF file here:


Dec
2023

How to make a Coreboard

categories: Communication and Interaction needs

Core boards are tools used in augmented and alternative communication (AAC) with students who have difficulty with verbal speech. They feature a grid of symbols, words and phrases which represent concepts. Evidence (and experience) shows them to be invaluable in supporting communication for our SEN learners.

Eloise Bromwich, from the Tower Hamlets Speech and Language Therapy team, has developed a Core board for use across Tower Hamlets schools. Eloise demonstrates how to turn the resources into a functional low-tech AAC device. High Tech communication aids, such as Proloqu and TD Snap, use the same principle. Putting a low-tech device into practice before implementing higher-tech AAC is usually a good way of introducing the concepts.

Eloise demonstrates how to make the core boards below.

Thanks Eloise!


Nov
2023

Developmental Language Disorder -DLD

categories: Communication and Interaction needs

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