Learning intention - To understand the development of speech in relation to language development and know when it is important to seek additional help.
Key learnings /revision from the module:
Speech sounds are officially referred to as phonemes.
In the English language, there are 26 letters. There are 44 phonemes – 24 consonant sounds and 20 vowel sounds -Speech sounds for other spoken languages will be different.
If a child does not get exposed to the sounds of a particular language early on and consistently, they will find producing that sound very difficult.
Children start to produce speech sounds themselves at different ages, also dependent on the sounds of their own language. However, typically developing children usually follow a similar sequence when developing consonant sounds (Shriberg, 1993; Berk, 2013):
The mahi: current request for support. New entrant with behaviour concerns in liaison school.
Restricted and delayed speech. ESOL. Born in N.Z. Does not qualify for a BAS.
Module reflection:
Having spent time in the classroom with the student and the Teaching Assistant to model descriptive commenting strategies, I was keen to go over this again in the presentation. It's such a valuable tool for enhancing oral language and avoiding overload for the child. I've used Talk to Learn previously and successfully for a student with a similar need for support.
The only criticism I have of the programme is that it isn't particularly culturally responsive in terms of the visual materials. The visual content could do with being updated.
Next steps: To model a Talk to Learn lesson in Term 3. Liaise with the SLT team (MOE) to get further advice until student E is picked up for support. Discussion with P.L end of term 2 about BAS assessment alternatives: If the school can identify a suitable Tongan speaking person to support, RTLB may be able to offer an 'in house' assessment.
The MOE describes a BAS assessment as being:
A bilingual assessment evaluates a student’s functioning and achievement in their first language and collects information which might be affecting the child’s performances at school.
A bilingual assessment can distinguish between language learning needs, additional special learning needs and social/emotional needs, through dual assessment in the student's first language and English.
References;
Media:
Speech in a Sec. (2018, July 31). Early, Middle and Late sounds—Speech sound development. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKMDbhQIPUE