What do children and young people think about speech ... - Afasic

Children and YoungPeople’s ViewsWhat do children and young peoplethink about speech, language andcommunication skills?

What do childrenand young peoplethink about speech,language andcommunicationskills?The Communication Trust supportsthe children’s workforce in developingskills relating to speech, language andcommunication development in children.The Trust wants everyone workingwith children and young people to beable to encourage good language andcommunication skills and to spot anyonewho is struggling.So... we want to find out what youngpeople think.We asked young people…• Are communication skills important?• Do communication skills need to be taught– or do they just happen anyway?• Do teachers have a role in teaching theseskills?• What can teachers do to support yourcommunication skills?• What are your top communication tips forteachers?Who did we talk to?• We talked to young people in groupsand by themselves, some were pupils inmainstream schools, others in a specialschool, others were in social groups.• About 70 young people told us what theythought.• They were aged between 11 and 23.• Eight of these young people hadcommunication difficulties.• All were still in education; mainly school orcollege and a couple at university.

What did we do?• We explained to the young people why wewanted to talk to them.• We took notes and tape recorded some ofthe sessions.• We checked with the young people that weunderstood what they were telling us.• We told them we would write a report, buttheir names, or other people’s names theymentioned wouldn’t be included.• They were encouraged to discuss thequestions and ask about anything they wereunsure of.What did we do with all theinformation?• We looked at all the information and pickedout ideas that were similar in the differentgroups and interviews.• We then went back through the informationand found things young people had saidwhich supported those ideas.• We then put that information in this report,so you will see:- the questions we asked- the ideas young people talked about- examples of what the young people said“Good communication is oneof the most important skillsanyone could have..”“When you have a teacherwho makes you feelvalued, who always listensand encourages you, it’sincredible.”Children and Young People’s Consultation 2009 3

What did the youngpeople tell us?To make sure we were all talking aboutthe same thing, we started off with aquestion about communication skills...We asked… What do we meanby communication skills?They talked about speaking, listening,understanding and taking turns. A couple ofyoung people said you have to know howto talk to different people in different ways,especially in secondary school and that thereare different rules, phrases and words used insecondary.“You have to be able to expressyourself well. But you have tobalance this with the ability tolisten and try and understand theideas of other people..”“You need to know when andhow to listen – loads of peoplejust don’t.”“Children should always beencouraged to talk, to write, toforge bonds with other people:that is how we grow.”4 Children and Young People’s Consultation 2009

We asked… What do you thinkabout communication skills? Doyou think they are important?All the young people we spoke to said that it isreally important to have good communicationskills. They said they often take these skills forgranted and felt most of the people aroundthem did the same. Many of the young peopledescribed situations when communication hadbroken down, with friends, family or teachers.They went on to say why they thought theywere important.They said communication skills wereimportant for living:“Good communication is one of the mostimportant skills anyone could have..”“Oh my God, it just affects everything.”For growing:“Children should always be encouraged totalk, to write, to forge bonds with otherpeople: that is how we grow.”For doing well in life:“We need communication skills to get jobs,interviews, for later life.”For emotional / social reasons:“If you have good communication skills,socially it gives you more confidence.”“With the best teachers, thelesson revolves around thediscussion.”For getting things done or gettingwhat you need:“You need to be able to communicate toget what you want... in a good way.”“We need communication skills to controlthings and get things done.”“You need to be able to say your ideas ornothing will get changed.”There was also a lot of discussion about howpeople make judgements based on how youtalk; they felt adults judge young peoplebecause of words or phrases they use, andyoung people judge each other for the samekinds of reasons. Some of the young peoplesaid that could be difficult:“First impressions... you’re judged on howyou talk and how you interact.”“In high school everything is different,conversations are deeper, less trivial, moremature; attitudes are different, there’s justa different way of talking and looking atthings... You have to swear more and getto know new words and phrases.”They talked about how frustratingit is when you can’t make othersunderstand what you have to say:“It’s frustrating if you can’t interact andget your message across in the way youwant to.““If you can’t express your views then youdon’t get listened to.”“If you have difficulties you might bejudged as being not very intelligent.”“You need to be able to sayyour ideas or nothing will getchanged.”Children and Young People’s Consultation 2009 5

We asked… What can adults doto support communication?We asked young people to think mainly oftheir experiences and examples in schools. Theytalked a lot about how adults should speakto students – for all young people we spoketo, that meant not too much teacher talk,explaining information clearly and giving pupilstime to respond. All of this was really importantto young people with speech, language andcommunication needs (SLCN) too.“Give pupils a chance to answer orcomment. Wait – maybe even 5 minutes,don’t interrupt until we’re ready, nod andgive eye contact”They talked a lot about adults listening tostudents and having lessons which were fun,engaging and allowed students to practise theircommunication skills. They said they all learntmore in lessons where they can do practicalactivities.“Teach us how to debate and havediscussions in every lesson – let us practisethe skills, you get better if you practise”They thought teachers need to know who theirstudents are and understand what helps them.For pupils with SLCN, this meant:“Teachers need to understand pupils andwhat helps them”For other students it was simpler:“Spend time getting to know pupils –remember their names”We really wanted to find out from youngpeople what made a difference to them, tothink a bit more about what teachers can do tosupport communication in young people, so…We asked... Think of a teacheryou know who is really good atcommunicating with students,someone who is good atencouraging you to use yourown communication skills. Whatdo they do that works?They thought it was important for teachers tomake sure everyone is involved in the lesson,give clear information, encourage groupdiscussion and not talk too much.“With the best teachers, the lessonrevolves around the discussion. Theydon’t speak for hours and hours.”“They know how to explain so all the classunderstand – they ask and check it out –they show things in different ways.”“Teachers need to understandpupils and what helps them.”6 Children and Young People’s Consultation 2009

Personalised learning/attitudesSome of the children and young people said itwas important to feel the teacher knew themas individuals, not just as a class or year group.They came up with lots of examples of teachersmaking them feel valued and listened to, whichwas important. A good teacher...“Recognises who is shy and encouragesthem to join in... asks different people indifferent ways... understands the pupil –as a person... tries different tactics to suitdifferent individuals... allows interactionin the classroom... is open to questions...includes everyone in the class.”All the young people we spoke to said howimportant it was for teachers to be able to talkabout their subject:“They are enthusiastic about what theyare teaching – it’s in their voice – it reallymakes you want to learn.”They also said how important it was forteachers to be in charge of the class:“Other students can be a problem -teachers need to deal with it, some justlet it go, then you don’t feel like sayinganything next time.”All the students had examples of what differentteachers had done to support and encouragecommunication in the classroom – as they weretalking, some young people commented thatall the things important for communication alsohelped them learn and be part of the lesson.“They asked a question, then talked aboutit, reworded the question and it turnedit into a discussion, it really helped ourlearning.”“They do different things – they tookus outside…had us spinning round andround…threw a ball out of the window toteach gravity... made songs up in maths...we went onto the moor when studyingWuthering Heights…”“They clarify things and give you time.One of our teachers in every lesson theyask everyone a question.”“They know how to explain soall the class understand – theyask and check it out – they showthings in different ways.”Children and Young People’s Consultation 2009 7

We asked... Do you think youngpeople need to be taughtcommunication skills, or dothese skills just develop anyway?Most young people felt they did need to betaught these skills. One of the groups feltthey just needed opportunities to practise theskills they had, rather than being taught themdirectly.“I think it’s really important that youngpeople are not only taught to speak inpublic well but also to think on their feetand hold good conversations with all kindsof people.”“I think it would be really useful ‘cos youwould use it in every day life. You use it allthe time; it’s not like a waste of time.”“I think we just need more chance topractise…”For the young people who felt the skills shouldbe taught more directly, we wanted to seewhether they felt school was a good place forthis to happen, so we asked two questions:We asked… Who should teachthese skills?The importance of family was clear:“I think the most important people in aperson’s development are their parentsand close family. When a child has asupportive family who they can talk to,they already have a huge head start.”Though the young people realised that noteveryone had these opportunities:“...but the sad truth is that some childrenjust don’t.”“When you have a teacher whomakes you feel valued, whoalways listens and encouragesyou, it’s incredible.”8 Children and Young People’s Consultation 2009

We asked… Shouldcommunication skills be taughtby teachers?Some thought it was a better thing to learnthan other subjects…“Probably better off learning about thatthan a lot of things you learn at school,‘cos you’re guaranteed to use it, youknow.”Others commented on how important teachersare and the value of listening to students:“When you have a teacher who makesyou feel valued, who always listens andencourages you, it’s incredible.”“It’s worth spending the time;it’s preparing people for life.”Lots of young people talked about thepressures already on teachers:“Teachers are just too busy withpaperwork and teaching the curriculum tothink about teaching communication skillsas well.”“It should be part of everything we do,but it will mean a big change in thinking.Teachers are really focused on their subjectand teaching.”And some made suggestions for bigger changes:“It should be incorporated into the system,how the curriculum is written.”Although there was lots of talk about thedifficulties of making such changes, most youngpeople felt it was important to try and do it:“It’s worth spending the time; it’spreparing people for life.”“If not at school, then where would peoplelearn these skills?”Children and Young People’s Consultation 2009 9

Finally, we wanted to know what the mostimportant things were for young people:We asked… If you had a chanceto tell teachers honestly what todo to encourage communicationskills in class, what would beyour top tips?1. Communicate with pupils:a. Appreciate everyone has an opinion, evenif they are wrongb. Speak to pupils as individuals/peoplec. Ensure the way they (teachers) speak isn’ttoo complicated or patronising, speak atthe right level for pupilsd. Think about the language they are usinge. Listen to pupils2. Know and understand pupils:a. Relax and just treat them like normalpeopleb. Encourage the quiet ones to speak, butdon’t pressc. Know names and personalities3. Make an effort to include everyone inclass:a. Treat everyone equally, don’t have ateacher’s pet, it’s really obvious and reallyirritatingb. Be fair4. Not a lot of teacher talk5. Make lessons fun and amusing:a. Do things in lots of different waysb. Be enthusiastic about your subject6. Encourage questions:a. No working in silence, people will bescared to ask questionsb. Tell pupils – ‘put your hand up if you don’tunderstand’7. Be good at explaining8. Encourage pupils to speak with eachothera. Have discussions and debates in class9. Make sure you are in charge of the class:a. Deal with students who are misbehaving10. The most important thing is not tojudge anyone10 Children and Young People’s Consultation 2009

We asked… Is there anythingthat teachers definitely shouldnot do or anything that justdoesn’t help?1. No shouting – shouting shouldn’t beused in teaching, it’s not effective2. Don’t waste time on misbehaving kids3. Don’t ramble, or go off topic – getthe balance right between givinginformation, but not too much4. Don’t put people on the spot and beforgiving5. Don’t assume, check out with the classwhat they understand6. Don’t joke around then the next minutebe really serious – you are sendingmixed messages7. Don’t be really crazy, it’s really irritating8. Don’t be insensitive9. Loads of writing doesn’t work10. No silenceConclusion andkey points1. Some young people hadn’t reallythought much about communicationskills before we talked about it,though clearly showed how importantthey felt these skills are.2. They gave many different reasons whycommunication should be supported.3. Many felt these skills could betaught in school, but recognised thechallenges.4.Young people were able to identifywhat worked for them to encourageand support communication skills.5. They were able to say what didn’twork.6. There was a huge overlap betweenwhat was considered to be a goodteacher and a teacher good atsupporting communication skills.“They clarify things and giveyou time. One of our teachers inevery lesson they ask everyone aquestion.”Children and Young People’s Consultation 2009 11

How will TheCommunicationTrust use thisinformation?• We will include what youngpeople have told us to inform thework of the Trust, for example,sharing top tips with work we doin schools.• We will draw out the themes into achecklist to support planning of thework we do. A big thank you goes to all the youngpeople who shared their views andexperiences – they were all a pleasureto talk and listen to and had someincredibly interesting and insightfulcomments to make.Wendy Lee conducted this consultation.She is a registered speech and languagetherapist with an MSc in advanced speechand language therapy practice and advancedprofessional diploma in teaching and learningin higher education. Wendy has workedpredominantly for the NHS for over 20 years,working with children with a wide variety ofspeech, language and communication needs(SLCN) across the age range, as an advancedpractitioner and team leader.Wendy also worked as a lecturer withundergraduate speech and languagetherapists and continues to be involved intraining in SLCN for teachers and speech andlanguage therapists. She has worked sinceNovember 2007 as one of the professionaladvisers to The Communication Trust and hasbeen involved in a number of Trust projects.12 Children and Young People’s Consultation 2009

SupportingInformationThe following section gives moredetailed information on the consultation,expanding on information alreadypresented and giving details of how theconsultation took place.BackgroundThe Communication Trust 1 believes in thefundamental importance of speech, languageand communication skills for all children andyoung people and the challenges faced bythose who find communication difficult.The Trust is working to raise awareness of thisissue in the children’s workforce. The Trustbelieves a skilled and supported children’sworkforce, confident in their knowledge ofchildren’s speech, language and communication,is crucial to ensuring all children developthese essential skills. The Trust aims to supportthe children’s workforce in developing theirknowledge and skills in this area.Why consult with children and youngpeople?Children’s right to have their voice heardis one of the guiding principles of the UNconvention of the rights of the child 2 , aprincipal reinforced throughout UK legislation,in respect of all children 3 4 5 with additionallegislation related to special educationalneeds 6 7 . Children have firsthand experienceof their own lives and as such can makecontributions in a way that no one else can.Children have been ‘keen, constructive andthoughtful commentators on their everydaylives’. Including them as active participantshas been evidenced as not only possible, butproductive 8 .It is important that the process of consultationis meaningful and not just a token exercise.This can be a particular challenge forchildren with significant communicationdifficulties 9 as there are inherent difficulties inenabling children with speech, language andcommunication needs (SLCN) to contribute inthe same way as their peers. Communicationdifficulties are frequently given as the reasonwhy disabled children are not consulted 10and in some cases the views of childrenwith communication difficulties are oftenignored 11 .The Trust wants to ensure the voice of youngpeople is represented in its work; we are keento find out the views of children and youngpeople themselves in relation to speech,language and communication and to includeyoung people both with and without SLCN.MethodsThe aim is to capture the opinions of as widea group of young people as possible and toensure we do this within a good practiceframework of consultation 12 .Young peopleYoung people were recruited on the wholefrom the Trust membership organisations. Theywere given information about the aims of the1 www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk2 United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989):www.unicef.org/crc/crc.htm3 Every Child Matters: Change for Children (DfES 2004), 4 ChildrenAct (1989), 5 Human Rights Act (1995),6 Dfes Code of Practice (2002)7 Disability Discrimination Act (2005)8 Prout, A. (2002); Researching children as social actors: an introductionto the children 5–16 programme. Children and Society 16, 67–76.9 Owen, Hayett and Roulstone (2004); Children’s views of speechand language therapy in school: consulting with communicationdifficulties. CLTT10 Dickens, M., (2004); Listening to young disabled children. NationalChildren’s Bureau11 Ward, L., (1997); Seen and Heard: Involving disabled childrenand young people in research and development projects. JosephRowntree Foundation12 Clark, A., Quail, S., Moss, P., (2003); Exploring the field of Listeningto and consulting with Young Children Thomas Coram ResearchUnit, DfESChildren and Young People’s Consultation 2009 13

consultation, issues around consent, anonymityand reporting and were asked whether theywould be prepared to be consulted based onwhat it would entail. Some were individualsand others were members of a specific group.Five groups responded and agreed to takepart. One group of around 28 students wasconsulted through their class teacher viawritten information sent from the Trust. Thishad been developed through consultationswith young people which had been carriedout up to that point. In addition, a number ofindividuals agreed to either a telephone or faceto face interview.A total of 71 pupils were consulted, 43 of themdirectly through focus groups or interviews. Fourfocus groups were consulted directly, with a totalof 38 young people involved, 8 of whom hadsevere and complex SLCN. One class of childrenwere consulted through written questions and 5through individual interviews.The young people were aged between 11 and23, the majority of which were still at schoolwith a spread across key stages 3 and 4 and anumber of young people in further and highereducation.Measures/procedure – Data collectionThe process was carried out within a robustframework to ensure the opinions wereobjectively gathered and representative ofthe young people we spoke to. There werestrategies in place to ensure there was constantchecking with young people to ensure wehad clearly represented their views. Informedconsent was gained before the interviews,by the young people themselves and/or anappropriate adult. Before each session, theywere given information again about theTrust, aims of the consultation, issues aroundconfidentiality and consent as well as methodsof reporting. They were informed they did notneed to continue and could choose not toanswer any questions at any point.The main data collection techniques werethrough individual interviews and focus groups,talking in detail to relatively small numbers ofchildren and young people. A questionnairewas designed as part of the process, thoughthe young people involved expressed apreference for giving their opinions directlythrough the focus groups and therefore thequestionnaires were not extensively used. Asemi structured approach to the interviews andfocus groups was taken in order to introducean area of discussion and enable the youngpeople to comment and discuss in whateverway they chose. They were also encouragedto think of specific scenarios, situations and orpeople in order to help think about the issues.Within the consultations, a range ofmethodologies and approaches were availableto ensure all young people were able tocontribute 13 . The interviewer was a qualifiedspeech and language therapist with expertisein interviewing children and young people witha wide range of communication needs, as wellas typically developing children and youngpeople. The process of data collection has beenan iterative process where initial consultationsinformed subsequent ones. Where possible,sessions were tape recorded and extensive fieldnotes were taken in each session.Data analysisData from the consultations has beentranscribed and analysed to identify recurringthemes, issues and ideas. These have13 Clark, A., Quail, S., Moss, P., (2003); Exploring the field ofListening to and consulting with Young Children. ThomasCoram Research Unit, DfES14 Children and Young People’s Consultation 2009

een supported by direct quotes from theyoung people involved. As we agreed bothconfidentiality and anonymity at the beginningof each session, names of young people are notused against the quotes given.ResultsInitially within each session, there was somediscussion around what we all mean bycommunication skills; the aim was to findcommon language and definitions around thesubject. On the whole the information wasdirected by the young people involved withsupport and facilitation by the interviewer.Discussion/future workFurther consultations would aim to involve awider range of children and young people,to include more young people with SLCNand a wider age range. Ideally, all sessionswould have been taped or videoed and futureconsultations would aim to do this. We diddevelop a questionnaire, though it was notextensively used. There is the potential todevelop a more interactive and accessiblequestionnaire in order to gain the views of awider number of young people.Resources to help your workWe have the resources to help the children’sworkforce deliver the outcomes the childrenhave outlined in this report and throughour members can signpost to other relevantmaterials and publications. We have developeda framework, the Speech, Language andCommunication Framework (SLCF), whichidentifies the skills and knowledge necessaryto support children’s communication effectivelyand signposts to relevant training.This can be completed online atwww.communicationhelppoint.org.ukWe have a number of useful publicationsavailable to order for free including ExplainingSpeech, Language and Communication Needs(SLCN), which explains in simple terms whatSLCN are and how to support the childrenand young people who have difficulties withcommunicating.Next stepsThe purpose of The Communication Trustis to raise awareness of the importanceof speech, language and communicationacross the children’s workforce and to enablepractitioners to access the best training andexpertise to support the communication needsof all children. The young people we spoketo felt communication skills were key to theirdevelopment and life chances. They highlightedthe strategies that some teachers already use tosupport communication in the classroom, thoughfelt this needed to be more universal. They felt aneed to be taught these skills in school, thoughwere aware of the pressures on teachers andsuggested a more systemic change alongside arecognised need for teachers to develop someof the knowledge and skills needed to developcommunication skills in the young people in theircare. We have drawn out the key themes ofyoung people’s views and will use this as a guideto ensure their views are taken into account inthe future work of the Trust.ConclusionsThe young people involved were incrediblyinsightful and interested in talking aboutcommunication skills. Their comments andsuggestions will help shape the work of theTrust in both current and future initiatives.Please visit the websitewww.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk formore details.Children and Young People’s Consultation 2009 15

www.thecommunicationtrust.org.ukThe Communication Trust was founded by Afasic, BT Better World Campaign, Councilfor Disabled Children and I CAN, who now form the programme board togetherwith Scope and The Children’s Society. The Trust is a coalition of over 30 voluntaryand community sector organisations working in the field of speech, language andcommunication. The Trust is funded by the Department for Children, Schools andFamilies and other funders.Design and photography www.deborahripley.com