Many children can present with fluency difficulties as they develop language and communication. It’s important to know about the differences between typical and atypical fluency at these early stages in order to support children to be confident communicators.
Although we won’t discuss the following matters in detail in this short course, it’s important to consider some additional factors in speech, language and communication development. These factors include
- Normal non-fluency, and
- Multilingual language learners
Many children go through a period of what is known as normal non-fluency which is often part of developing more complex language skills. In addition, many families may use languages other than English. It’s important for you to have some information about these topics at this early stage to increase your awareness. This will support you in identifying aspects of typical language development in young children.
Apply Your Thinking:
Access the resources on the links below to find out more about these two aspects of speech, language and communication development. Use the template below to make notes and submit the required comments to the padlet.
Normal non-fluency and early stammering:
Watch this video Why do some children stammer? – YouTube and read this leaflet stamma 3 folds 2020 rev 1 . Make a note of the differences between the two conditions, as well as any key features. When you’ve finished reading and making notes, go to the Padlet area and write either one of the differences between them or one of the key features.
Multilingual language learning:
Watch this video to find out more about supporting children for whom English is an additional language: Working with children with EAL – YouTube. when you’ve watched the video, go to the Padlet area and write down one way that you could support a child whose first language isn’t English.