Recognition and support of children with speech, language and communication needs :

Abstract

The thesis considers how early years and primary teachers support children with speech, language and communication needs and how mentors might then support student primary teachers in advancing their understanding of language development. The study discusses how, in the process, teachers might draw on and interact with their own knowledge, the constructed reality of their work place and the wider imperatives that shape their day-to-day practice. These three interconnecting themes of knowledge, policy and practice are examined by drawing on a variety of research methods including interview, questionnaire and desk-based research. The thesis proposes that the role of the teacher as a communicator needs to be placed much more in the foreground and is the central skill to be fostered as part of the very complex and demanding position held. Initial training and ongoing continuous professional learning should promote teachers’ identification and advancement of their own communication skills. Prioritising these skills is crucial so that teachers can first recognise and then support the communication development of pupils with speech, language and communication needs, and the elaboration of these skills in all pupils. The accompanying commentary uses two vehicles to reflect on the body of work presented: a structured analytic approach to analyse the papers presented and autoethnographic interviews to contextualise the author’s research journey as a teacher-educator whose professional background is speech and language therapy and teaching.