Universally Speaking supports better outcomes for children and young people with communication needs

Over 70,000 free copies of Universally Speaking are to reach practitioners as part of Hello, the national year of communication.

Universally Speaking: the ages and stages of children’s communication development are three free resources that provide guidance on what stage children and young people should be at with their speaking and listening. They have been produced as part of the Hello campaign - the national year of communication.

Written by The Communication Trust, a 40-strong coalition of voluntary organisations with expertise in speech, language and communication, and sponsored by Pearson Assessment, these resources are aimed at practitioners working with children in early years (0-5), primary school (5-11) and secondary school (11-18) settings.

Each resource has been tailored to the stages of that age group and has been clearly laid out, enabling professionals to find out: whether the children they work with are on the right track, what helps them learn to talk and listen, and what to do if they have concerns about any of their communication abilities.

“The popularity of Universally Speaking speaks volumes to its excellence, as these free resources are proving to be invaluable for practitioners working with children of all ages”, says Chris Hall, MD of Pearson Assessment. Whether you are working with children who are one month old or a young person of 18 years, having these resources at your fingertips and being able to ask, ‘Should this child or young person be communicating with me more?’, or ‘Why is my student unable to interact with others?’ can make a huge difference to the level of support that can then be offered to them.
“These booklets not only give practitioners the signs to look out for, but top tips and suggestions for what to do next, so that every child has that opportunity to communicate; and that is what Universally Speaking is ultimately about.”

Wendy Lee, Professional Director for The Communication Trust and author of the Universally Speaking booklets, says “Children and young people deserve the very best start in life. Good communication skills are vital for future success and happiness and in the UK today, one million children and young people are struggling with some form of speech, language and communication need. This can affect them early, severely and for life.
“A major focus of the work of The Communication Trust and Hello is supporting the children’s workforce to know what ‘typical’ communication development looks like, how to spot if a child is struggling and where to go for help and support. Through Universally Speaking, we have explicitly outlined children and young people’s communication milestones and it is thanks to Pearson Assessment that we have been able to make these much-needed booklets available.”

The Universally Speaking booklets are an important resource for extending the Hello campaign message throughout the year and beyond. They are being handed out free to practitioners at events and have been recently promoted through No Pens Day – a Hello schools initiative taken up by 700 primary and secondary schools around the country.

Hello, the 2011 national year of communication, is a campaign to increase understanding of how important it is for children and young people to develop good communication skills.

Copies of all three Universally Speaking booklets can be ordered or downloaded for free from the Hello website www.hello.org.uk