1.1
SPEECH Is the vocalised sounds made by a human of their learned language, to communicate to others.
LANGUAGE can be spoken, written or signed with hand communication skills. Each different language uses their own set of intricate rules which one must follow to make or read the appropriate sound and therefore for the words to make sense. The amount of sounds and letter/symbols will vary depending on the language. English has over 40 different phonemes.
Language will be learned by listening and or watching the appropriate sign for a word. However in the U.K, the written language is learned phonetically. Children learn to read and write firstly by using the appropriate sound for the letter as opposed to the name of the letter e.g. ‘a’ pronounced as in the word ‘ant’ as opposed to the ‘ay’ sound of the letter ‘A’. Gradually the grammatical rules of the language will be taught for them to understand the written word.
COMMUNICATION is how people express what they feel and want and how they can send messages to others. It is the culmination of speech and language and also involves non verbal signals such as body language, gesturing and facial expressions. The use of facial expressions is particularly important to help babies and young children understand the meaning of spoken words. The written word is also used for communication.
SPEECH, LANGUAGE & COMMUNICATION NEEDS – this is a reference to when a child may have difficulties with one or more of the 3 areas above. If they have difficulties in any of the areas, this may limit their ability to express themselves, social skills, convey needs and also their ability to develop amongst other things.
It can range from a very simple speech difficulty e.g. unable to pronounce certain letters which may be remedied with Speech & Language therapy sessions to the more extreme. For example, this could be when a child does not like to make eye contact when