3. Pupil case study - speech difficulty

Name: Aiden      Age: 6 years   Setting; Mainstream Primary School Y1

Strengths: 
• enjoys being with friends and is popular 
• enjoys physical activity and has good gross and fine motor skills 
• enjoys building with Lego 
• has lots to say 
• mother can interpret his vocal expressions - due to his good intonation and familiarity 
• age appropriate receptive vocabulary

Areas of need: 
• completely unintelligible to an unfamiliar listener 
• may be unaware of his degree of difficulty 
• limited phonic awareness

Impact on learning: 
• unable to express himself appropriately to his peers and class teachers 
• reduced access to basic literacy skills 
• limited ability to prove his understanding of the curriculum 
• all areas of the curriculum affected

Indirect interventions:
• don't pretend to understand but encourage him to express himself using gesture 
• help your understanding by having a context/home school diary 
• value his strengths to maintain his self esteem

Direct intervention:
• check that his hearing is within normal limits 
• refer to Speech and Language Therapy 
• work on listening skills - i.e. letters and Sound - to increase auditory awareness and discrimination