Innovative new product to help children at risk of language and communication difficulties

The Speech and Language Therapy team hosted by Sandwell Community Healthcare Services, which is part of Sandwell Primary Care Trust (PCT), has over the past four years developed a screening and intervention package for early years practitioners to use with children aged from six months to six years.

Following rigorous trials involving more than 7,000 children, ‘WellComm: A Speech and Language Toolkit for the Early Years’ has evolved into a complete programme designed to aid children’s language development.

Sandwell PCT, with the aid of MidTECH, the West Midlands NHS Innovation Hub, has signed a licence agreement with GL Assessment to manufacture the toolkit.

WellComm provides a system for screening youngsters to test and identify if they have a difficulty with language and communication development. A score is given to each child, which helps practitioners decide what to do next.

Diana McQueen, children’s therapy service manager and professional advisor for speech and language therapy, said: “The screening tool allows screening via direct work with children through the use of objects and pictures and also via parental reporting and observation. Children are screened within their early years setting. Depending on their score, they are then assigned to a banding – red, amber or green – so that appropriate decisions can be made as to the next course of action.

“Where necessary, children are referred on to specialist services, including speech and language therapy. In addition, targets can be identified for every child screened, so that all children can be supported to reach their potential by using the extensive range of activities in the accompanying intervention resource, the ‘Big Book of Ideas’.

“In Sandwell, the detailed information the toolkit provides has streamlined the referral process and improved access times for Speech and Language Therapy Services.

“By ensuring that children receive intervention at the earliest possible point from a range of early years practitioners who are able to use the activities and advice in the toolkit, referrals on to specialist services such as speech and language therapy are as targeted, timely and appropriate as possible.”

The toolkit also includes a training DVD, plus an online report wizard that helps measure and record progress across a large number of settings, enabling Local Authorities to make strategic decisions according to the needs in their area.

GL Assessment, which is part of the Granada Learning Group, has published the toolkit. The company is a leading independent supplier of both paper-based and digital assessments for use in education and children’s health and wellbeing.

Tracey Riseborough, publisher for health and psychology at GL Assessment, said: “We are very pleased to be working with Sandwell PCT to take this project forward.

“One of the excellent features of the WellComm toolkit is that it can be used by any practitioner working in an early years setting, including childminders, nursery workers and teachers.”

The WellComm toolkit includes:

• The Handbook + Score Sheets (all about how WellComm was developed, including a wealth of information about how it sits with current educational thinking and practices within the context of normal child development)
• The Little Book of Rules (how to administer the screening tool)
• The Picture Book (as part of the screening tool)
• The Big Book of Ideas (targeted activities and lots of general strategies)
• A Resources CD / Training DVD
• The Report Wizard.

WellComm will be available from March 2010 to all health trusts and local authorities, retailing at £250 per toolkit.

David Gleaves, chief executive of MidTECH, said: “We are very pleased to have been able to assist Sandwell PCT in licensing such an innovative product that will benefit a high number of children.”