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Yesterday’s reports from @OfstedNews provide more evidence of the impact of COVID-19 on children and young people – including those in the #earlyyears and those with #SEND.
Here’s a thread on what the reports had to say in relation to speech and language therapy & #SLCN https://twitter.com/Ofstednews/status/1326541517503172609
Here’s a thread on what the reports had to say in relation to speech and language therapy & #SLCN https://twitter.com/Ofstednews/status/1326541517503172609
In the early years, almost all providers said that the pandemic had significantly impacted the learning & development of children who had returned to the setting since the first lockdown. Many children needed more support to make friends and mix with others outside of their home.
Some early years providers said they needed to focus on language and communication because they had identified that children were now less likely to start a conversation or comment on things during play.
Early years providers reported increasing delays in accessing support for speech and language therapy. These were often for existing diagnoses but also for new referrals.
In schools, some leaders said that children had fallen behind in language and communication skills and others said pupils’ oral fluency had regressed.
Leaders in special schools said that where occupational therapists, speech and language therapists or physiotherapists were not coming into school, this was very concerning because of the impact it has on the pupils.
Families spoke about the benefits of bringing multi-agency practitioners together online. They also valued online resources when they were able to follow education or therapy programmes and support their children’s learning and development.
Some children were not able to access health and therapeutic services. In a small number of cases, families said that their children’s health had deteriorated as a consequence, or that their children had lost learning and communication skills.
The reports from @OfstedNews provide more evidence in support of our letter to @VickyFord - vulnerable children & young people can't afford to lose access to therapy services for another 6 months. Children’s therapists should be protected from redeployment https://bit.ly/3nhdkPM
