Communication and Mental Health

Speech, Language and Communication needs (SLCN)

Being able to communicate is vital for learning, developing social skills and employment.

Speech, Language and Communication Needs or SLCN is the umbrella term for any type of communication need. The different areas of speech , language and communication are described in Model 1(see right). A young person can have specific difficulties using clear and intelligible speech. Others may have specific difficulties understanding and processing the words and sentences they hear (language). Other young people may have more problems using language and non verbal skills to interact and communicate for social reasons. There is also considerable overlap. For example, someone with unclear speech may also find it difficult to interact with other people because of an awareness of their difficulties. Someone else may struggle to understand words and sentences and as a result may respond inappropriately in a conversation affecting their social skills. Someone else might have difficulties finding the words they want to say and also present with a stammer (be less fluent).

Many of us take our communication skills for granted. However, approximately 10% of children and young people will have a speech, language, or communication need (SLCN). Approximately 7.6% have developmental language disorder (DLD) and the remaining can have difficulties associated with another condition such as autism or a hearing impairment.

That’s about 3 children in every classroom.  The young people most affected often need support from a speech and language therapist or someone with more specialist training.

This 10% also includes those children where English is a second language, but when they have struggled to acquire skills even in their home language.

Children who have English as a second language can have developmental language disorder. DLD affects all languages the child speaks.

Left unidentified, SLCN can have a range of negative consequences. They may affect:

  • Social, emotional, mental health, attainment, relationships, and employment

  • Behaviour: Many children with unmet or unidentified SLCN communicate through behaviour which can lead to exclusion from school, offending behaviour and involvement in the criminal justice system.

Children and young people with an SLCN are five times more likely to have a mental health need.

With the right support around them, young people with speech, language and communication needs can learn, build relationships and access employment.

Here is a link about the link between language disorder and mental health.

How might children and young people present who have a Speech, Language and /or Communication need?

  • Difficulties following instructions

  • Struggle to understand more abstract concepts such as emotions and mental state words

  • Their speech may be difficult to understand

  • Find it harder to remember what was said

  • They may need verbal information repeated

  • May struggle to find the words they want to say

  • Their word order may be jumbled up

  • Delayed vocabulary

  • Use shorter, less complex sentences expected for their age

  • They may need extra support to tell someone what happened in a situation

  • They may miss out key information

  • They may struggle to understand non-literal language, jokes, and sarcasm

  • Persistent difficulties starting, maintaining and finishing a conversation

Difficulties may affect their literacy and impact on other subject areas 

Here is a video of Lily Farrington narrating an animation of what it is like to have a Developmental Language Disorder

They may also:

  • Avoid situations that put the pressure on talking

  • Follow others in class or not finish their work

  • May give inappropriate responses to questions as they have not understood

  • Misinterpret what happened in a social situation

  • Distract others by using behaviour to avoid doing work

  • Overly chatty to distract

  • Look visibly frustrated when they cannot get their message across

  • Only speak in specific social situations with specific groups of people

How can you help?

  • Give them extra time to respond

  • Build in pauses to instructions

  • Provide opportunities to talk in less pressurised situations and reduce your use of questions

  • Use signs and symbols or the written word to help them remember and process what was said

  • Correct them nicely: say what they said, but add the missing elements or clearer speech

  • Let them finish talking and do not interrupt

  • Seek advice from a speech and language therapist

Useful Websites

Local SLT Department: Children's Speech & Language Therapy :: Chesterfield Royal Hospital

RADLD | Raising Awareness of Developmental Language Disorder

Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

Home - Afasic

DLD and me is a website with a share space for teens with DLD

Here is further information on the structure of language and here are strategies to support DLD across the lifespan.