Develop Communication Friendly Classrooms offering focused support and prompts/cues from adults to supplement children’s understanding and participation in activities. These cues should be multi-sensory. For example: visual (e.g. signs, objects and symbols), audio (e.g. songs), and smell (e.g. spraying different scents on different days of the week).

Creation of ‘communication friendly space/s’ (Elklan accreditation), including checking the acoustics of the classroom, having designated quiet spaces or talking areas (such as ‘Talking Tables’).

Daily routines are clear and predictable. Visual Timetables/written schedules and prompts for good listening and classroom rules are clearly displayed.

Ensure visuals related to past events are removed from the child’s sight (e.g. take down pictures of activities as they are completed or use a clear marker to indicate where you are in the daily routine). Prepare children in advance for any changes.

Equipment is labelled with photographs or pictures.

Twinkl, Boardmaker and Widgit provide a wide range of pictures and symbols that can be used to signpost around the classroom environment, for displays and to create visual timetables.  Be consistent in symbol use, e.g. avoid using Twinkl picture for one symbol and Boardmaker for another.  

Support children to identify what helps them to regulate, listen and attend most effectively. Ensure this is well communicated to all staff so different ways of attending are understood and praised. This is a useful resource to use with children to develop self-awareness and support a shared understanding across the staff team: https://www.everydayregulation.com/resources

Adults use specific praise when children demonstrate their preferred good listening behaviours.

Provide structured opportunities for children to talk and listen with peer ‘talk partners’.

Break down the amount of information provided at one time into smaller chunks (e.g. break up multi-step instructions and deliver 1 or 2 at a time and/or support visually).

Encourage the children to recognise when they have not understood something and discuss self-help strategies to solve this (e.g. asking a peer, asking an adult, three Bs before me, etc).

Teach children self-support strategies to help them to follow instructions (e.g. chunking, visualisation, silent repetition, use of a written checklist). 

Try to avoid use of non-literal language (e.g. idioms and sarcasm) and explain any abstract concepts in as concrete a way as possible (e.g. with pictures or objects).

Introduce and display new vocabulary as it is introduced as part of topic work/theme for the term.

Explicitly teach Tier 2 vocabulary (high frequency/multiple meaning words which can be used across subjects) in context and add to working walls. Regularly refer and revisit these word meanings to ensure children develop a deep understanding.

Word Aware 1  is a structured whole school approach to promote the vocabulary development of all children.