Your child comes home after the first week of school and says they did not know what they were supposed to do. Their teacher has noticed that they watch other pupils before starting work, miss parts of instructions or become quiet during group activities.
It can be easy to interpret these moments as inattention, reluctance or lack of confidence. Sometimes, however, the language and communication demands of the school day may be contributing.
Returning to school brings new teachers, routines, vocabulary, classmates and expectations. For a child with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), managing all this spoken and social information can take considerable effort.
Understanding what may be happening is an important first step towards making school more accessible.
What are speech, language and communication needs?
Speech, language and communication needs can affect one or more aspects of how a child understands, expresses or exchanges information.
A child may need support with:
- Understanding spoken language, including questions and instructions
- Finding words or organising sentences and stories
- Learning and remembering vocabulary
- Producing speech sounds clearly
- Speaking fluently, including stammering
- Using and understanding communication in social situations
- Communicating through speech, gesture, signing, writing or augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
Every child’s profile is different. Some children have an identified condition or diagnosis, while others have communication needs without a formal diagnosis. A child may also have clear strengths alongside areas where communication is more demanding.
The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) describes the role of school-based speech and language therapy as helping children reach their communicative and educational potential while reducing barriers to learning.
What can SLCN look like at school?
Communication difficulties are not always immediately visible. Some children develop ways to manage uncertainty, such as copying classmates, staying quiet or waiting for an adult to demonstrate the task.
At school, a child with SLCN might:
- Begin a task only after watching other pupils
- Complete the first part of an instruction but miss later steps
- Answer “yes” when asked whether they understand, then appear unsure
- Find it difficult to explain an idea despite knowing the answer
- Use general words such as “thing” or “that one” when they cannot retrieve a specific word
- Struggle with unfamiliar curriculum vocabulary
- Give brief or disorganised accounts of something that happened
- Find group discussion difficult to follow
- Misunderstand jokes, implied meanings or playground rules
- Become overwhelmed when several people are speaking
- Avoid answering questions in front of the class
- Experience communication breakdowns that lead to frustration, withdrawal or distress
These outward facing behaviours do not prove that a child has SLCN. Hearing, attention, emotional wellbeing, learning demands, sensory factors, fatigue and familiarity with the language of instruction can also affect participation. It is important to look at the whole child and avoid attributing every difficulty to one explanation.
Why does my child struggle with classroom instructions?
A classroom instruction can contain much more language than it first appears.
“Before you start your worksheet, put yesterday’s homework in the blue tray, underline the date and collect a ruler” requires a child to hear the message, understand several concepts, remember the correct sequence and act while managing classroom noise and movement.
Instructions may become particularly difficult when they include:
- Several steps delivered together
- Unfamiliar or abstract vocabulary
- Sequencing words such as before, after and unless
- Rapid speech with little processing time;
- Information given while the child is focused elsewhere
- Figurative or implied meanings
- Background noise and competing conversations
- An unexpected change to the usual routine.
A child who does not follow an instruction may not be refusing to cooperate. They may have understood only part of it, forgotten a step or needed more time to process the language.
How can parents prepare for the return to school?
The following are general suggestions rather than personalised clinical recommendations. Choose approaches that suit your child and discuss any individual communication plan with their school or speech and language therapist.
Preview what will happen
Talk through the first day or week using clear, concrete language. A simple visual timetable, photographs of key places or a written checklist may make new information easier to revisit.
For example, you might preview:
- Arriving at school
- Finding the classroom or form room
- Where belongings will go
- Who the main adults will be
- Lunch and break arrangements
- How your child can ask for help
Older pupils may prefer a map, phone note or written timetable rather than picture-based materials. Visual support should be age-respectful and useful to the individual child.
Share what already helps
Before term begins, send the teacher or Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) a short summary of strategies that work.
This might include:
- How your child shows that they have not understood
- The amount of processing time they need
- Helpful visual or written supports
- Words, gestures, signs or AAC they use
- Situations in which communication is easier or harder
- How they prefer adults to check their understanding
- Recommendations from an existing speech and language therapy report
A concise, practical profile is often easier for busy staff to use than a long list of general information.
Make space for recovery
A child may use significant energy listening, interpreting language and managing social communication throughout the day. They may need quiet time after school before answering detailed questions.
Instead of asking “What did you do today?”, try a more specific prompt later, such as “What lesson did you have after lunch?” A timetable or message from school can provide useful context.
What can teachers do to support SLCN?
Many communication-supportive approaches can benefit the whole class while being essential for particular pupils.
Gain the pupil’s attention
Use the child’s name and allow them to orientate towards you before giving important information. Avoid continuing to speak while distributing resources or moving around the room if the pupil relies on visual cues.
Reduce and organise spoken information
Break longer instructions into manageable steps. Give one or two pieces of information, pause, and provide the next step when appropriate.
Emphasise the key words without making the child process unnecessary language:
“Book away. Then sit on the carpet.”
The appropriate length and complexity will depend on the pupil.
Pair speech with something the child can revisit
Use pictures, objects, gestures, demonstrations, key words on the board or written instructions. RCSLT guidance recognises environmental adaptations and information presented visually as potentially important parts of support for children with SLCN.
Visual support should add meaning rather than decorate a busy worksheet.
Allow processing time
After asking a question or giving an instruction, pause (you may count to 10 in your head). Repeating or rephrasing immediately can restart the child’s processing and make the task harder.
Check understanding without putting the child on the spot
“Do you understand?” often produces an automatic “yes”. Ask the pupil to show you the first step, choose the correct resource or explain what they will do in their own way.
Checking privately can reduce anxiety for pupils who find public questioning difficult.
Consider using non-verbal means to show when help is needed that only the child and the supporting adult know, like a secret ‘code’ which means ‘I need help’.
Teach important vocabulary explicitly
Introduce curriculum words before they are needed, connect them to existing knowledge and revisit them in meaningful contexts. Evidence reviewed by the Education Endowment Foundation suggests that oral-language approaches are strongest when integrated with the curriculum and when new vocabulary is used actively and purposefully.
Support different ways of responding
Participation does not have to mean answering aloud in front of the class. Depending on the activity and pupil, responses might include pointing, selecting, signing, using AAC, writing, drawing, rehearsing with a partner or responding after additional preparation time.
Review the environment
Consider whether noise, seating, rapid transitions or visually crowded materials are adding to the communication load. The aim is not simply to change the child’s skills, but also to remove avoidable barriers around them.
How should parents and schools work together?
Useful conversations focus on specific situations rather than broad labels such as “poor listening”.
Parents and school staff might compare:
- When difficulties are most noticeable
- Which instructions are hard to follow
- Whether visual information makes a difference
- How the child communicates when relaxed
- What happens during group work, lunch and break
- Whether needs have changed since the previous term
- What the child says would help
- Which strategies have been tried and what happened
Agree a small number of practical actions, who will use them and when their impact will be reviewed. Include the child’s views in a way that is accessible to them.
In England, the SEND Code of Practice states that schools should use a graduated approach to SEN Support: assess, plan, do and review. It also says that parental concerns should be taken seriously and that parents and pupils should be involved in planning and reviewing support.
An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is not the starting point for every child. Schools can put support in place through their ordinary teaching and SEN Support arrangements when needs are identified.
Education terminology and statutory processes differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Families outside England should consult their school and the relevant national or local guidance rather than assuming that England’s SENCO, SEN Support and EHCP processes apply.
When might speech and language therapy help?
Consider discussing further support when communication difficulties are persistent, occur across different activities or are creating barriers to learning, relationships, independence or wellbeing.
A speech and language therapist (SaLT) may:
- Explore the child’s communication strengths and needs
- Observe communication in relevant situations
- Assess understanding, expressive language, speech or social communication where appropriate
- Consider how the environment affects participation
- Agree meaningful goals with the child, family and education team
- Recommend individualised strategies
- Provide direct individual or group intervention where indicated
- Model approaches for parents and school staff
- support communication through AAC where appropriate
- Review progress and adapt recommendations
School-based SaLT is not limited to taking a child out of class for individual sessions. RCSLT guidance describes models including whole-class support, group work, individual intervention, staff training and changes to the learning environment.
Better Days provides Speech and Language Therapy services in schools, working alongside teachers, SENCOs and families to support understanding, expression, functional communication and access to learning. Support may include classroom observation, individual or group work, staff coaching and strategies embedded into the school day.
For settings looking to strengthen earlier support, Better Experts at Hand brings registered speech and language therapists and occupational therapists into education settings, alongside trained therapy assistants working under clinical supervision. The service is available from September 2026.[5]
A sudden loss or marked change in speech, language, understanding or other abilities should be discussed promptly with an appropriate healthcare professional rather than treated solely as an educational concern.
Frequently asked questions
-
Does struggling with instructions mean my child is not listening?
Not necessarily. A child may be attending but find it difficult to understand the vocabulary, retain several steps or process spoken language quickly. Noise, fatigue, anxiety and other factors may also contribute. Look at what happens before assuming a reason. -
Should instructions always be reduced to one step?
No. Some children benefit from one-step instructions, while others can manage more information when it is familiar, visually supported or broken into a clear sequence. Support should be adjusted to the individual child rather than applied as a fixed rule. -
Can visual supports help older children?
Yes. Visual support can include written instructions, planners, maps, key vocabulary, worked examples and checklists. It should be useful, discreet where preferred and appropriate for the young person’s age and communication style. -
Does my child need a diagnosis before school can offer support?
In England, support should be based on the pupil’s identified needs and barriers to learning. The SEND Code of Practice sets out a graduated SEN Support process through which needs and provision can be assessed, planned, implemented and reviewed. Procedures differ elsewhere in the UK. -
How can a SaLT support my child at school?
A SaLT can help the team understand the child’s communication profile, identify barriers, develop personalised strategies and embed relevant goals across classroom and everyday activities. The precise approach should follow assessment and collaboration with the child, family and school.
Start with understanding
The return to school can reveal communication demands that were less obvious during the holidays. A child who watches others, misses instructions or avoids group discussion may be showing that the situation requires more language than they can comfortably process at that moment.
Small environmental changes can make an immediate difference to access. Persistent or significant needs may require more individualised assessment and support.
The most helpful response is curious rather than judgemental: notice what is difficult, recognise the child’s strengths, ask what helps and work together to make participation more accessible.
To discuss communication concerns or explore the most appropriate Better Days pathway, Contact Us today.
References
- Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. Role of speech and language therapy in education. Supports the role of SaLTs in reducing communication barriers, collaborating with families and education professionals, and developing communication-friendly settings. Accessed 24 August 2026.
- Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. Writing professional advice on children with SLCN. Updated May 2026. Supports child-focused assessment, visual and environmental adaptations, collaborative planning and inclusive models of intervention. Accessed 24 August 2026.
- Education Endowment Foundation. Oral language interventions. Supports curriculum-integrated spoken-language approaches, explicit vocabulary development and purposeful classroom interaction. Accessed 24 August 2026.
- Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care. Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years. Statutory guidance applying to England; supports the graduated approach, parental involvement and the removal of barriers to learning. GOV.UK page updated 12 September 2024. Accessed 24 August 2026.
- Better Days UK. Better Experts at Hand. Service information on education-based therapy, staff support and supervised therapy-assistant provision from September 2026. Accessed 24 August 2026.
- Better Days UK. Speech and Language Therapy services in schools. Service information on school-based assessment, intervention, classroom strategies and collaboration with SENCOs, teachers and families. Accessed 24 August 2026.