Perspectives of preschool children in England with speech and language needs in the development of evidence‐based activities

Abstract

Background The existing evidence is limited in terms of perspectives of preschool children with speech and language needs and their views on activities used to support their needs. This paper discusses a stream of work from the interdisciplinary research programme known as “Child Talk,” based in England, UK. The overall purpose of this work stream was to gain the perspectives of preschool children aged 2 to 5 years and 11 months, with speech and language needs, to use in the development of an evidence‐based framework of activities. Methods Twenty‐four preschool children with a variety of needs from diverse backgrounds took part. An observational methodology was used to capture children's experiences. Children were filmed during a series of sessions, with innovative head‐mounted cameras worn by the children and supported by researcher field notes. Framework analysis was used to analyse the data based on the body movement, vocalization, and visual attention of the children during these sessions. Results and Conclusions Results included that children expressed enjoyment and engagement in the activities. The children expressed themselves and demonstrated their focus “multimodally” through combinations of body language, vocalization, and visual attention. These modalities were present across all contexts and children. It highlights the importance of encouraging participation in preschool children and consequently this innovative piece of work has national and international importance.

Methods and Ethics in Qualitative Research Exploring Young Children’s Voice: A Systematic Review

“…Few studies ( n = 4) included children with additional needs or described how they sought to capture these young children’s voice in ECEC settings. Coad et al (2020) explored the perspectives of children with speech and language needs by using innovative head-mounted cameras worn by children and supported by field notes. Pascal and Bertram (2021) included children with special educational needs, yet no methodology to facilitate these children’s participation were described.…”

“…All studies described using verbal interviews to capture children's voice, with the exception of Coad et al (2020), who used a combination of play-based activities, field notes, and filming. Children's body language, vocalization, and visual attention were recorded using head-mounted camera worn by the children and supplemented by researcher field notes (Coad et al, 2020). Methods to capture data relating to children's perspectives and experiences are shown in Table 2.…”

Feasibility and Effectiveness of Speech Intervention Implemented with a Virtual Reality System in Children with Developmental Language Disorders: A Pilot Randomized Control Trial

“…Children also improve language skills through social and experiential games to which, however, they are increasingly less exposed, such as outdoor activities with animals and exposure to different stimuli [ 65 ]. Virtual reality, unlike experiential activities, encourages exposure to more stimuli and motivating activities, such as farm exercise, that reduce learning time and break down logistical barriers [ 66 ].…”

Humanistic approach towards education of preschool children with developmental speech and language disorders

“…Education can be considered as an element of therapy of children with developmental speech and language disorders, which includes: solving problems with disorders and skills, achieving the development of functionally significant skills, supporting adults in order to form a favorable environment for education (Morgan, L., et al, 2019). Education of children with DSLD identifies opportunities to further improve the functional problems of speech (Fox, A.V., Dodd, B. and Howard, D., 2002) and ensures satisfaction of their special needs (Coad, J, Harding, S, Hambly, H, et al, 2020). Improperly chosen approaches and methods of education can lead to an increase in the level of serious general problems in communication (from 13% to 17%) (McAllister, L., et al, 1993).…”