If you feel a child might have a Speech, Language and Communication Need (SLCN) we recommend completing our Speech, Language and Communication screening tools. This video provides an overview of the screening tools, how to use them and planning next steps.
Screening tools
The screening tools provide a short assessment of a child’s developing speech, language and communication skills. They will support you to identify a child with, or at risk of potential, SLCN.
A screening tool will take approximately 10 – 15 minutes to administer.
Before completing a screening tool you should check the Speech, Language and Communication Tool User Manual. This will guide you on how to use the screening tool and interpret the results.
Screening Tool 24 – 29 months [PDF 995KB]
Screening Tool 30 – 35 months [PDF 890KB]
Screening Tool 36 – 41 months [PDF 940KB]
Screening Tool 42 – 47 months [PDF 971KB]
Screening Tool 48 – 59 months [PDF 951KB]
Screening Tool 60 – 71 months [PDF 1MB]
The screening tools should be printed on A4 paper and in colour. If this cannot be achieved please contact SLTCumbriaTraining@ncic.nhs.uk and we can arrange for tools to be sent in the post.
Please be aware we may update the screening tools periodically. The most up to date version will be available here on our web pages.
Resource pack
On completion of a screening tool you should refer to the Speech, Language and Communication Resource Pack [PDF 1,481KB].
This resource pack guides you to tailored advice and support. This will be based on an individual child’s screening tool results.
You will be directed to a range of advice sheets. These contain strategies you can use daily. They also include suggestions to support a child’s speech, language and communication development.
You will also be sign-posted to our online advice and support sessions offer. These sessions are an important step towards accessing tailored support. Each session covers information about different areas of communication. There are suggestions of how you can support a child to be a confident communicator.