Speech, language and communication

COMMUNICATION AND PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS Author Course Professor School City and State Date Learners may present with diverse learning needs, making it critical for educators to understand and determine their issues. The Online Learning College (2025) resource describes some of these issues as speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN). It demonstrates the importance of teachers in assisting these students to navigate their diverse needs. Recognising them and their impact on a child’s development enables these experts to adjust their communication for the learners’ benefit. Speech, Language, and Communication Needs of Children and Adolescents SLCN refers to children presenting with one or more language, speech, or communication challenges. The Royal College of Speech Language Therapists (no date) states that SLCN integrates diverse communication aspects. For instance, it may comprise issues with accurately producing speech sounds. Such a problem may arise from phonology complications leading to confused sounds or inability to say sounds. As a result, a child displays difficult-to-comprehend speech. The institution lists stammering as another form of SLCN characterised by repeating words or their parts. In other situations, a child experiences prolonged hesitation before expressing a word or becomes completely stuck. Other individuals may suffer from voice-related challenges associated with voice loss or hoarseness. According to the Royal College of Speech Language Therapists (no date), SLCN also includes difficulties discerning language, making it demanding for such persons to interact with peers or follow educators’ guidelines. The inability to understand non-verbal cues integrated into language also complicates this issue. The institution reveals that SLCNs are diverse and include children who struggle to express themselves despite understanding the words to use. Such complexities demonstrate the sensitive nature of handling such learners. The varied SLCN issues relate to different developmental problems. For instance, the Online Learning College (2025) reveals that learning disabilities increase the likelihood of students struggling with such issues. The resource also indicates that hearing loss contributes to language difficulties. Others comprise abuse or neglect, cleft palate, selective mutism, autism, neurological difficulties, and premature birth. These issues complicate a child’s communication, contributing to SLCN developmen...