Early Communication Team
The Early Communication Team is a specialist support service dedicated to helping children in mainstream schools from Foundation 1 through the end of Year 2. Their focus is on supporting children with significant delays in social communication and interaction.
Who they support
They work with children who experience severe challenges in developing early communicative skills. Their approach is tailored to each child’s cognitive level and symbolic understanding, ensuring that support is meaningful and effective.
What they do
- Develop Early Interaction - Using intensive interaction techniques, they help children build the foundations of communication
- Promote Functional Communication - Introducing a range of communication aids to give children the means, reasons, and opportunities to communicate effectively
- Promote Positive Relationships - Emphasising the importance of developing positive relationships, which underpin early emotional regulation and create a secure base for learning
- Support Understanding and Learning - Using strategies that scaffold receptive language and learning, adapting to each child’s developmental stage rather than age
- Empower Staff - Guiding school staff to reflect on their provision through the eyes of their children, considering how activities and resources align with intrinsic interests and developmental needs
- Build Confidence - Training and collaboration to help staff develop the knowledge and skills to support early communication and interaction confidently
Our mission is to create environments where every child has the opportunity to connect, communicate, and thrive.