Information for Schools
Jenny Roder at Toddler2Teen Speech and Language Therapy can provide an in-person or online service delivering therapy support to children, while they are at their home or school.
Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators, Teachers and teaching assistants can also be offered support from Jenny Roder who can provide speech and language therapy updates for ongoing programmes and general advice related to speech and language development.
Jenny Roder can also work with a school as a consultant who can advise on whole school differentiation strategies so that young people with communication difficulties can access the curriculum.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Will Jenny Roder provide a free consultation to SENCos and Headteachers?
Yes, a free online consultation can be given to discuss the type of intervention needed, the costs of such delivery and to organise how it will be completed. Specific children’s needs can only be discussed with the parents’ written permission
How is speech and language therapy delivered?
In-person or online sessions are completed, with the parent and teaching assistant participating in the session.
I support children in mainstream education by working alongside their teaching assistant, teacher and/or parent. Invitations to parents and staff to participate in speech and language sessions is actively encouraged and resources are shared whenever this is possible.
What experience does Jenny Roder have in delivering speech and language therapy in a classroom?
I have worked for many years as a coordinator and specialist therapist for children attending speech and language units attached to mainstream schools.
I have also had the privilege of working full-time for several years in a classroom, team teaching the whole breadth of the curriculum to children with moderate learning difficulties who had additional speech and language difficulties.
One of my favourite times in my career has been the one day weekly intervention for two terms provided at a wonderful, rural primary school. The school headteacher and I applied for and were successful in attaining additional funding to deliver speech and language therapy to five reception aged children. This joint venture was an absolute pleasure to complete and it showed how therapy and teaching could overlap to the benefit of all the children. The therapy provision spread through the school as the reception children progressed and advice was sought from all year groups. I have very fond memories of my time there and was saddened when the funding couldn’t be renewed.
Are therapy tasks relevant to the classroom and curriculum demands?
Therapy tasks are closely linked not only to the child’s individual targets but also to the curriculum topics in class. Teachers are encouraged to email the therapist directly or via the SENCo before the session, to note any specific language based problems that they have observed during their mainstream lessons.
In response to this information the therapist will modify or design tasks that will help the child to acquire the missing skill. Sometimes this is a Maths concept such as higher/lower, a science concept such as properties of materials or a PSHE gap such as issues related to communicating with peers.
Understanding language and expressing ideas are core to accessing the curriculum and essential for a happy, communicating young person.
Does speech and language therapy at Toddler2Teen have anything to offer children who have a diagnosis as having Autistic Spectrum Condition?
Yes. Jenny Roder is a highly-experienced speech and language therapist who has over ten years’ knowledge of using the Social Thinking approach rather than teaching Social Skills. Older primary aged children and secondary aged students have benefitted from this approach in individual sessions with close liaison with school staff and parents. The liaison is essential to make the teaching points relevant to the child/student.
Small group sessions have been successful involving students across year groups in both primary and secondary school settings. These groups provide social support and enable neurodiversity to be discussed and celebrated within developing relationships.
Does the therapist provide small group intervention for children who have speech difficulties?
Yes. It is possible for up to four key stage 1 children to attend a speech and language therapy group at school and up to five in key stage 2, if there is a teaching assistant present and if the children’s attention is sufficiently developed to enable group working.
Does the therapist provide small group intervention for children who have good reading skills but poor comprehension skills?
Yes. This group of children are often not identified by school testing until year 4 but respond extremely well to targeted speech and language therapy intervention. The therapist has a particular interest in this client group and would encourage schools to contact her. A small project was completed by Jenny Roder in a primary school with five year 6 children, all of whom improved their percentile test scores on comprehension of spoken narrative over the school year.
