A child with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) may:
- have speech that is difficult to understand
- struggle to say words or sentences
- not understand words that are being used, or the instructions they hear
- have difficulties knowing how to talk and listen to others in a conversation.
A child with specific language impairment (SLI) may:
- have difficulty saying what they want to, even though they have ideas
- talk in sentences but be difficult to understand
- sound muddled
- find it difficult to understand words and long instructions
- have difficulty finding the words they want to say
- find it hard to join in and follow what is going on in group situations.
Very often children with SLI have difficulty learning to read and spell. They are also more likely to have behavioural, emotional and social difficulties, mainly relationships with other children and emotional difficulties, and to a lesser extent conduct problems.