Listening to children with speech, language and communication needs

In Ireland over the past two years there have been significant changes to the way resources are allocated to schools when working with children who have additional needs. There are also significant proposed changes in how therapy services are to be delivered to schools. Combined, these changes create a unique window of opportunity to design, plan and deliver collaborative support across health and education. In this policy brief, we describe a study where we engaged a group of children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) to design their ideal classroom and school. Our findings show that children bring an essential perspective about the ways support can be delivered in school. We call for decision-makers in health and education to ensure that children with SLCN are included in planning decisions about therapy services and support in school.