SEN Support – Communication and Interaction

Next steps when a child or young person is making little or no progress using general strategies in the Communication and Interaction area.

Part of
Somerset’s Graduated Response Tool: Step by step

Click "navigate this page" to see the page contents, as well as a full list of the Somerset’s Graduated Response Tool step by step pages.

Navigate this page

Part of
Somerset’s Graduated Response Tool: Step by step

The purpose of this pathway is to ensure every child and young person in a Somerset school receives the support they are entitled to

1Statutory Special Educational Needs (SEN) information

  1. Statutory Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) information

    5Expectations for Whole School Inclusion

    1. Expectations for Whole School Inclusion

      7Inclusion for each Broad Area of Need

      Information about the four areas of need set out in the Code of Practice

      1. Inclusion for each Broad Area of Need

        12Graduated Response Tool – Complex Medical Needs

        1. Graduated Response Tool – Complex Medical Needs

          13Supporting tools, documents and signposting

          1. Supporting tools, documents and signposting

            SEN Support

            Where limited or no progress is made using Universal strategies, further assessment of barriers should take place. This assessment will inform which strategies at both Universal and SEN Support should be put into place. Progress will be monitored through successive Assess, Plan, Do, Review (APDR) cycles.

            Expressive language

            Expressive language – tools for identification of need

            To include Universal support plus:

            • Talkabout: A Social Communication Skills Package – a social communication skills package which also supports attention and listening skills. Beginning with a basic assessment procedure to evaluate the pupil’s self-awareness, as well as the awareness of others. It is divided into six levels and provides professionals with a framework for the development of social skills. There is Talkabout for Children and Talkabout for Teenagers
            • Time to talk by Alison Schroeder was Developed to teach and develop oral language and social interaction skills to children aged 4 to 6. Containing 40 sessions, designed to take place two to three times a week, the book aims to help teachers develop the ‘rules’ of interaction with the help of the character Ginger the Bear, who features in all the activities
            • Talk Boost interventions can help children improve their speaking and understanding
            • Attention Autism aims to work on the early fundamentals of language including awareness of others, attention, listening, shared attention, switching attention and turn-taking
            • Socially Speaking by Alison Schroeder is a social skills programme that lasts a whole school year and is divided into three units: let’s communicate, let’s be friends, and let’s practise. As pupils progress through the carefully structured programme, their self-esteem will increase and their listening skills and expressive language abilities will improve, and in turn will benefit from enhanced social interaction

            Receptive language

            Receptive language – tools for identification of need

            To include Universal support plus:

            • Talk Boost interventions can help children improve their speaking and understanding, at a cost.

            Social communication

            Social communication – tools for identification of need
            • Talkabout: A Social Communication Skills Package is a basic assessment procedure to evaluate the pupil’s self-awareness, as well as the awareness of others. Teachers will choose the appropriate level or book to start work at.  For ages 7 years and above, at a cost. Assessment is on the accompanying disc
            • Speech Link SLCN screening, assessment, intervention and support, packages for ages 4 to 8 years, key stage 2 and secondary, at a cost
            • WellComm – GL Assessment – speech and language toolkit, screening to intervention, for ages 6 to 11 years, at a cost

            To include Universal support plus:

            • Talkabout: A Social Communication Skills Package Beginning with a basic assessment procedure to evaluate the pupil’s self-awareness, as well as the awareness of others, it is divided into six levels, and provides professionals with a framework for the development of social skills. There is Talkabout for Children and Talkabout for Teenagers
            • Socially Speaking by Alison Schroeder is a social skills programme that lasts a whole school year and is divided into three units: let’s communicate, let’s be friends, and let’s practise. As pupils progress through the carefully structured programme, their self-esteem will increase and their listening skills and expressive language abilities will improve, and in turn will benefit from enhanced social interaction
            • Time to talk by Alison Schroeder Developed to teach and develop oral language and social interaction skills to children aged 4-6. Containing 40 sessions, designed to take place two to three times a week, the book aims to help teachers to develop the ‘rules’ of interaction with the help of the character Ginger the Bear, who features in all the activities
            • SCERTS focuses on building competence in Social Communication, Emotional Regulation and Transactional Support
            • Attention Autism aims to work on the early fundamentals of language including awareness of others, attention, listening, shared attention, switching attention and turn-taking

            Listening and attention

            Listening and attention – tools for identification of need
            • Talkabout: A Social Communication Skills Package is a basic assessment procedure to evaluate the pupil’s self-awareness, as well as the awareness of others. Teachers will choose the appropriate level or book to start work at. For ages 7 years and above, at a cost. Assessment is on the accompanying disc.
            • Speech Link SLCN screening, assessment, intervention and support, packages for 4- to 8-year-olds, KS2 and Secondary, at a cost.
            • WellComm – GL Assessment – speech and language toolkit, screening to intervention, for ages 6 to 11 years, at a cost.

            To include Universal support plus:

            • Talkabout: A Social Communication Skills Package which also supports attention and listening skills. Beginning with a basic assessment procedure to evaluate the pupil’s self-awareness, as well as the awareness of others, it is divided into six levels and provides professionals with a framework for the development of social skills. There is Talkabout for Children and Talkabout for Teenagers
            • Time to talk by Alison Schroeder was Developed to teach and develop oral language and social interaction skills to children aged 4 to 6. Containing 40 sessions, designed to take place two to three times a week, the book aims to help teachers develop the ‘rules’ of interaction with the help of the character Ginger the Bear, who features in all the activities
            • Talk Boost interventions can help children improve their speaking and understanding
            • Attention Autism aims to work on the early fundamentals of language including awareness of others, attention, listening, shared attention, switching attention and turn-taking
            • Socially Speaking by Alison  Schroeder is a social skills programme that lasts a whole school year and is divided into three units: let’s communicate, let’s be friends, and let’s practise. As pupils progress through the carefully structured programme, their self-esteem will increase and their listening skills and expressive language abilities will improve, and in turn will benefit from enhanced social interaction

            More information

            See our Communication and Interaction – How can I find out more? page for assessments, learning strategies and provisions.

            Last updated: October 24, 2025

            Next review due: April 24, 2026

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