Teachers & Teachers of the Deaf

Teachers

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Reception teachers tell us that the Teddy Talk Test is an invaluable addition to their class resources.

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• It can act as a detailed baseline assessment of the level of speech, language and communication development for each child starting in school. Repeating the Teddy Talk Test in the Summer Term will provide useful data for compiling evidence for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Profile. Teaching assistants can carry it out as well as teachers and SENCOs.

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• Where individual children present with speech and language difficulties, the Teddy Talk Test will help to pin point specific areas to be targeted and supported, enabling the curriculum to be differentiated appropriately.

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• The results may also provide an insight as to why some children are not reaching their Early Learning Goals. Their developmental difficulties with speech and language may be identified as being the root cause for behavioural and learning challenges.​

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• In schools located in areas of social deprivation, children’s speech and language development across the cohort is often delayed.  The Teddy Talk Test whole class data can be useful information to share with OFSTED inspectors demonstrating the skill levels of the class cohort at school entry. It is complimentary to the Reception Baseline Assessment which will become a statutory requirement in England from August 2020.

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• The Teddy Talk Test is a useful way of sharing information. Parents and carers tell us that the Record Form and Summary Sheet is clear and easy to understand. Teachers find it to be a helpful scaffold to support conversations with parents and carers about a child's speech and language skills and how these relate to learning.​

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• For children who are learning English as an additional language, it is a great tool for evaluating their understanding and use of English.

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• It can also be used for evaluating the communication skills of older children with a developmental delay, whose skills are similar to that of a preschool child.

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• Please note: We will continue to monitor the EYFS reforms and welcome the emphasis on strengthening language and             vocabulary development to help close the word gap between disadvantaged children and their peers. Should the Early           Learning Goals which feature in the Teddy Talk Test 'Ages and Stages' section change, we will be providing updates to             hose whose have purchased a Teddy Talk Test prior to the changes becoming statutory.​

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Teachers of the Deaf

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• Whether you’re a Peripatetic Teacher of the Deaf or you’re based in a unit attached to a school, a quick and simple tool that you can use to assess a child’s early expressive and receptive language ability is invaluable.

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• The Teddy Talk Test is based on the concept of key word levels. The language development of any typically developing hearing child follows a linear path. This begins with the child’s understanding of single words, works through understanding and use of 2 and 3 key word phrases and reaches a stage where they can understand phrases containing 4 key words (including linguistic concepts) and use structured phrases and sentences of their own.

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• For deaf children, we know that this typically linear developmental trajectory will differ from the above and will likely be delayed in line with their hearing age. How the child’s development differs will vary depending on the level and profile of their hearing loss, their hearing age and the consistency of their hearing aid use.

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• No matter what the aetiology of the hearing loss, the hearing profile or the type of technology being used, the Teddy Talk Test can provide valuable information about a child’s development of spoken language and can be repeated on a 3 monthly basis to track progress.

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• We also know that the development of ‘Theory of Mind’ is delayed in deaf children. The objects in the Teddy Talk Test bag can also be used to improvise a Theory of Mind "Sally vs Anne" test (using Teddy and Duck as characters hiding the key), should you wish to assess this in addition to the child’s expressive language, receptive language and speech.

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