Despite the name, speech and language therapists (SaLTs) can help with more than just a child’s spoken communication skills. They can also provide valuable support to learners who face challenges with reading and writing, thanks to the similarities in spoken and written language.
How are spoken and written language similar?
Spoken language and written language are closely linked because both are systems of symbols used to represent our thoughts, ideas and meanings.
In spoken language, these symbols are sounds that are produced, heard and processed in real time. They are transient, meaning they disappear once they are spoken, and rely heavily on memory, attention and shared context between speakers and listeners.
Written language uses symbols that are permanent and visual, such as letters and words, to represent the same thoughts and ideas. Because written language remains on the page, it allows time for reflection, rereading and revision. It also places additional demands on language skills, as meaning must be conveyed clearly without the support of other cues from the speaker, such as tone of voice, gestures, body language and the context in which we are speaking.
Strong underlying language skills are required to move between spoken and written language. Generally, children learn to understand vocabulary, sentence structure and the organisation of ideas through speech before transferring this knowledge into reading and writing.
In this way, written language can be seen as a more complex and explicit representation of
spoken language, building on the same foundations while requiring greater precision and structure to ensure meaning is understood.
Solid foundations in speech and language development can support literacy development.
How can SaLTs help students with literacy skills??
SaLTs play a key role in supporting literacy by working on the underlying language abilities that are essential for both oral and written communication. By strengthening these skills in spoken language, learners are better equipped to apply them to reading and writing.
To become confident readers and writers, learners need a secure understanding of how sounds and letters are linked. SaLTs support this by developing:
• Phonological awareness: Through spoken activities, such as identifying, blending, and segmenting sounds in words. This oral work helps learners recognise letter patterns and understand how these patterns can represent different sounds, which in turn supports decoding unfamiliar words and improving spelling accuracy.
• Syllable awareness: By helping learners to break longer words into smaller, more manageable parts. Through spoken language tasks such as clapping syllables, repeating multisyllabic words, and practising stress patterns, learners build the skills needed to read and pronounce complex words more fluently. These strategies can then be transferred directly into reading and writing tasks.
• Morphological awareness: Grammar is another important area of SaLT input. By explicitly teaching common prefixes and suffixes, such as ‘un-’ or ‘-tion’, therapists help learners understand how words are built and how meaning changes. This work often begins when learners explore word meanings and relationships in spoken language, before applying this knowledge to spelling, reading comprehension, and written expression.
• Understanding sentence structure: SaLTs support learners to recognise the different parts of a sentence and how they work together to convey meaning. This may involve practising sentence formulation orally, expanding short spoken sentences, or manipulating word order. These skills help learners to use punctuation more accurately, avoid run-on sentences, and produce clearer, more grammatically organised writing.
• Organisation of ideas: Through spoken narratives, discussions, and sequencing activities, learners are supported to organise their thoughts logically. This oral rehearsal of ideas helps learners plan their writing more effectively, resulting in written work that is structured, coherent, and easier for the reader to follow.
• Vocabulary awareness: Learners are taught how to use connecting words and phrases such as ‘for instance,’ ‘however,’ ‘further’ and ‘yet’ in spoken language, before transferring these skills into writing. This supports the development of cohesive spoken explanations and more fluent, connected written texts.
• Comprehension and memory skills: Learners are supported to understand spoken and written information, retain key details, and recall what they have read or heard. SaLTs also explicitly teach inference skills, helping learners to read between the lines, draw conclusions, and answer comprehension questions with greater confidence.
These examples highlight the crucial role that speech and language therapists play in supporting learners of all ages to develop functional spoken and written language skills. Reading is centred on understanding language, and writing is a way of expressing ideas.
For many learners at Gretton, support with these underlying language and literacy foundations is particularly important. A number of students have experienced extended periods out of education before joining our school, which may have limited their opportunities to develop essential language and literacy skills. SaLTs are therefore well placed to identify gaps, provide targeted intervention and support learners to rebuild these foundations.
By addressing the language skills that underpin both spoken and written communication, SaLTs can complement targeted interventions and the work of specialist teachers, tutors and support staff to help students’ literacy development. This collaborative approach is key to helping students strengthen these skills at their own pace and apply them meaningfully across the curriculum.
Angela Sherry, Speech and Language Therapist. Angela has worked with children and young people for over 20 years as a speech and language therapist in a wide range of settings, including nurseries, primary and secondary schools, and specialist services at Great Ormond Street Hospital. She has supported children with diverse communication needs, including neurodivergent profiles, D/deafness and hearing impairment, and acquired brain injury. She is part of a multidisciplinary autism diagnostic team and supports children and families in a strengths-based, compassionate way. As a parent to two autistic children, Angela brings both professional expertise and personal understanding to her work.
Claudia Cardoso, Speech and Language Therapist. Claudia is a neurodevelopmental paediatric speech and language therapist. As a therapist, Claudia has only ever worked with neurodivergent children and young people and her passion for this started long before qualifying as a therapist. She has 10 years experience, giving her a unique insight on how best to support autistic learners. Claudia has lived experience of having neurodivergent family members. She is currently undertaking a British Dyslexia Association approved PGcert in dyslexia and literacy difficulties with the University of Birmingham.
