Word Aware
@wordaware.bsky.social
Stephen Parsons. Speech and Language Therapist, trainer and author. Chair of RADLD. Co-Chair of SLCA. Vocabulary, spoken language, oracy, Developmental Language Disorder #DevLangDis. #BskySpeechies thinkingtalking.co.uk
'Word Aware Concepts Assessment' is available for pre-order from today. It's an informal assessment for 150 early developing concepts e.g.: different, whole, both. Covers Nursery (3 to 4 yo) and Reception (4 to 5 yo).
Useful for schools, EY settings and SaLT.
www.routledge.com/Word-Aware-C...
Useful for schools, EY settings and SaLT.
www.routledge.com/Word-Aware-C...
January 29, 2026 at 8:46 AM
'Word Aware Concepts Assessment' is available for pre-order from today. It's an informal assessment for 150 early developing concepts e.g.: different, whole, both. Covers Nursery (3 to 4 yo) and Reception (4 to 5 yo).
Useful for schools, EY settings and SaLT.
www.routledge.com/Word-Aware-C...
Useful for schools, EY settings and SaLT.
www.routledge.com/Word-Aware-C...
At London Kings Cross today. The perfect example of the inefficiencies of rail provision. Different bins for each rail company. Roll on nationalisation!
January 20, 2026 at 2:04 PM
At London Kings Cross today. The perfect example of the inefficiencies of rail provision. Different bins for each rail company. Roll on nationalisation!
Thank you to Laura for this Amazon review of 'Language for Behaviour and Emotions'.
It has made @melaniespeechie.bsky.social @lang4think.bsky.social and my day!
www.routledge.com/Language-for...
It has made @melaniespeechie.bsky.social @lang4think.bsky.social and my day!
www.routledge.com/Language-for...
January 15, 2026 at 10:25 AM
Thank you to Laura for this Amazon review of 'Language for Behaviour and Emotions'.
It has made @melaniespeechie.bsky.social @lang4think.bsky.social and my day!
www.routledge.com/Language-for...
It has made @melaniespeechie.bsky.social @lang4think.bsky.social and my day!
www.routledge.com/Language-for...
#SLCN (speech, Language and Communication Needs) are the most common SEND, but many continue to think of them as not that serious.
However in 2023-24 just 27.6% of those with SLCN achieved grades 4 and above in maths and English.
This needs to change!
However in 2023-24 just 27.6% of those with SLCN achieved grades 4 and above in maths and English.
This needs to change!
January 11, 2026 at 4:44 PM
#SLCN (speech, Language and Communication Needs) are the most common SEND, but many continue to think of them as not that serious.
However in 2023-24 just 27.6% of those with SLCN achieved grades 4 and above in maths and English.
This needs to change!
However in 2023-24 just 27.6% of those with SLCN achieved grades 4 and above in maths and English.
This needs to change!
Just heard that our new book, 'Word Aware Concepts Assessment' has gone to the printers. It is an informal assessment of concepts, aligned with our Concept Cat approach.
They will be a very useful tool for all those who work with children aged 3 to 5.
www.routledge.com/Word-Aware-C...
They will be a very useful tool for all those who work with children aged 3 to 5.
www.routledge.com/Word-Aware-C...
January 7, 2026 at 10:55 AM
Just heard that our new book, 'Word Aware Concepts Assessment' has gone to the printers. It is an informal assessment of concepts, aligned with our Concept Cat approach.
They will be a very useful tool for all those who work with children aged 3 to 5.
www.routledge.com/Word-Aware-C...
They will be a very useful tool for all those who work with children aged 3 to 5.
www.routledge.com/Word-Aware-C...
#SEND need to be a little higher up the government's agenda. Time for a little activism!
Read the report: speechandlanguage.org.uk/how-to-spend...
Sign up to send the report to Rachel Reeves.
speechandlanguage.eaction.org.uk/fight-for-or...
Read the report: speechandlanguage.org.uk/how-to-spend...
Sign up to send the report to Rachel Reeves.
speechandlanguage.eaction.org.uk/fight-for-or...
November 28, 2025 at 12:37 PM
#SEND need to be a little higher up the government's agenda. Time for a little activism!
Read the report: speechandlanguage.org.uk/how-to-spend...
Sign up to send the report to Rachel Reeves.
speechandlanguage.eaction.org.uk/fight-for-or...
Read the report: speechandlanguage.org.uk/how-to-spend...
Sign up to send the report to Rachel Reeves.
speechandlanguage.eaction.org.uk/fight-for-or...
One week to go until next week's Word Aware whole school vocabulary course. Suitable for teachers of all types as well as SaLT. Tried and tested, so you know it will impact on children!
Online and good value.
thinkingtalking.co.uk/finding-a-wo...
Online and good value.
thinkingtalking.co.uk/finding-a-wo...
November 19, 2025 at 5:57 PM
One week to go until next week's Word Aware whole school vocabulary course. Suitable for teachers of all types as well as SaLT. Tried and tested, so you know it will impact on children!
Online and good value.
thinkingtalking.co.uk/finding-a-wo...
Online and good value.
thinkingtalking.co.uk/finding-a-wo...
Fantastic day at the EU parliament today raising awareness of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD).
A step forward!
Big thank you to MEP Peter Agies for hosting, ESLA for organizing and especially Chair, Sahra Ahmed.
#DevLangDis
#DLDday
A step forward!
Big thank you to MEP Peter Agies for hosting, ESLA for organizing and especially Chair, Sahra Ahmed.
#DevLangDis
#DLDday
October 16, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Fantastic day at the EU parliament today raising awareness of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD).
A step forward!
Big thank you to MEP Peter Agies for hosting, ESLA for organizing and especially Chair, Sahra Ahmed.
#DevLangDis
#DLDday
A step forward!
Big thank you to MEP Peter Agies for hosting, ESLA for organizing and especially Chair, Sahra Ahmed.
#DevLangDis
#DLDday
Concept Cat impacts on vocabulary & maths in Early Years!
educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and...
To make it easy to deliver we now have boxes that include cat toys, puppets, word bags & masses of symbols. All you need to get going in a Nursery class. @lang4think.bsky.social
educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and...
To make it easy to deliver we now have boxes that include cat toys, puppets, word bags & masses of symbols. All you need to get going in a Nursery class. @lang4think.bsky.social
October 13, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Concept Cat impacts on vocabulary & maths in Early Years!
educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and...
To make it easy to deliver we now have boxes that include cat toys, puppets, word bags & masses of symbols. All you need to get going in a Nursery class. @lang4think.bsky.social
educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and...
To make it easy to deliver we now have boxes that include cat toys, puppets, word bags & masses of symbols. All you need to get going in a Nursery class. @lang4think.bsky.social
Even for people with DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) who lead ‘successful’ lives, the struggle persists. Others can’t see DLD and so don’t understand the effort required by people with DLD in things like everyday conversations #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
October 13, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Even for people with DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) who lead ‘successful’ lives, the struggle persists. Others can’t see DLD and so don’t understand the effort required by people with DLD in things like everyday conversations #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) exists in every language, but identification requires care as it can be both over and under identified.
Speaking multiple languages does not cause DLD!
#DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
Speaking multiple languages does not cause DLD!
#DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
October 10, 2025 at 2:08 PM
DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) exists in every language, but identification requires care as it can be both over and under identified.
Speaking multiple languages does not cause DLD!
#DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
Speaking multiple languages does not cause DLD!
#DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
It’s easy to focus on the negatives but people with DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) have strengths too. They just need opportunities to show them! #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
October 10, 2025 at 11:25 AM
It’s easy to focus on the negatives but people with DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) have strengths too. They just need opportunities to show them! #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
People with DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) need to work hard, and when so few know about DLD they face many barriers. All that takes a toll on mental health.
More awareness would really make a difference! #DLDday #DevLangDis #WorldMentalHealthDay @radld.bsky.social
More awareness would really make a difference! #DLDday #DevLangDis #WorldMentalHealthDay @radld.bsky.social
October 10, 2025 at 9:55 AM
People with DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) need to work hard, and when so few know about DLD they face many barriers. All that takes a toll on mental health.
More awareness would really make a difference! #DLDday #DevLangDis #WorldMentalHealthDay @radld.bsky.social
More awareness would really make a difference! #DLDday #DevLangDis #WorldMentalHealthDay @radld.bsky.social
Teamwork across professions and agencies is crucial for supporting children with DLD (Developmental Language Disorder). Teachers, Speech and Language Therapists, families are crucial during the school phase. #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social @shaunziegenfusz.bsky.social
October 9, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Teamwork across professions and agencies is crucial for supporting children with DLD (Developmental Language Disorder). Teachers, Speech and Language Therapists, families are crucial during the school phase. #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social @shaunziegenfusz.bsky.social
DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) is not just ‘a little thing with their speech that they will grow out of.’ If unsupported it is a serious lifelong condition that impacts on mental health, learning and life opportunities. That’s why we need awareness. #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
October 7, 2025 at 5:42 PM
DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) is not just ‘a little thing with their speech that they will grow out of.’ If unsupported it is a serious lifelong condition that impacts on mental health, learning and life opportunities. That’s why we need awareness. #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
Don’t forget #DLDday is coming on Friday October 17th. Join in, raise awareness of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and make a difference. Find out more at radld.org. #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
October 7, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Don’t forget #DLDday is coming on Friday October 17th. Join in, raise awareness of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and make a difference. Find out more at radld.org. #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
Even before a person’s DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) is diagnosed they usually know they are different. So rather than stand out, it’s natural to get by, by masking. Quietly nodding or creating a distraction are strategies to go unnoticed. #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
October 7, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Even before a person’s DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) is diagnosed they usually know they are different. So rather than stand out, it’s natural to get by, by masking. Quietly nodding or creating a distraction are strategies to go unnoticed. #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
When thinking about DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) it’s easier to focus on the spoken part & forget that it also involves understanding. DLD makes understanding words and sentences hard too. Shorter sentences, simple vocabulary & pausing more all help! #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
October 6, 2025 at 10:58 AM
When thinking about DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) it’s easier to focus on the spoken part & forget that it also involves understanding. DLD makes understanding words and sentences hard too. Shorter sentences, simple vocabulary & pausing more all help! #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) makes spoken language harder. That does not mean that people with DLD can’t succeed. I have met lots of adults with DLD and the one attribute they share is determination. #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
October 5, 2025 at 5:37 PM
DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) makes spoken language harder. That does not mean that people with DLD can’t succeed. I have met lots of adults with DLD and the one attribute they share is determination. #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) is NOT a delay. It exists in adults too. In the UK there is no free-to-access pathway for assessment for adults. Without their needs identified, people with DLD struggle to access support. This needs to change #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
October 3, 2025 at 3:50 PM
DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) is NOT a delay. It exists in adults too. In the UK there is no free-to-access pathway for assessment for adults. Without their needs identified, people with DLD struggle to access support. This needs to change #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
OK, so DLD stands for Developmental Language DISORDER but it helps if you think of it as a difference in how the brain processes language. And whilst people with DLD can learn language, you can’t change the DLD any more than you can autism in an autistic person #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
October 2, 2025 at 5:09 PM
OK, so DLD stands for Developmental Language DISORDER but it helps if you think of it as a difference in how the brain processes language. And whilst people with DLD can learn language, you can’t change the DLD any more than you can autism in an autistic person #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) is a difficulty with spoken language, and so to support learning we need to find other ways. Visuals such as images, diagrams and videos can all be used to support understanding and structure expression too. #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
October 2, 2025 at 8:45 AM
DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) is a difficulty with spoken language, and so to support learning we need to find other ways. Visuals such as images, diagrams and videos can all be used to support understanding and structure expression too. #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
Reading is based in spoken language and so people with DLD often find reading challenging. Decoding and comprehension can both be problematic. Many people who are diagnosed with dyslexia also have DLD. #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
October 1, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Reading is based in spoken language and so people with DLD often find reading challenging. Decoding and comprehension can both be problematic. Many people who are diagnosed with dyslexia also have DLD. #DLDday #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
If your school wants to do more for children's vocabulary then we have the course for you. Word Aware is tried and tested, and it works.
Next Word Aware whole school vocabulary course is October 9th. Other dates also: thinkingtalking.co.uk/finding-a-wo...
Next Word Aware whole school vocabulary course is October 9th. Other dates also: thinkingtalking.co.uk/finding-a-wo...
October 1, 2025 at 1:11 PM
If your school wants to do more for children's vocabulary then we have the course for you. Word Aware is tried and tested, and it works.
Next Word Aware whole school vocabulary course is October 9th. Other dates also: thinkingtalking.co.uk/finding-a-wo...
Next Word Aware whole school vocabulary course is October 9th. Other dates also: thinkingtalking.co.uk/finding-a-wo...
#DLDday, the day we raise awareness of Developmental Language Disorder is happening on October 17th. DLD is more common than autism, has significant impacts on learning and mental wellbeing, and yet few have heard of it. Be part of the change. Go to radld.org #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social
October 1, 2025 at 11:36 AM
#DLDday, the day we raise awareness of Developmental Language Disorder is happening on October 17th. DLD is more common than autism, has significant impacts on learning and mental wellbeing, and yet few have heard of it. Be part of the change. Go to radld.org #DevLangDis @radld.bsky.social