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A comprehensive program of assessment, training and intervention supporting speech and language in the early years
The NELI Program
The NELI Program provides schools and districts with a way of identifying early language difficulties and is proven to improve children’s language skills and behavior in school.
NELI helps children aged 4-6 years old with the weakest oral language skills catch up with their peers through targeted small group and individual sessions. It focuses on developing children’s vocabulary, listening and storytelling skills. Large scale trials have shown NELI helps children make 3-5 months’ additional progress on top of what they would be usually be expected to achieve.
NELI was developed out of decades of research into children’s early language development and is the only early years language intervention to be awarded 5/5 for evidence strength by the UK’s Education Endowment Foundation.
Program Structure
The NELI Program includes three main components. Reliable and easy-to-use language screening, easy-to-access professional development and the 20-week pull-out intervention program.
Language Assessment
Schools first assess with LanguageScreen – a quick, reliable and highly accurate language assessment. Any adult in the school can, in less that ten minutes, obtain a comprehensive overview of a child’s language ability. LanguageScreen is used to assess the language skills of all children in the class at the beginning of the year and identify the children who need additional targeted support. At the end of the year it is used to ensure all children are still meeting age-expected outcomes as well as evaluate the progress of those children who received the intervention.
Professional Development
The NELI Program includes comprehensive online training for teachers and paraprofessionals. It is delivered completely online so you can complete the courses at your own pace, courses will take 10-12 hours to complete. The courses explore language development, critical strategies to support language skills, how to deliver NELI and videos of NELI in action. You are mentored throughout by speech and language professionals.
Individual and Small Group Sessions
The NELI intervention is a 20-week program consisting of weekly small group and individual sessions. NELI develops children’s vocabulary, listening and narrative or storytelling skills through scaffolded activities. Each week children are introduced to new vocabulary as “Special Words” as well as consolidating their learning from previous sessions.
The research and evidence behind NELI
NELI is the world’s best evidenced oral language intervention and is the only early years language intervention to be awarded 5/5 for evidence strength by the UK’s Education Endowment Fund.
A series of randomized controlled trials and independent evaluations have shown that it brings about educationally meaningful improvements:
- NELI children made 3-5 months’ additional progress in language skills in just six months.
- Children from less advantaged backgrounds made an average 7 months’ additional progress in their language skills.
- NELI children’s behavior was shown to improve significantly (compared to the control group).
- Children who are English Language Learners (ELL) made the same additional progress as children speaking English at home.
- NELI’s positive effects can be seen long-term, with improvements in language and word reading being seen in children two years after the intervention.
Communication and language impacts on everything, including life skills and NELI gives them the grounding they need before we concentrate on other areas of the curriculum, such as reading and writing.
Shushila Bhanderi, Assistant Headteacher,
Uxendon Manor Primary School
NELI has been a wonderful addition to our Early Years provision. The children have absolutely adored working with Ted! After NELI, children are more confident, ambitious in their vocabulary choices and ready to continue great progress.
Alex Davies
St Thomas More Primary School