I came across some recent research this week from the charity Save the Children.
It reports that speech and language is the single biggest issue affecting child development in Scotland.
It compared the speech and language skills of children in the poorest communities to those from better off households. Those from the poorest communities are twice as likely to have speech and language difficulties.
The findings are based on the 27-30 month health checks.
Following these findings, Save the Children is calling for key changes for early education in Scotland, including ensuring there is an early years teacher with expertise in early language development working in every nursery.
In Scotland, one in five children growing up in poverty leaves primary school not reading well.
Research summarised from RCSLT Bulletin August 2016 pg 9.
We are proudly supporting Pilgrims Hospices by making a £10 donation for every Google review we receive for Speech4Kids.
Read moreWe often meet parents who ask us this question – and we always reassure them that they’ve done nothing wrong. Speech delays and challenges are rarely due to parenting. When parents recognise that their child might need help with speech therapy, they often have many unanswered questions, concerns and emotions
Read moreIf your child or grandchild struggles to communicate, it can lead to feelings of frustration – for them and you. What’s more, your concerns about the challenges they’re facing and potential uncertainty about how to support them can cause you to experience a whole range of difficult emotions including helplessness and isolation – how can you help them and ‘am I the only one’?
Read more
