11 September 2007
COMMUNICATION CHIEFS WELCOME REVIEW OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION PROVISION
PRESS RELEASE: Immediate release Tuesday 11 September 2007Page one of two
The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT), Afasic and I CAN today welcomed the Government's review into the provision of services to children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).
On 3 September 2007, the Prime Minister announced that John Bercow MP would lead a Government review into services for children and young people with SLCN. John Bercow is the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Speech and Language Difficulties and a vice-president of Afasic.
One in 10 children - an estimated 1.2 million children across the UK - have a communication disability, 1 or around three children in every primary school classroom. Recent evidence suggests that, in some parts of the UK, more than half of children arrive at primary school without the speech and language skills they need to learn and make friends. 2
RCSLT CEO Kamini Gadhok said, "Speech, language and communication needs are the most common disability presenting in early childhood. We know many children are not currently receiving the services they need. Some areas have very long waiting lists and children and families struggle without crucial support. If left untreated, SLCN have a huge impact on the education achievement and the health of a child. The human costs can be devastating with up to a third of children with diagnosed communication problems developing mental illness if untreated.3 We are immensely encouraged that Government is looking to tackle this issue and that a champion of these children's needs will lead the review."
Afasic CEO Linda Lascelles said, "We are delighted to see the hidden disability of speech language and communication needs finally being given the attention it deserves. We are very pleased our Vice-President will lead this review. We hope it will clearly identify the gaps and shortfalls in service provision, the barriers these children and young people face in their everyday lives, and lead to a comprehensive framework of support being developed for them"
I CAN CEO Virginia Beardshaw said: "I CAN is delighted John Bercow MP has been tasked with taking this review forward on behalf of the Government. Communication is the foundation life skill for the 21st Century, the bedrock on which children learn, achieve and make friends. Speech and language services have fallen into the gap between health and education, leaving children and their families out in the cold. This review will be a test of whether the 'dual key' policy model bridges the gap and leads to better outcomes for children and young people with speech and language difficulties."
1 Lindsay, G. & Dockrell, J. with Mackie, C. & Letchford, B. (2002): Educational Provision for Children with Specific Speech and Language Difficulties in England and Wales: Cedar and Institute of Education, University of London
2 I CAN - The Cost to the Nation of Children's Communication report 2006
3 Clegg, Hoiis and Rutter Life Sentence Bulletin 571 p.16-18 (RCSLT 1999)
For more information, please contact:
Katrina Alcock, I CAN Senior Press Officer. Tel: 020 7843 2549. Email: kalcock@ican.org.uk Visit: www.ican.org.uk
Sarah Keegan, RCSLT Policy Officer. Tel: 02073783003 Email: Sarah.Keegan@rcslt.org Visit: www.rcslt.org
Linda Lascelles, Afasic Chief Executive. Tel: 0207 490 9410. Email: info@afasic.org.uk Visit: www.afasic.org
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Notes for editors:
The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists is the professional body for speech and language therapists and has over 13,000 members. RCSLT is responsible for setting high standards in clinical practice and improving services for people with communication needs.I CAN is the children's communication charity. I CAN works to develop speech, language and communication skills for all children with a particular focus on children who find communication hard. I CAN works to ensure all people who have a responsibility to children, either directly or indirectly, from parents and teachers to policy makers, understand the importance of good communication skills
Afasic is the UK charity that supports children and young people with speech, language and communication impairments and their parents and carers.
The APPG on Speech and Language Difficulties is a cross party group of parliamentarians which aims to raise the profile of communication needs and lobby to improve services to those who need speech and language therapy.
Speech, language and communication needs cover a wide spectrum of difficulties, from children who may have specific communication disability, hearing impairment, cleft lip and palate, stammering, cerebral palsy or autistic spectrum disorders. They may also have mild, moderate or severe learning difficulties.
Children with a communication disability have problems in one or more of these areas: Form - how sounds make words, how words make sentences, how sentences make stories, Content - what we mean, Understanding what others say, Use - how language is used with different people in different places.
A child who struggles to speak may struggle to read and write. They are less likely to leave school with qualifications or job prospects and are in danger of becoming NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training). There is evidence poor communication skills can contribute to social exclusion, an increased risk of anti-social behaviour and offending and an increased likelihood of developing behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.
Communication difficulties occur disproportionately amongst children from disadvantaged backgrounds - one study investigating four year olds in areas of deprivation found the prevalence of speech, language and communication needs was as high as 55% .4
4 Locke, Ginsborg et al Development and Disadvantage in Early Years International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders Vol 27 No 1 (2002)
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For more information contact Steven Harulow, email: steven.harulow@rcslt.org tel: 020 7378 3004