Learning to speak up thanks to expert help ...
Seven per cent of children aged five have speech difficulties. Stephanie Bell talks to two families whose youngsters’ lives have been transformed by speech and language therapists
THE number of children struggling to talk is rising dramatically, taking over dyslexia as the most common special educational need. Speech and language difficulties are traditionally found among children with another condition such as a genetic syndrome, hearing loss or neurological disease.
However, a rise in issues among children with no other medical condition is causing alarm.
A Department of Education census last year showed that there has been a 25% increase in primary school children having difficulty with speech and language.
It is not known why the figure is climbing but many professionals blame the growing use of screen-based gadgets as convenient ‘babysitters’ and a trend for hard-working parents to spend less time with their children.
Communication difficulties put children at greater risk of poor literacy, mental health issues and poorer employment outcomes in adulthood.
It is also feared that many children are going undiagnosed and early intervention around the age of two years old is critical to a child’s future development.
The Royal College of Speech and Language (RCSL) Therapists is very concerned about the figures.
Speech and language therapy is a vital service that improves children’s language and communication skills, and aids their personal development
Head of the RCSL office in Northern Ireland, Alison McCullough outlined how important it is for children to get help as soon as possible.
She says: “The rise we are seeing in the number of children in school with speech language and communication needs identified as their primary SEN is concerning — a 25 % increase in primary and 35% increase in post primary since 2012/3.
“We know that 7.5% of children have a developmental language disorder which is not attributed to any other condition.
“Some children don’t acquire language in the way that is expected and have difficulty developing it.
“It is still not known why this is although it does appear to be more common in children who come from a social disadvantaged background.
“Too much screen time — and not just the children — but parents too spending time on phones and tablets, means they are not talking to their children and this is thought to be a contributory factor.”
The RCSL, which is the professional body for speech and language therapists, is lobbying for more training of early year professionals to try and identify issues with young children.
Alison says that parents too can play their part: “Generally mothers and fathers are usually able to understand their children’s speech even though it hasn’t developed sufficiently for other social groups.
“If a parent is having difficulty understanding their child’s speech around the age of two then they should ask about a referral to a speech and language therapist.
“Children need to be accessing early age support.
“It stands to reason that if they have difficulty forming words then they will also have problems when it comes to reading and it can impact on their confidence and eventually their careers.
“Parents should talk to their babies and be able to see the baby trying to vocalise back to them and that should be happening before their first birthday and is the start of communication.
“It is so important for parents to talk to their babies in the early months even though they might not be getting much back from them.
“That is the window when early communication is instigated.”
Of course, speech and language therapists have long been a lifeline for children who struggle with speech and language because of other medical issues.
For these families the work of the therapists is crucial in helping their children to communicate.
Today two families whose children have conditions which impact on their ability to speak share details of how speech and language therapy has helped open up a new world to their children.