Continuing on last week’s article about literacy, recent collaborative research has found that a child’s early communication environment makes an important contribution to their readiness to start school.
The article is published by the Department of Education. You can read about it here:
You can also read the full policy here:
https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR134.pdf
The researchers used data from the University of Bristol’s Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, which demonstrated that children with an advantageous communication environment had a better expressive vocabulary by age 2. When they began school, these children achieved higher scores on tests of language, maths and reading. It was felt that in the early years, the communication environment was a better predictor of children’s success with language. Previously, other factors such as their more general social background had been thought to be particularly relevant.
Professor James Law from Newcastle University, who has previously reviewed the literature on the cost-effectiveness of services for children with speech, language and communication needs, states that, “This is a very positive message as it gets us away from the belief that a child’s educational future is pre-determined by standard measures of socio-economic disadvantage such as income, housing or the mother’s education.” he also states that, “Although we recognise that traditional indicators of social risk such as material wealth remain influential later on, what you do with your child and how you communicate with them when they’re under two is far more important than having a flash car or a detached house in the country.”
Professor Law goes on to suggest that very simple changes can be made to improve a child’s communicative environment, such as playing games together, visiting the library or attending a local Surestart group. Reading together, having books around the house and lots of face-to-face interaction are also invaluable ways of supporting the environment.
If you think your child may benefit from speech and language therapy around their literacy skills, Integrated Treatment Services could be of help. Contact us here: https://integratedtreatmentservices.co.uk/contact-us/enquiry/
Sarah Bennington July 2011
Written on behalf of Integrated Treatment Services. Integrated Treatment Services is a private Speech and Language Therapy service based in Leicestershire and the East Midlands. It specialises in providing highly-skilled Speech and Language Therapists, but also associates with other therapeutic professionals, including Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Psychologists and Arts Therapists.
