A Generation Adrift? The crucial importance of communication for children and young people Lisa Morgan Professional Director – The Communication Trust ASCEL conference – November 2013

The Communication Trust

Vision Our vision is that every child and young person is enabled to communicate to the very best of their ability

What are speech, language and communication? We put together what we hear, and UNDERSTAND We plan and organise what we will say We use words to share meaning - TALKING We hear, attend and listen We make and use sounds to form words - SPEECH Supporting notes: Speech, language and communication are complex skills which interact greatly with each other. This diagram aims to show what speech, language and communication are. This can be described as a process, from listening, through understanding, planning and talking The grey boxes describe language; understanding (sometimes called comprehension or receptive language) and talking (sometimes called expressive language). Language has structure and rules, which mean that people can convey their message and be understood by others. Language includes knowing and choosing the right words to explain what you mean, joining words together into sentences, stories and conversations, using word endings (e.g. ‘-ed’ for the past) grammar and different types of sentences (e.g. questions). It is also making sense of what people say The yellow box shows speech, which is how children use sounds to make words. So, articulating the sounds c-a-t and joining them together to make ‘cat’. It also includes speaking with a clear voice, in a way that makes speech interesting and meaningful; speaking without hesitating too much or without repeating sounds or words Communication is shown in orange and is how we use language with others. This can include non-verbal communication, for example body language and facial expression, like eye-contact, turn-taking etc and how conversations work for example – how we use language or gestures in different ways like giving directions, asking for help. Using language to interact with other people – COMMUNICATION We have to want, need and be confident to communicate

Speech, language and communication How do children develop their speech, language and communication skills? Speech, language and communication Develop right from birth Develop through interacting with others Follow expected patterns Continue developing through adolescence The children’s communication environment influences language development. The number of books available to the child, the frequency of visits to the library, parents teaching a range of activities and the number of toys available are all important predictors of the child’s expressive vocabulary at 2 years. The amount of television on in the home is also a predictor; as this time increased, so the child’s score at school entry decreased.   The communication environment is a more dominant predictor of early language than social background. In the early stages of language development, it is the particular aspects of a child’s communication environment that are associated with language acquisition rather than the broader socio-economic context of the family. The child’s language and their communication environment influence the child’s performance at school entry in addition to their social background. Children’s success at school is governed not only by their social background; the child’s communication environment before their second birthday and their language at the age of two years also have a strong influence. So what the mother did (in terms of activities and interaction with her child), had (in terms of resources) and felt (in terms of feeling supported and sense of wellbeing) in the first two years of her child’s life was shown to be important in children’s performance at 5 years. Influential factors in the child’s communication environment included the early ownership of books, trips to the library, attendance at pre-school, parents teaching a range of activities and the number of toys and books available. So, for example, those children who owned more books and were taken to the library more frequently at age 2 achieved higher scores on the school assessment when entering primary school. The amount of television on in the home is also a predictor, as this time increased, so the child’s score at school entry decreased. The measure of TV used in this study concerns the amount of time that the TV is on in the home, so this could include both children’s and adult TV. Language development at the age of 2 years predicts children’s performance on entry to primary school.  - Research report DFE – RR134, Roulstone, law, Rush, Clegg, Peters, Invertigating the role of language in childrens Early educational outcomes

It’s not who you are, it’s what you do Avon Longitudinal Study: What the mother: did (in terms of activities and interaction with her child), had (in terms of resources) and felt (in terms of feeling supported and sense of wellbeing) in the first two years of her child’s life was shown to be important in children’s performance at 5 years.  

What makes a difference? The children’s communication environment influences language development. The child’s language and communication environment influence performance at school entry Important predictors of expressive vocabulary at 2: Number of books available to the child Frequency of visits to the library parents teaching a range of activities number of toys available

Good spoken language skills – vocabulary and oral narrative Strong predictors of later academic success Start a virtuous circle with reading Good oral language More likely to be good reader Reading develops language skills

Speech, language and communication are foundation skills Learning Social & Emotional Literacy Enjoyment Achievement Attainment

Speech, language and communication and you! How can library services support the development of these skills? Why is it brilliant for library services to support these skills...?

Context In some areas of deprivation, more than 50% of children start school with delayed speech, language and communication skills.

10% of all children and young people have long term, persistent Speech, Language and Communication Needs

Poor communication skills impact on... Mental health Behaviour/vulnerability Educational achievement 40% of 7 to 14 year olds referred to child psychiatric services had a language impairment that had never been suspected 13% of pupils with SLCN gain 5 ‘good’ GCSEs compared to 59% of pupils who don’t have SLCN 2/3 of 7-14 year olds with serious behaviour problems have language impairment Literacy Disadvantage Cycle Employability Children from low income families lag behind high income counterparts by over a year in vocabulary at school entry 90% of children with SLCN go on to have reading difficulties 47% of employers say they can’t get recruits with the communication skills they need

When virtuous becomes vicious.... Access to reading Speech & Language Difficulties understanding Limited vocabulary Poor phonics

The Effects Poor Language on Reading Comprehension 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 High Oral Language in Kindergarten 5.2 years difference Reading Age Level Low Oral Language in Kindergarten You can see that by the time the children reached 7th-8th grade (age 13), the difference in reading comprehension was enormous. 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Chronological Age 15

And the good news... Early identification and intervention works Developing understanding of spoken language shown to support reading comprehension Children from poorer backgrounds who develop good language skills are more likely to ‘buck the trend’

Speech, language and communication and you! How can library services support the development of these skills? Why is it brilliant for library services to support these skills...?

To find out more.... www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk Free resources, information, updates... Why not find out if your local schools are doing the Communication Commitment?