University News Last updated 06 September 2023
The Government and other key decision-makers must “finally listen to unheard children”, says a leading academic at Birmingham City University (BCU) after a report revealed that the number of pupils with speech and language challenges has grown to its highest level in the United Kingdom.
Gillian Rudd, a Senior Lecturer and Joint Course Lead within BCU’s Department of Speech and Language Therapy, said: “Although there has been some progress made over the last few years, including increased levels of information and training for health visiting teams, the Government response has not sufficiently addressed the longstanding issues.
“We have repeatedly called for a joined-up response that will properly serve the needs of children and their families and I echo the I CAN charity and Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists in urging decision-makers to finally listen to unheard children and do more.”
According to a survey conducted by Speech and Language UK, one in five primary and secondary aged children are estimated to be behind with their talking and understanding of words.
This is the highest number of children with speech and language challenges ever recorded.
The report, based on a survey of teachers, also found that:
- 80% of teachers think children in their classroom are behind with their talking and/or understanding of words;
- 73% of teachers surveyed think that children's speech and language is not prioritised by the government;
- 53% of teachers don't believe they have enough training to support pupils' speech and language in the classroom.
“We know that speech, language and communication difficulties can significantly impact children in both the short and long-term, affecting their mental health and wellbeing, their ability to develop and maintain friendships and their education,” said Rudd.
“Communication is central to everything that we do. It's how we share our thoughts and feelings, how we let people know what we like and don't like and how we're doing.
“It therefore makes sense that any difficulties with communication can make everyday life very difficult. This, in turn, can have an impact on those around them, especially in circumstances where access to specialist support services is limited.”
Rudd says there needs to be a comprehensive plan to identify how speech and language therapy services are going to be adequately funded so they can provide help to everyone who needs them, regardless of their age, background or postcode.
She added that the West Midlands is in urgent need of support.
“The issues with availability of and access to children's speech and language therapy services are long-standing, and the West Midlands has historically been one of the poorest funded areas despite significant levels of deprivation across the region,” she said.
“During the height of the pandemic, access to many specialist services was affected and this has a disproportionate impact on children and families who were already experiencing disadvantages.
“Speech and language therapy teams are working as hard as they can to serve their local communities, but insufficient funding and high vacancy rates mean that services are unable to sufficiently meet local need.”