SLCN Blog

There is a considerable body of evidence now to show how children’s early oral language skills are influenced by their home language, with children from low income families more at risk of poorly developed vocabulary compared to peers from more affluent homes. The negative impact of poor vocabulary on later attainment has been the subject of media attention over the last year or two and championed by the BBC’s Word Gap Strategy.

A recent Radio 4 podcast hosted by Michael Rosen talks about supporting language and supporting dyslexia.

It had been reported that well-meaning companies such as Clarks are paying for 6,500 of their staff to be trained in talking to children, in the hope that by engaging children in conversation while they are trying on shoes, their language skills will improve (and it won’t harm public relations either).

Training is essential to ensure we have the skills and knowledge needed to carry out our role as effectively as possible. So why is it that ‘Schools’ spending on teacher training has dropped for the first time this decade despite a retention and recruitment crisis in the profession?’

Michelle Garcia Winner’s Social Thinking® is a series of concepts, treatment frameworks and strategies for supporting and teaching children with social learning difficulties. I was lucky enough to attend a Social Thinking® conference in Ireland. Michelle Garcia Winner is a very engaging speaker, and I found myself often thinking ‘wow- that’s a light bulb moment!’