A recap of BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour episode on March 17th, featuring Jane Harris
In case you missed it – Jane, our CEO, was a guest panellist on BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour yesterday morning!đź’¬ The panel discussed the impact of the lockdown on Covid babies five years on. You can listen to the full episode now on BBC Sounds.
Here’s a quick recap:
The issue
- Children born during Covid lockdowns started nursery this year. More and more are falling behind with their speech and language development. This includes following instructions, phonics, vocabulary and key milestones like pointing.
- The number of children with speech and language problems has been steadily rising since the onset of Covid – from 1.4 million in 2021, to 1.9 million in 2023.
- Children with speech and language challenges are twice as likely to be unemployed as young adults and are more likely to have mental health problems. 60% of young offenders have speech and language challenges.
- The cost of living crisis, living in an area of disadvantage, and lifelong speech and language conditions can also affect children’s speech and language development.
Find out more here.
What can be done to support children who are facing challenges with talking and understanding words?
- Introducing speech and language intervention programmes as early as possible, such as Early Talk Boost. This programme has been successful in Ireland! 🌟
- Ensuring families have access to information and advice to support their children’s talking and understanding of words. And combatting parent blaming!
- Calling on the Government to fund training for the children’s workforce, such as the Early Years Professional Development Programme.
