'One in six' children in UK have difficulty learning to talk

4% of children had not said their first word by three.

Nearly one in six children - and almost one quarter of boys - have difficulty learning to talk, research suggests.

A YouGov online survey of 1,015 parents found only half of children with speech problems received expert help.

The survey, for England's first "Communication Champion" Jean Gross, found some three-year-olds were unable to say a single word.

Ms Gross said the proportion of children with problems is "high" and that getting help early was essential.

"Our ability to communicate is fundamental and underpins everything else. Learning to talk is one of the most important skills a child can master in the 21st Century," she said.

"The proportion of children who have difficulty learning to talk and understand speech is high, particularly among boys.

"It is essential that all children get the help they need from skilled professionals as early as possible."

Six out of 10 people questioned for the survey said the ability to talk, listen and understand was the most important skill for children to develop in the early years.

This priority came ahead of the ability to interact with others (26%), reading skills (11%), numeracy skills (2%) and writing skills (1%).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/8436236.stm
4 January 2010

Research at Le Beaumont Language Centre over the past 5 years indicates that children's ability to talk is closely related to their language exposure in the first 8 months after birth. Babies born to high income, highly educated parents are at higher risks because there is a greater chance of both parents working full time and hence away from home.

Difficulty to talk reflects retarded brain development due to lack of language stimulation and sufficient social interaction with people. Playgroups are vital to babies born to couples both pursuing their own careers. Babies should start joining playgroups as early as possible, and in as many types of languages as possible, to develop their EQ, IQ and unbelievable language potential.

Find out more about this vital subject at this Saturday's Parenting Seminar in the Admiralty. Tel: 28 66 20 28.