Inquiry aims to find out why language disorders are not being identified

The Royal College of Speech and Language has partnered with children’s charity I CAN to launch an inquiry that will inform a follow-up report to a landmark study on speech and language.

Published in 2008, the Bercow Review considered the support available to young children with speech, language and communication needs. It suggested 40 recommendations to help improve the services available to these children.

The new inquiry will gather evidence from practitioners, parents and young people as well as experts in the field. It will be published in early 2018 to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Bercow Review.

The review aims to understand why children with language disorders aren’t being identified after a report by University College London found that two children in every Year 1 class in the UK experience a “clinically significant” language disorder.

Education expert Jean Gross, who will chair the new review, said: “It’s shocking that almost 10 years after John Bercow’s report so many children are not being identified in schools when good language and communication skills are so vital for learning.”