Editorial: 

ABSS’ vision for Communication and Language: “All parents and carers use their increased knowledge to develop their child’s communication and language skills, helping them reach their expected levels of development and be greater equipped for starting school” 

Welcome to our Let’s Talk Communication and Language Research Bulletin Edition 31. 

The outcomes that the Southend Partnership is working towards are as follows: 

• More children in ABSS wards will have improved levels of verbal and non-verbal communication skills 
• More children in ABSS wards will have reached their expected levels of development at age 2, resulting in good progress through pre-school/nursery 
• More children in ABSS wards will have improved listening and attention skills, preparing them for school 
• More children in ABSS wards will have achieved the expected level of development for understanding 
• More children in ABSS wards will have achieved the expected level of development for verbal communication (speaking) 

• More children in ABSS wards will be equipped to manage their feelings, leading to improved behaviour 
• More children in Southend will have reached good levels of achievement in communication and language 
• More children in Southend will be equipped with the language to articulate their emotional needs 
• More children in Southend will have well-developed skills in listening with good levels of attention 
• More children in Southend will have improved levels of verbal and non-verbal communication 

If you would like to know more about our services, projects and activities in this area please contact us at abetterstart@eyalliance.org.uk 

Learning Language and Speech 

Title: Feldman, HM. (2019), How Young Children Learn Language and Speech, Paediatrics in Review, 40(8):398-411 DOI: 10.1542/pir.2017-0325 

Research source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334861785_How_Young_Children_Learn_Language_and_Speech 

Our Summary:  

The author sets out to review the following (adapted from p 395): 

• Current theories of language and speech that is useful for prevention 
• Identify the main developmental milestones in this area and discuss how this might be used to assess the risk of disorders in this area 
• Discuss the use of screening tools that can be used 
• Explore possible causes for delays 
• Evaluates the intensity of therapeutic intervention that might be needed 

The milestone for ages 0-4 years are considered to be: 

• Newborn – e.g. attending to voice and crying 
• 3 months – smiles when spoken to, coos 
• 6 months – turns when name is called, babbles 
• 9 months – stops when told no, learns routines, points, says mum and dad non-specifically 

• 12 months – follows simple commands, says mum and dad specifically, jargon and first words 
• 15 – 18 months – points to body, follows single commands, slow word acquisition, participates in conversation 
• 18-24 months – understands sentences, vocabulary 50 words or over, uses 2-word phrases 
• 24-36 months – 2-3 step commands, answers ‘wh’ questions 
• 36-48 months – plurals etc., understands who, why and how many, combines 3-4 words in sentences, uses and, but etc. 

Among the recommendations are (p400): 

• For parents to speak as often as possible to their infants using simple sentences with exaggerated tone 
• To use language that describes what a child is doing or what they are saying 
• To limit screen time 
• To support policy that supports early language education 

Evaluating Early Language Interventions 

Title: Dimova, S. Ilie, S. Brown, ER. Broeke, M. and Sutherland, A. (2020), The Nuffield Early Language Intervention: Evaluation Report, Education Endowment Foundation 

Research source: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-evaluation/projects/nuffield-early-language-intervention/#eef-summary 

Publication Date: 2020 

Our Summary:  

“Given the wealth of evidence to suggest that early intervention has great potential to narrow the gap, it is surprising that few nursery and reception year programmes have been rigorously tested for impact. One exception, however, is the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI)” (p5) 

An effectiveness trial and evaluation of an early language intervention has been undertaken in both nursery and reception classes. The first trial that was undertaken was in 19 pre-school settings in England in 2009/2010. The focus of the intervention was a small group work supported by individual sessions where needed. The delivery was specifically focussed on listening, comprehension and vocabulary skills. The initial pilot study (nursery age) by Fricke et al, 20131 was then followed up in 2016 with nursery and reception aged children. The focus of this evaluation study was to look progress with reception aged children. 

The trial set out to test the following (p11): 

Theory 1:The Nuffield Early Language Intervention will have a positive effect on the oral language outcomes of children who are in a randomly assigned intervention group compared to children in control schools. 

Theory 2:The Nuffield Early Language Intervention will have a positive effect on the early word reading of children who are in a randomly assigned intervention group compared to children in control schools. 

Theory 3:The Nuffield Early Language Intervention will have a positive effect on the language outcomes of children who are in a randomly assigned intervention group compared to children in control schools, as assessed through the Language Screen measure. 

The intervention was 20 weeks in length with 1,156 children taking part all of whom needed additional support in language skills. It was delivered by Elklan who provided teaching assistants with: 

• Initial 2-day training 
• On-line support 
• Post training half a day workshop 

All children received a screening prior to the start of the study.  

The Logic Model (LM) or what was felt was needed to take place for the required change to be achieved for the intervention can be found on p10, Figure 2 of the evaluation report. It was also assessed against quality and adherence to the model. 

The process part of the evaluation looked at the following questions (adapted from p 26): 

• Was the intervention implemented in the way that it was set down in the intervention classrooms? 
• What factors and initial conditions appear to explain any variation in quality of delivery?
• What appear to be the necessary conditions for success of the intervention?
• What were the barriers to delivery? 
• To what extent did the implementation, as implemented in the trial, lead to specific outcomes such as improved knowledge and teaching of language? 
• To what extent did the intervention differ from usual practice? 

Locally the trial was undertaken in 25 classes in Essex. 

The key findings from the study were as follows (p3):

Children who received the programme made the equivalent of three additional months’ progressin language skills, on average, compared to children who did not receive it This result was considered to be highly secure by the funder

Children who received the programme made the equivalent oftwo additional months’ progress in early word reading, on average, compared to children who did not receive it, in additionto four additional months’ progress in language skills (as measured by the digital application Language Screen)

Children who received the programme withEnglish as an additional language (EAL)made the equivalent of three additional months’ progress in language skills compared to EAL children who did not receive it

Surveys and interviews from the process evaluation showed that schools believed the training and ongoing support provided was clear, useful, and sufficiently detailed for them to deliver the intervention effectively. Initial training attendance was high, and while top-up training attendance was lower,the vast majority ofTA survey respondents made use of ongoing support such as telephone calls, webinars, or forums

There was variation in the number of sessions that schools delivered to pupils and schools did not necessarily deliver the maximum number of sessions. Schools were more likely to deliver the group sessions compared to the individual sessions. TAs attending training and delivering a larger number of sessions was associated with better language outcomes for pupils

The cost of the intervention was found to be £43-£58 per child per year. 

A printable summary of the evaluation from the Education Endowment Foundation can also be found here. 

Infant and Parent Connections 

Title: Piazza, EA., Hasenfratz, L. Hasson, U. and Lew-Williams, C. (2020), Infant and Adult Brains Are Coupled to the Dynamics of Natural Communication, Psychological Science, Vol, 31 (1), 6-17 

Research source: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0956797619878698 

Publication Date: 2019 

Our thanks go to Lynsey Weston for suggesting a review of this article. 

Our Summary:  

It has long been known that infancy is a critical period in learning from adults, and that the environment that this takes place in is also critical to development. This innovative study looked at 18 infant (9-15 months) and adult pairs in an attempt to understand more about how brain function may couple in real time every-day communications. Non-invasive scanning equipment (measuring activity in the Pre-Frontal Cortex (PFC) which is known to be linked to predicting language processing and understanding the perspectives of others e.g. Lerner et al, 20112 ) was used to undertake this by measuring changed in blood oxygen resulting from brain activity. This has potential for further understanding of how one brain may try to predict the behaviour of another (infant and caregiver and visa versa). They also believed that this could be seen in mutual gaze, joint attention to objects, infant smiling and adult speech pace (p7). 

As the result of the study the authors argue that there was found to be a dynamic role in (p15): 

• brain activity (PFC) in joint contact, infant emotion and joint attention to objects 
• adult speech pitch variability and on this basis, it is proposed as to how infants and their carers may encourage playful and shared communications. 

Vocal Learning and Babbling 

Guest Edited by Sian Ansell 

Title: Elmlinger, SL. Schwade, JA. And Goldstein, MH (2019), The Ecology of Prelinguistic Vocal Learning: Parents Simplify the Structure of Their Speech in Response to Babbling, Journal of Child Language (2019), 46, 998–1011 

Research source: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-child-language/article/ecology-of-prelinguistic-vocal-learning-parents-simplify-the-structure-of-their-speech-in-response-to-babbling/FA82E5857B22DDD5480E864E980029ED 

Publication Date:  2019 

Our Summary:  

For all new parents watching their little one grow, finding their voice and place in the world is a wonder of parenthood!  

It’s possible that they believe the role they play in their child’s language development is one of teacher, that their little one is a vessel into which they pour all the information needed for them to thrive, that their little ones are waiting for them to lead the interactions and that their baby simply responds. Elmlinger, Shwade and Goldstein’s research shows that is not quite the case, that from a very early stage babies are the communication leaders and it’s how parents and caregivers respond to their little ones earliest babbling, that makes a difference to language acquisition. 

It is already well documented that: 

• Adults who coordinate their vocalizations with those of their offspring create ‘contingent’ social feedback that facilitates learning of more advanced vocal patterns.  

• Human infants have a long period of vocal immaturity, during which vocal development seems particularly open to social input (e.g., Kuhl, Tsao, & Lui, 2003; Goldstein & Schwade, 2010; Ramírez-Esparza, García-Sierra, & Kuhl 2017).  
• By five months, infants have come to expect that their babbling (i.e., all speech-related prelinguistic vocalizations, excluding cries and vegetative sounds; Oller, 2000; Warlaumont, Richards, Gilkerson, & Oller, 2014) will reliably elicit an adult’s response (Goldstein, Schwade, & Bornstein, 2009).  
• Social influences continue to facilitate improvements in vocal learning throughout the babbling phase.  
• By nine months, infants produce more speech-like vocalizations when caregivers’ responses are contingent on their vocalizations.  

So, when parents notice what their little one is attending to, and then talk to them about it, they boost their little one’s early language development.  

This style of interaction, is referred to as ‘contingent speech’ and plays a huge role in early language development. Research shows that this is because, when adults respond with sentences, and vocabulary focussed on what is interesting to their little one, the language heard and experienced at that moment, becomes memorable and is stored for later use!  

Elmlinger, Shwade and Goldstein’s study indicates that it seems to be true at an even earlier stage in development, with the babbling of babies.  

The author’s research argues that when babies make non-speech sounds or ‘babble’ they are showing an interest in their world, they are, at that moment, generally more attentive and when adults respond with a repetition of the sounds made, the word for that object, or the noise that object might make, they are capable of taking in the stimuli, so have, even at such a young age instigated a response from which they learn! 

This study identified that: 

• Parents simplified the statistical and syntactic structure of their speech in response to babbling. 
• Contingent parental speech contained fewer unique words than non-contingent speech. 
• Providing a narrower distribution of words in contingent speech may serve as simplified input that is more tuned to infants’ developmental level.  
• Contingent parental speech had a higher proportion of shorter utterances and more single word utterances. 
• The higher proportion of single word utterances in contingent speech may simplify the task of finding word boundaries, facilitating statistical learning, as it targets linguistic content within short time-windows when the infant’s attention is heightened.  
• Infants’ immature vocalizations may create language learning opportunities by eliciting more learnable speech responses from parents that contain simplified, more learnable information.  

Elmlinger, Shwade and Goldstein argue that their research report is the first indication (to their knowledge) that parents’ speech is sensitive to infant vocal behaviour in real time and that the linguistic simplification of parents’ contingent speech may provide particular benefits for infant learning, because infants often babble at times of focused attention and heightened interest. 

In conclusion, the research findings indicate that the focus of current interventions aimed at closing the language gap between disadvantaged children and their peers may need to give greater emphasis to the role contingent speech plays in early language acquisition and not to focus solely on increasing the number of words caregivers say, or increasing their turn taking interactions. 

Suggested Resources: 

https://youtu.be/hgOb5dyrfdI 

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.731434!/file/NurseryWorld.pdf 

https://alicesharp.co.uk/contingent-talk 

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02699206.2019.1602848 

Babble and Squeak: Boosting Babies’ Language 

Guest edited by Isobel Wratislaw 

Title: Ramirez, NF., Roseberry Lyttle, S. and Kuhl, PK. (2020), Parent Coaching increases Conversational Turns and Advances Infant Language Development, PNAS, 117 (7), 3484-3491 

Research source: https://www.pnas.org/content/117/7/3484 

Publication Date:  February 2020 

Our Summary:  

“Ooh yummy! Dinner! What have you got today?” 

Have you ever spoken to a baby in this way – usually in a higher register than your normal voice? Then you are not alone! Most adults will speak in a simplified way with fewer words, higher pitch (nearly an octave higher in some cases) and different intonation patterns when addressing babies.  

The importance of parental language, initially referred to as ‘parentese’ (which was found to be in use across cultures) has been known for some time. Research has demonstrated that parent-child turn taking and a slow pattern of talking had a positive impact on language development, particularly vocabulary!  More recently, social communication has been cited as an additional benefit of parentese – with the introduction of a ‘back-and-forth’ style of communication allowing children more time to babble or use words in response. However, this important information about language development has not been shared very effectively with parents themselves. This particular study goes further by hypothesising that parent coaching adds value to the use of parentese.   

The research cited in this study focused on the strength of parent coaching which was composed of four steps:  

• The first two focused on the audio recordings of natural conversation, made by the family (the baby had an audio recording device attached in a pocket of their clothing). These recordings were listened to and together parents and researchers highlighted positive examples of parentese and turn taking.  

• The third step involved parents identifying routines which could be opportunities to maximise social interaction and language development, such as bath time or bus rides. At this stage families were also given a story book to share.  
• The final step was to discuss the next expected language milestone and appropriate strategies to develop this stage. 

There are a number of lessons that can be learnt from this study and previous studies, which can be adopted by the A Better Start ‘Let’s Talk’ Speech and Language Therapy Team in order to enhance our provision and improve the language skills of our youngest children. Most support for parents in the antenatal period and first few months of the baby’s life is focused, quite naturally, on the birth, feeding and caring of the baby.  However, we do know that parents are their child’s best educators in these early years and this study demonstrates that it’s never too early to start working with parents to give them the tools to help their children (thereby supporting the aims of ABSS of prevention and early intervention). Currently, parents are given little information about the development of speech and language and the importance of mirroring their baby’s attempts at communication – both verbal and non-verbal. 

Within the ABSS Let’s Talk team there already exists an offer to some parents of Verve sessions. Similar to the study, these enable parents to watch video recorded sessions of their interaction and supports them to identify areas that can be improved, such as ‘asking too many questions’. The results for these children have been promising, with an increase in the quantity and quality of children’s talking as well as improved confidence for parents.  

However, currently these sessions are only made available for a small number of our families, and they are aimed at older children. Going forward, we need to take the results of this study, previous research, and our own experience, to develop an offer for parents and babies within the ABSS wards that is focused on families of children under 2 years and is available at a Universal level. Information sharing is critical, and we should work with parents to design a method of supporting their interactions to create the best possible outcomes for their children. 

Resources and links: 

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2020/feb/04/whos-a-clever-baby-how-speaking-parentese-helps-your-baby-learn-to-talk 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200203151158.htm 

https://www.futurity.org/learning-to-talk-parentese-babies-1918472-2/ 

https://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/article/a-parent-s-guide-tousing-parentese 

https://www.nct.org.uk/baby-toddler/learning-talk-and-communication-your-baby/it-good-go-gaga-effective-ways-communicate-your-baby 

Attention Autism for children and young people on the autistic spectrum 

Guest edited by Sarah Raymond (EPUT) 

Title: Marsh, F. (2019), Attention Autism for children and young people on the autistic spectrum: A critique of the current evidence-base 

Research source: http://blog.soton.ac.uk/edpsych/files/2019/09/Attention-Autism-March-2019-Fiona-Marsh.pdf 

Publication Date:  March 2019 (pre-print dissertation) 

Our Summary:  

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been identified as the most common and rapidly expanding type of primary need for pupils with an EHCP (Department of Education ,DfE, 2018). Measuring the effectiveness of intervention strategies used with children with a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of ASD is essential to enable best practice.  

The author of the publication aims to critique the current evidence base of the Attention Autism programme. Attention Autism is an intervention approach designed by Specialist Speech and Language Therapist Gina Davies (https://ginadavies.co.uk/), to support children and young people with a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of ASD. Attention Autism aims to develop natural and spontaneous communication through the use of visually based and highly motivating activities. The sessions aim to ‘offer an irresistible invitation to learn’ (Davies, 2017).  The Attention Autism programme progresses through a series of stages, building on each skill level. Each new stage is introduced when the child/group is ready to expand their attention skills.  

Stage 1: The Bucket to Focus Attention: A bucket is filled with visually engaging objects and toys, aiming to gain the shared attention of the group. The adult leader shows each item to the child/group and uses simple repetitive vocabulary to comment on the various objects. 

Stage 2: The Attention Builder: Visually stimulating activities are shown to the group by the adult leader, aiming to sustain the attention of the child/group for a longer period. The activities are always fun and visually engaging. 

Stage 3: The Interactive Game: The adult leader demonstrates a simple activity, often modelled with another adult in the group. Some children are then invited to have a turn but only if they are comfortable to do so.  

Stage 4: The Table Activities: The adult leader demonstrates a simple creative task, and then gives each child an individual kit to copy the task. The children take their kits to a table, complete the task independently, before everyone returns to the group to show their completed tasks. 

There is currently limited peer-reviewed research to indicate the effectiveness of the Attention Autism approach. The author identifies that the current research available are masters and action research projects.  

The author reviews the literature and identifies that projects such as Buckingham, (2012); Morgan, (2011); Courtman, (2018) and McKeown, (2015) have shown positive, preliminary findings for the use of Attention Autism. Progress has been measured by increased joint attention, social skills and teacher-student relationships.  

However, the report argues that further research is needed as follows: 

• Further rigorous research is required to identify if Attention Autism alone can lead to improvements in attention, social communication, language and social skills for children and young people with ASD. 
• Future research should focus on investigating the efficacy of Attention Autism and how it may be best implemented across settings to support children and young people with ASD. 

References:  

Buckingham, K. (2012). The impact of an Attention Autism approach on joint attention skills in a Key Stage one class in a special school. Dissertation. Accessed from: https://www.southamptoninclusion.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Research-KateBuckingham.pdf 

Courtman, S.J. (2018). An evaluation of the effectiveness of using the Attention Autism programme as an intervention for increasing the level of attention during an adult led activity in pupils with Autism Spectrum Condition. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322939097_An_evaluation_of_the_effective ness_of_using_the_Attention_Autism_programme_as_an_intervention_for_increasing_ the_level_of_attention_during_an_adult_led_activity_in_pupils_with_Autism_Spectrum _Condition 

Department of Education (2018). Special educational needs in England: January 2018. Retrieved from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachm ent_data/file/729208/SEN_2018_Text.pdf 

Davies (2017). Practical help with autism – Gina Davies Autism Centre. Retrieved from: http://ginadavies.co.uk/ 

McKeown, L. (2015). An evaluation of the Attention Autism programme for secondary aged children with autism in a mainstream setting. Good Practice Autism, 16:1, 12-17. 

Morgan, H. (2011) Evaluation of Attention Hillingdon: a social communication intervention for pre-schoolers with autism spectrum disorder. Institute of Education, University of London. 

Screen-time 

Title: Madigan, S. Browne, D. Racine, N. Mori, C. and Tough, S. (2019), Association Between Screen Time and Children’s Performance on a Developmental Screening Test, 2019: 173: 244-250 

Research source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30688984/ 

Publication Date: May 2019 

Thanks to Isobel Wratislaw for suggesting this article 

Our Summary:  

This Canadian study aims to explore whether there is a relationship between screen-time and child development in mother and child pairs. This was the result of the finding that 98% of American children (0-8 years) currently live in internet connected homes and spend on average 2 hours per day on devices. In order to look at this relationship the trial followed 2441 pairs from a wider study called ‘All our Families’ which looks at development across the life-course. Follow ups were undertaken at 24, 36 and 60 months from 2011 and 2016, with the data being analysed in 2018. 

The authors go on to argue that the study was novel, in that it was able to follow up children in the same cohort over a five-year period. It proposes on this basis that screen-time in the higher range is likely to have a less positive effect on developmental screening (in this case Ages and Stages Questionnaire ASQ-3). The average screen-time for children in the study was 11 hours per week. They also go onto state that they found that entering primary education and wrap around care has a tendency to naturally reduce screen-time without intervention. 

The authors recommend in practice that practitioners should (p248): 

• Emphasise moderation in screen time, balanced with physical activity 

• Encourage families to purposefully plan screen-time each week (e.g. rules and boundaries, and having screen free zones etc.) 

Listening and Reading 

Title: Best, E. (2020), Audiobooks and Literacy, A Rapid Review of the Literature, National Literacy Trust 

Research source: https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/audiobooks-and-literacy-rapid-review-literature/ 

Publication Date: February 2020 

Our Summary:  

“You can listen any time: in the car, the bath, at bedtime to help your child wind down, or just have one on in the background during the day… Children go through phases when they’re less interested in reading, so listening to audiobooks can keep up their exposure to literature” (cited in Picton, I. and Clark, C. 2018, Appendices3) 

Audio literature has been very much growing since 2018. Indeed, the author proposes that this is likely to be in the region of 28.8% in the previous year, and that some providers have seen a growth of as much as 45% in a year alone. Children’s books have also been seen to be following this trend. 

Research undertaken by the Insight People has shown that the usage of smart speakers has risen by about 138%4 with a third of these children listening to books on audio 15 minutes per week (p2). 

This rapid review argues that there is “strong evidence’ (p2) that such audio listening can provide a positive effect. 

The following areas are explored by the authors: 

• Engagement with audio books inc. young readers 
• Benefits of engagement
• Comprehension skills 
• Comprehending non-fiction 
• Reading while listening 
• Modelling reading 
• Access to wider ranges of books 
• Emotional response and development 
• Parental engagement 
• Risks 
• Audio books in the classroom 

As the result of this it is argued that “they are increasing in popularity but that their convenience and ease can be of huge benefit in education” (p12). It is also stated that this does not mean that such methods are a ‘shortcut’ or that the process of learning by this method is being lost. In many cases it has been seen as a way of supporting children to increase their vocabulary and emotional intelligence. Further studies in this area could further support children who like to learn in a variety of ways on their reading skills. In addition, it is stated that when children further develop their listening that this will be in conjunction with their reading, writing and speaking skills. 

The Importance of Reading for Pleasure 

 Guest edited by Lynsey Weston 

 Title: Children’s Reading for Pleasure, Egmont Research, 2020 (All data sourced from Nielsen Book: Understanding the Children’s Book Consumer Survey) 

Research source: https://www.egmont.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Reading-for-Pleasure-2020.pdf 

Publication Date:  2020 

Our Summary:  

‘Children who read for pleasure, simply do better in life’ 

(p.6 Children’s Reading for Pleasure, Egmont Research, 2020) 

Research is showing that the numbers of children who independently read for pleasure is in decline, but this can be changed, if attitudes towards reading are altered. 

This research considers different age groups of children (0-4yrs), (5-10yrs) and (11-17yrs), and compares how frequently they read for pleasure. The authors then consider how frequently the same age groups of children are read aloud to by their parents, make links between these two ‘types’ of reading and suggest a correlation: It concludes that: 

The more children are read aloud to, the more likely they are to independently read for pleasure. The authors make a direct link to the two, stating that ‘reading for pleasure’ means better life chances. 

The research also considers social attitudes towards reading (parental and educational) and specifically, how parents’ ages can mean they place a different prominence on the act of reading aloud. It makes a distinction between the attitudes and behaviours of ‘Generation X Parents’ (those between the ages of 39 and 54 in 2019) and ‘Millennial Parents’ (those between the ages of 23 and 38 in 2019). 

It also considers other social factors such as the increased use of digital technology. 

Results: 

The main findings from the research are that: 

• Whichever age – bracket children fall in to, since 2012, on average, there has been a long- term decline in the numbers of children who are frequently read aloud to by their parents and those children who also, independently, read for pleasure.
• The suggestion is that unless action is taken, a long- term decline will continue in both areas.
• Some parents are not aware of the importance of reading and the impact it can have on their children’s lives, long – term.
• Some parents are not aware of the link between reading aloud to their children and how it will in turn, encourage their child to independently, read for pleasure.
• Parents’ views on reading differ and parents can sometimes have misconstrued ideas about reading. This could account for that decline. Findings and data from the researchshowsthat, for example, where parents are concerned: 

*9% of parents with 0-2yr olds stated that it ‘was nice to read to them, but not actually necessary’. (p.4 Children’s Reading for Pleasure, Egmont Research, 2020) 

*‘Parents think it is less necessary to read aloud to their children, as their children get older’.  (p.4 Children’s Reading for Pleasure, Egmont Research, 2020) 

*Parental confusion arises between ‘Literacy’ – the ability to read and write –  and the act of choosing to read for pleasure. The suggestion is that as parents (and schools) become more focused on the ‘skills’ involved in Literacy, this dominates and overshadows the act and enjoyment of reading for pleasure.  

* Parents have ‘…. a widespread mistaken belief that can read means will [naturally] choose to read for pleasure’.  (p.4 Children’s Reading for Pleasure, Egmont Research, 2020) 

* Older parents (Generation X) of 0-7s are more likely to say it’s essential to read aloud to their children (67%) than younger parents (Millennial Parents) at 57%.  Similarly, older parents of 0-13s are more likely to say their child reads for pleasure on a daily basis or nearly every day, than the younger parents.  

* There has been a steady increase in screen time for children of all ages and both genders. (The suggestion is that parents are potentially comfortable with their children reaching for screens instead of books) e.g. in 2019, 23% of boys aged between 0-2yrs spent between 2-3 hours a day on a tablet or smartphone compared to 5% in 2014.  

* However, the authors of the research note that, “Despite the appeal of digital entertainment, eBooks and book apps have failed to encourage more children to read for pleasure.” (p.6 Children’s Reading for Pleasure, Egmont Research, 2020) 

* 19% of the parents surveyed, said they needed help to manage their children’s screen time.  

* Parents would welcome more information about and help with reading and the researchers found that when certain educational statements about reading were shared with parents, in a transparent fashion, showing its benefits, parents were then keener to implement change. 

In conclusion, the research states that … ‘parents need to be made more aware of the critical importance of reading aloud to their children, and well beyond the point at which their child is capable of reading. By sharing reading, showing its pleasure and sharing that pleasure, they will build their child’s desire to read independently and establish a reading habit.  By feeding knowledge, imagination and by engaging empathy, reading feeds children’s growing humanity. Nothing less than children’s life chances is at stake’.  (p.6 Children’s Reading for Pleasure, Egmont Research, 2020) 

Further Resources: 

What and How Kids are Reading – An independent study by: Professor Keith Topping, Professor of Educational and Social Research, School of Education, University of Dundee (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_James_Topping) and Dr Christina Clark, Head of Research, and Irene Picton, Research Manager, National Literacy Trust (https://literacytrust.org.uk). 2020 edition: 

http://www.renlearn.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/WKAR-2020_LowRes.pdf 

TES article by dave SPECK, 2019: 

https://www.tes.com/news/exclusive-only-quarter-pupils-get-recommended-reading-pleasure-time 

The Impact of Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment (2015) – The Reading Agency: 

https://readingagency.org.uk/news/The%20Impact%20of%20Reading%20for%20Pleasure%20and%20Empowerment.pdf 

The Education Standards Research Team (ESARD)  (2012) The Research Evidence on Reading for Pleasure: 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-evidence-on-reading-for-pleasure  

Tiny Happy People (Review) 

Title: RCSLT (2020), Meet BBC Tiny Happy People, Bulletin March 2020, 17-18 

Research source: https://www.rcslt.org/about-us/bulletin-overview 

Linked resources and other reading:  

• Logan et. Al (2019), When Children are Not Read to at Home: The Million Word Gap, J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2019;40(5):383-386. doi:10.1097/DBP.0000000000000657 

• Wood, R. and Wratislaw, I (2018), 5,000 Reasons to Invest, ABSS E-Poster presented at the Public Health England Conference Sept 2018 

www.bbc.co.uk/tinyhappypeople 

Publication Date: March 2020 

Thanks to Isobel Wratislaw (EPUT) for suggesting this article. 

Our Summary:  

The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapy has partnered up with BBC Tiny Happy People to support language development in the early years. Its aim with this initiative is to do this by ‘empowering parents’. In order to do this a group of advisors (Language Advisory Group) worked together to understand the evidence base that could support this work. This group consisted of both service delivery specialists as well as academic advisors. 

The BBC have published the science (e.g. baby brains, toddler development and what toddlers learn through play) behind the initiative and from the advisory group which can be found at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people/science-and-facts 

If you are interested in reading more about recent studies into the ‘Word Gap’, Logan et al, 2019. Here the authors propose that where parents read 1 picture book a day that their children at ages 0-4 were likely to be able to access and hear 78,000 words on average per year.