Why is speech and language important?

Last weekend I was speaking to a parent about worries concerning their child. She told me, ‘we’ve been to speech and language…’, and it struck me that the term ‘speech and language’ is used to describe lots of things: speech and language therapy, speech and language difficulties or needs, and speech and language development.

With so much terminology associated with speech and language, I thought it would be useful to start with a quick run through some key terms:

What is Speech and Language

• Speech – the speech sounds we use in a systematic way to create words. Using the right sounds in the right places in words so they can be understood.

• Language – understanding and saying words, combining those words using set rules (grammar) to create sentences and longer stretches of language to express our thoughts, ideas, experiences and feelings.

‘Speech and language’ is about understanding and talking. These are the most complex skills we ever learn.

For most children, speech and language develops with no trouble, through interacting with the people around them. However, a significant group of children struggle to develop these skills.

For example, around 7.5% of children have Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), which is a long-term need where children find it difficult to acquire their language skills. DLD is a recognised type of neurodiversity, which often goes overlooked. A further 2.5% of children have Language Disorders associated with other conditions, such as learning difficulties or autism.

Other children may have speech sound disorders which impact on the clarity of their speech, making it difficult for others to understand what they are saying. Some children have social communication differences which can impact on their interaction with others. You may also come across children who stammer, children with selective / situational mutism who struggle with speaking in specific situations. There are also children with voice disorders, though this is much less common.  

Sometimes SLCN (Speech, Language and Communication Needs) is used as an umbrella term to describe all these difficulties. In schools, children are categorised as SLCN if they have speech, language and communication as their primary need.

Why is speech and language important

Speech and language skills are important in their own right, for communicating with others, expressing our ideas, thoughts, wants and needs. It’s often through speech and language that we connect with those around us and share our personal experiences. However, there are a range of other key reasons why speech and language is not just important but impactful.

Impact

Communication is essential for everyday life. For learning, interacting, working, expressing ourselves. Imagine if you couldn’t tell people, you didn’t like peas when they were served at every meal. Or that you prefer being called Billy, not William. It’s how we express ourselves, share ideas, form opinions, make friends.

As a speech and language therapist of almost 40 years, I have seen the impact that speech and language difficulties can have on children and their families. I’ve also been privileged to work with children with these difficulties and seen the huge impact we can have on their language, learning, social interaction and wellbeing - and more widely on their engagement and confidence.

Language and literacy

Speech and language skills are crucial for learning to read and write – when children have difficulties with speech and language they often struggle with reading and writing.

In 1976, James Britton wrote the now famous quote, “Reading and writing float on a sea of talk.” 

Since then, extensive research has evidenced the direct link between children’s understanding of the spoken word and their understanding of what they have read. We also know that children’s ability to retell a story at age 6 is directly related to their writing at age 11. Even phonics skills, taught extensively in schools, is dependent on language skills such as vocabulary knowledge and phonological awareness (e.g. understanding rhyme, syllable structure and speech sounds).

We see this evidence reflected in those children with language difficulties. They are three times more likely to be behind in English at age 11 and over half of all children with DLD struggle to read simple texts. Without oral language skills, mastering the written word is extremely challenging.

Engagement

Imagine you are in a situation where you don’t understand a lot of what is being said, or struggle to say what you want to.

If you were a child in a classroom, it means you don’t know what the teacher wants you to do when they give an instruction or explain a task. It can cause lots of frustration or high anxiety. Some children ‘zone out’ or disengage as they can’t cope with the sheer volume of language. Some can’t deal with a situation where they are unsure of what is required and don’t know how to ask for help.

Attainment

We need our language for learning, and we know that language difficulties impact learning and attainment. We need our language to understand key concepts in class and to problem solve with peers. We also need language to work out when we don’t understand and seek clarification, something lots of children with language difficulties struggle with.

Children with SLCN attain less well than most other children with SEND. Just 15% of children with SLCN reach expected standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of primary school, and only 14% of children with SLCN gain a 9-5 pass at GCSE. However, we know from research that we can make a big difference when children receive support, such as speech and language therapy and speech and language interventions.

Wellbeing; Social, emotional and mental health

Good language and communication is a protective factor for resilience and mental health. Conversely people with language difficulties are at higher risk of secondary mental health issues.

Around 50% of children with emotional and behavioural disorders have unidentified language difficulties. For those children with significant emotional and behavioural disorders, 81% have been found to have significant language deficits.

These difficulties can be difficult to identify. Lack of compliance can be seen as poor behaviour, lack of co-operation or defiance, rather than lack of understanding.

The impact can be significant and long term, particularly when children aren’t identified and supported. For example, 60% of young offenders have poor language skills and 66% of pupils at risk of exclusion have SLCN.

Being aware of these links is crucial to ensure any interventions for behaviour or mental health needs consider children’s language. This is to ensure they understand and can express themselves to get the most out of counselling and talk therapies.

Our biggest obstacle

So now you know why speech and language is important. But why is it important that you know? Well, because one of the biggest obstacles facing SLCN is that it’s hidden. Less than half of children with SLCN are identified, either missed or misidentified…

That’s why it’s useful to look out for behaviours that can help us spot children with SLCN… for example:

• Learning difficulties, such as children who struggle to follow instructions, struggle to get started or use lots of distraction techniques.

• Literacy difficulties, such as difficulties with understanding what they have read, difficulties with phonics, incohesive writing and even fluency issues when reading.

• Emotional or behavioural challenges, such as poor self esteem, challenging behaviours, depression or high anxiety.

• Social communication differences, such as struggling at less structured times, friendship struggles or feeling isolated.

• Language difficulties such as unclear speech, using ‘empty language – ‘this, thingy, that…’, not talking in sentences, word finding or word learning difficulties.

Often teachers will say to me that they know children in their class are struggling, though can’t quite put their finger on why – often it can be language difficulties, particularly if you spot some of the behaviours highlighted.

So, if you’re a teacher working with children and have some concerns, or a head teacher trying to improve attainment or a parent trying to understand their child, take a minute to think...

Could it be speech and language?