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Talk To Your Baby Conference 2007: Communication Consequences
2 Jul 2007
Early communication experiences can have powerful consequences, both good and bad. Be inspired to ensure that all children get the best at the forthcoming Talk To Your Baby Conference.
The conference takes place at Savoy Place in London on Monday 26 November 2007. It is designed for anyone working with families with young children.
A range of influential speakers will help delegates consider recent academic thinking and see the wider picture, enabling them to make the case for more early communication work in local areas. Practical multi-agency initiatives from around the country will also be showcased.
Speakers include Professor Kathy Sylva, University of Oxford and Professor Peter Hobson, psychologist and author Cradle of Thought. National and local initiatives featured will include the Health-Led Parenting Support Projects, launched in April 2007, Stoke Speaks Out project and a two year Time to Talk Project in Sandwell. Other speakers will talk about good communication as the key to social inclusion and examine the high incidence of poor communication skills in the prison population.
Manager of Talk To Your Baby Liz Attenborough, said:
Good communication skills support every area of life and it’s crucial to ensure that parents and children have access to adequate support. Our conference brings together a range of experts to help inspire an engagement with early language across sectors.”
Communication Consequences is supported by Nursery World.
ENDS
Notes for Editors
1. About Talk To Your Baby
Talk To Your Baby is a campaign run by the National Literacy Trust to encourage parents and carers to talk more to children from birth to three. For more information visit www.talktoyourbaby.org.uk.
2. Talk To Your Baby - background
There is growing concern that increasing numbers of children are suffering from communication difficulties, and teachers and nursery workers feel young children’s speaking and listening skills are on the decline. One of the contributing factors is believed to be the lack of time adults and young children spend talking together. In a survey of heads of nurseries and schools admitting three-year-olds, 75 per cent said they are concerned about a significant decline in children’s language competence at entry (National Literacy Trust/National Association of Head Teachers survey, 2001). Among nursery workers, 89 per cent are worried that the occurrence of speech, language and communication difficulties amongst pre-school children is growing. The lack of adult and child time spent talking together was highlighted as the key reason by 92 per cent of them (ICAN, 2004).
3. About the National Literacy Trust
The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity that changes lives through literacy. It links home, school and the wider community to inspire learners and create opportunities for everyone. www.literacytrust.org.uk
