Online survey finds 1 in 6 British children have speech problems

January 4, 2010 by Shawn Douglas
Filed under: Baby Health, News

Nearly 1 in 6 British children have difficulties learning to speak according to a new online survey.

Internet-based market research firm YouGov released the results of its survey of 1,015 parents in England, revealing speech difficulties in one out of every six children.

The survey, given in December, focused on children under eight from different populations. It found that 22 percent of boys faced difficulties with speaking and understanding others’ speech, compared to 13 percent of girls.

Additionally, the survey, commissioned and published by England’s new Communication Champion Jean Gross, found that some three-year-old children were unable to speak a word.

“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,” said Gross, appointed to the newly-formed position of Communication Champion in October 2009.

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

Through the survey, boys were found to be twice as likely as girls to exhibit major speech difficulties. Additionally, nearly a quarter of all children with speech difficulties didn’t receive help of any kind for their impairment.

“It is essential that all children get the help they need from skilled professionals as early as possible. The lack of this is cause for great concern because the results of this poll shows that parents place learning to talk and listen as a top priority for their children, whatever their social class, and do a great deal to help them learn to communicate.”

Many children receive help with speech difficulties from a teacher or staff at a nursery. But the survey suggested that many parents didn’t know who they could turn to for help despite ranking the ability to talk, listen and comprehend as being most important.

As part of her duties as Communication Champion, Gross will head a committee to plan and organize a “National Year” in 2011 with a strong focus on the need to better children’s communications skills.