Contributions from: Ian Peers.
Abstract
While the relationship between spoken and written language is not fully understood, evidence has been available for many years to suggest that depressed language development is likely to have a detrimental impact on the development of early literacy (Catts & Kamhi 1999). More recent evidence suggests that children's language learning may be compromised by being reared in poverty and that linguistic delay in this population may be measurable even before children start school. (Hart & Risley, 1995). The language development of all children has become more of a focus of attention with the introduction of baseline assessment of children as they start school, but the value of these procedures has been questioned (Lindsay, 1998). Only recently has the linguistic and cognitive development of very young children reared in areas of economic disadvantage become a matter of public concern in this country, demonstrated by the introduction of the Sure Start programme. The Headstart programme has been running for a number of years in the United States (Whitehurst, 1997).
The Sheffield study measures the cognitive and linguistic development of a cohort of three-year old children joining nurseries in areas of significant economic disadvantage in Sheffield. Initial results indicate that around two-thirds of the children had appreciable delay in both linguistic and cognitive development. Implications for the delivery of the early years curriculum plus the role of special needs support services are considered.
Reference
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