Indra Sinka

Socio‐economic status and language acquisition: children's performance on the new Reynell Developmental Language Scales

BACKGROUND Several studies in recent years have indicated a link between socio-economic status (SES) of families and childrens language development, including studies that have measured childrens language through formal standardized test procedures. High numbers of children with low performance have been found in lower socio-economic groups in some studies. This has proved a cause for concern for both clinicians and educationalists. AIMS To investigate the relationship between maternal education and postcode-related indicators of SES, and childrens performance on the New Reynell Developmental Scales (NRDLS). METHODS & PROCEDURES Participants were 1266 children aged between 2;00 and 7;06 years who were recruited for the standardization of a new assessment procedure (NRDLS). Children were divided into four groups reflecting years of maternal education, and five groups reflecting SES Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) quintiles for the location of participating schools and nurseries. Groups were compared using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), with age as a covariate, in order to identify which might be affected by the two SES variables. Where relationships were found between SES and performance on the scales, individual childrens standard scores were looked at to determine numbers potentially at risk for language delay. OUTCOMES & RESULTS An effect of years of maternal education on performance was found such that children whose mothers had minimum years performed less well than other children in the study, this effect being stronger for younger children. Children attending schools or nurseries in IMD quintile 1 areas performed less well in language production. Higher than expected numbers with language delay were found for younger children whose mothers had minimum years of education, and for children in quintile 1 schools and nurseries; however, numbers were not as high as noted in some other studies. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS Characteristics of the participant sample and measures used for language and SES may explain these results and are important considerations when interpreting results of studies or developing policies for intervention. The usefulness of commonly used categories of language delay is questioned.

Exploring diversity: teacher education policy and bilingualism

Although issues of inclusion, diversity and achievement have become a powerful agenda for change in teacher education policy in England, bilingual pupils are still conceptualised in policy terms as a problem. This absence of linguistic integration in English teacher education is in tension with the increasing number of school pupils speaking a diversity of languages at home, and contrasts with policy towards bilingual pupils in other parts of the United Kingdom, in Europe and in the United States. The standards for qualified teacher status only require trainee competence to be demonstrated in understanding pupil language backgrounds and in providing support for those learning ‘English as an Additional Language’ (EAL). The authors’ research investigated the way teacher education policy in England ignores the positive attributes of bilingual learners and the resultant lack of debate about the preparedness of trainee teachers to work effectively with bilingual pupils. This article presents key findings from their work with secondary schools in the south of England. They interviewed trainees, teachers and Local Education Authority (LEA) officers, administered a questionnaire to trainees and analysed policy documents. The findings indicate teacher education in England pays bilingualism lip service at best, persisting with a policy discourse emphasising the problem of EAL. The research raises important questions concerning teacher education policy in relation to bilingualism, and highlights the significance of school contexts in relation to effective teacher preparation. The article concludes by arguing for policies to improve teacher confidence and competence in England’s increasingly linguistically diverse classrooms.

The New Reynell Developmental Language Scales: Descriptive account and illustrative case study

This article describes the development of new scales for assessing the status of a young child’s language comprehension and production. Items and sections on the scales were included to reflect advances in research on language acquisition and impairment. The New Reynell Developmental Language Scales (NRDLS) were trialled on 301 children and then standardized on a sample of 1,266 participants across the age range 2;00–7;06 years. Evaluations of reliability (internal and test–retest) and concurrent validity were carried out and also discriminant validity was evaluated with a further small sample of children with primary language impairment. Results are reported and discussed. An illustrative example of how the NRDLS could be used is given, in which the performance of a typically developing child and that of a matched child with primary language impairment are compared.

Book review: Rvachew S and Brosseau-Lapré F (2012) Developmental phonological disorders: Foundations of clinical practiceRvachewSBrosseau-LapréF (2012) Developmental phonological disorders: Foundations of clinical practice. San Diego, CA: Plural Publishing. 928 pp. Paperback £107.00. ISBN 978-1-59756-377-2

The final section identifies the cognitive and linguistic factors that need to be considered when interviewing children and young people with SLCN. Part III contains 17 real life practical examples of listening to children and young people through structured reports of research and clinical projects. This section is extensive in that it includes examples from across the range of SLCN: listening to children with language impairment, young people who stammer, teenagers who use alternative and augmentative means of communication (AAC), 4–5-year-olds with speech impairment, children with cleft lip and palate and adolescents after traumatic brain injury. It also includes examples of listening to improve services, listening to children and young people talk about their desired outcomes, listening to siblings, listening to children’s views of their experiences of the people who work with them and of child care. This section is packed full of innovative, creative ways to listen to children including the use of artbased approaches, interactive activities such as fishing games, rating scales such as a ‘diamond ranking activity’, use of ‘babycams’, computer technology and film-making. This book challenges practitioners to consider how they are listening to children and young people with SLCN, children’s involvement in decision-making and the impact on service delivery and development. It provides both the theoretical background and practical examples, clearly demonstrating how theory can be applied to practice. This book encourages practitioners to be creative and develop new ways of listening to children and young people.

Research and practice in working with children who are bilingual or have English as an additional language and who have language and communication needs

The authors reflect on the children who are bilingual or have English as an additional language and who have language and communication needs. They state that such children are found to have speech, language and/or communication needs (SLCN). The study highlights the importance of understanding the links between children, their caregivers, the environment and linguistic and cultural factors to ensure appropriate educational provision.