The largest ever research programme in the UK on speech, language, communication needs (SLCN) has been conducted by a research team led by Warwick and was published on Thursday 27 December 2012 by the Department for Education (DfE).

The three year Better Communication Research Programme, funded by the DfE, involved 10 research projects and the analysis of data from around 6,400 children, 560 parents, 600 speech and language therapists and 750 teachers / special educational needs coordinators.

The BCRP was based in the Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research (CEDAR) at Warwick, led by Professor Geoff Lindsay, who was recently appointed Specialist Adviser to the House of Commons Education Committee. Geoff worked with Professor Julie Dockrell (Institute of Education, University of London), Professor James Law (Newcastle University) and Professor Sue Roulstone (University of the West England, Bristol).

Geoff says:

Our work highlighted the importance of appropriate support for the language skills of all children in classrooms to minimise disadvantage and to raise attainments. For those children and young people with language and learning needs it is essential to identify evidence informed interventions that take into account the experiences of all children. Early intervention using evidence based methods is crucial. It is particularly important to consider the demands of different types of schools and the children’s needs at different stages of their development”.

Further information, including key recommendations from the research.

• View the Better Communications Research Programme Reports
  
• Find out more about the Better Communications Research Programme
• Visit the CEDAR website