Children with speech problems 'could descend into criminality'

Children who have speech problems are at serious risk of being involved in crime when they are older, a government-backed report has warned.

The report by Tory MP John Bercow says that up to half the children in some areas of England have significant communication problems.

And it warns that unless children a screened for communication problems early enough in life it could have serious consequences for their future prospects.

The report says that these problems could include 'lower educational attainment, of behavioural problems, of emotional and psychological difficulties, of poorer employment prospects, of challenges to mental health and, in some cases, of a descent into criminality.'

Youngsters could be tested as much as three times  -  at 18 months, four and 11  -  to identify speech difficulties before they become serious.

The Government-backed review found that in some parts of the country half of children are unable to speak properly by the time they start primary school.

It warns many are still behind when they reach secondary school because their problems have not been recognised.

Many are also classified as having attention and behavioural problems when in fact their unruliness stems from poor communication skills, the review adds.

The growing incidence of delayed speech emerged as experts warned that ' electronic babysitters' such as TVs and games consoles are taking the place of traditional family meals and conversation.

Ministers are today expected to accept the recommendations of the inquiry, which has been conducted by Tory MP John Bercow on behalf of Gordon Brown.

Although it stops short of establishing a nationwide screening programme, ministers are expected to back the review's call for health and education bosses to check children regularly for emerging problems.

Key monitoring points seen as desirable by the review are at 18 months and entry to primary and secondary school.

One computer-based assessment already being used in parts of Kent involves showing children objects on a screen and asking the youngsters to name them.

Mr Bercow said the checks would involve observation rather than formal testing. He added that around 1 per cent of five-year-olds  -  5,500 each year  -  have such severe needs, they are virtually unintelligible when they start primary school.

And he warned that while many problems can be linked to a range of conditions, in some cases children are being brought up in homes where communication is minimal.

'If children are in a home in which they are getting insufficient stimulation, where there is not enough interaction, or where communication through the spoken word is not as common or extensive or imaginative as it might be, that is bound to have an impact,' he added.

Virginia Beardshaw, of the children's communication charity I CAN, said: 'These checks are very important.

'Screens and the digital age are here to stay but they don't take the place of talking to kids because that's how kids learn.'