Toddlers to get lessons in talking as TV kills conversation

A recent study revealed that half of them are unable to string a sentence together at age five.

As a result, ministers are encouraging the use of the special "early talk" programme, targeted at infants from their earliest months to age five, which uses signing, gestures and symbols to expand vocabulary.

Research from the children's charity I CAN revealed last year that half of youngsters - rising to 84 per cent in some areas - begin formal education with "impoverished speech and language".

They are unable to utter a whole sentence and can understand only simple instructions.

Further research by the charity found that parents spend more time watching TV and cleaning around the house than talking to their children.

The charity has developed the teaching kits for staff in nurseries to help counter the problem and encourage babies and toddlers to "talk" to each other and adults.

It will also be used to target children with learning difficulties.

Children's Minister Beverley Hughes endorsed the scheme and said it will be used in 200 Government-backed Sure Start children's centres, benefiting 160,000 toddlers.

The charity is already working with local councils to extend the scheme to voluntary and private nurseries, potentially capturing tens of thousands more infants.

As well providing training and classroom materials for staff, the programme includes an advice service for parents, who will be given tips on how to interact with their children.

The charity's spokesman, Clare Geldard, said: "We know from nursery teachers and reception class teachers that children are coming in with fewer speech and language skills, for example they only use short sentences and their vocabulary is not as enriched.

"The environment and society in which we live at the moment is less supportive of developing children's language."

She said she knew of one speech therapist who found that none of the three-year-olds she was assessing could say more than one word at a time.

Mrs Geldard went on: "The parents think, 'Oh it will be all right when they get to school - the school will bring them up to the right level'. But if a child is not talking before they go to school, they won't be able to springboard into academic learning.

"Half of them will become frustrated at not being able to understand instructions and express themselves. They will be labelled naughty children.

"The remainder, the ones I really worry about, will withdraw and nobody will notice they have a problem until much later."

THE AGES AT WHICH SPEAKING MILESTONES SHOULD BE REACHED

0-1 years Recognise parents' voices, make basic sounds and copy facial expressions

1-2 years Understand basic words and use hand gestures

2-3 years Put basic sentences together

3-4 years Ask lots of questions and socialise with friends

4-5 years Speak confidently in conversations with occasional mistakes

TIPS FOR PARENTS...

• Take turns to talk. Speak to your child and give them plenty of time to respond.

• Encourage talking - ask open-ended questions, not simple yes or no questions.

• Try talking about what's going on in their world.

• Speak in sentences one word longer than theirs to help build up their vocabulary.

• Read to your child to develop good listening skills.