In the preschool years, some children find it difficult to learn and use new words (features of a Developmental Language Disorder-DLD).
Other children may find it difficult to pronounce the sounds in words (Speech Sound Disorder-SSD).
Often, children present with both.
The good news: Speech and language therapy can ameliorate or even resolve a child’s difficulties whilst they are in their pre-school years.
The not so good news: There are few interventions which have been designed specifically for this group.
This is a problem. This presentation is associated with negative long term outcomes relating to mental health, literacy, and overall quality of life.
We aim to develop an intervention for these children, by:
1. Looking at evidence (what is proven to work; what is likely work based on ‘theory’)
2. Looking at how speech and language therapists currently support these children
3. Speaking with parents, people with DLD/SSD, and relevant professionals about what they would like an intervention to look like
Once we have this ‘blueprint’ we can then test it out in clinical services. Ultimately, our aim is to improve the everyday lives of children with SSD/DLD, through access to this intervention.
This project is funded by the Wellcome Trust as part of a ‘Health Advanced in under-Represented Populations and diseases’ (HARP) fellowship.
