ICAN and La Jolie Ronde

We are delighted to be associated with the children’s charity I CAN that is working to create a better life for children who struggle to communicate. La Jolie Ronde is supporting I CAN’s work because we believe children’s communication is both a critical and highly relevant cause.

Communication in the Early Years

One in ten – over a million children and young people in the UK has difficulty communicating. This is one of the biggest child development issues in the UK today. There is evidence too that verbal skills amongst the wider pre-school population are becoming the focus of concern.

Early identification and support is essential for children. Difficulties with communication in the early years have an obvious impact on a child’s ability to develop relationships with their families and with others, and to access early years educational opportunities. Difficulties also affect the development of children’s play and social skills.

There is evidence that children with communication difficulties may also develop secondary difficulties specifically in the areas of behaviour and literacy. Behavioural difficulties, resulting from the frustration of not being understood or not understanding what is going on, can be sufficiently severe to result in subsequent school exclusion.

The cost of these difficulties, and subsequent secondary difficulties to the children affected and to their families, is obviously high. There is also an escalating cost to wider society if the needs of these children are not met within the early years.

Luckily there are lots of things that parents can do to support children’s communication. You can find plenty of simple games to play at home at http://www.talkingpoint.org.uk/ For every age group there are activities which encourage language development by having fun with sounds, practising turn-taking, and learning to enjoy listening. Singing songs and nursery rhymes helps too; children enjoy the rhythm and repetition, and rhymes introduce sound patterns in words. For information about specialist speech and language services in your area visit www.talkingpoint.org.uk/talkinglinks where you can search by postcode

I CAN

I CAN is leading the way in meeting the needs of children with a communication disability across the UK and promoting the importance of communication development in all children. ICAN:

  • Run a UK-wide network of 18 Early Years Centres and services for school age children in local schools across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales
  • Have two specialist schools providing intensive and specialist support for the children with the most severe and complex difficulties
  • Are the leading provider of training and information in the area of children’s communication development and disability
  • Launched http://www.talkingpoint.org.uk/ - a one-stop portal for professionals and parents seeking information and support
  • Advise schools, LEAs, NHS Trusts and government, influencing policy and enabling change on a national level

To find out more about how I CAN helps children communicate, and how you can get involved or support I CAN’s work please visit http://www.ican.org.uk/