Small Talker Pre-school Communication Groups:

• ·         At least 40,000 children will have started school this September without the necessary level of speech, language and communication skills (Prof. J Wright, de Montford University, 2008)
• ·         A high percentage of these are transient difficulties which could have been prevented or dealt with pre-school. ICAN estimates 50% of the reception population fall into this category
• ·         Studies show that if a child starts school with delayed language his chances of success after school are less (Prof. J Law, City University, 2009)
• ·         At least 85% of those starting school will have poor attention and listening skills which will prevent them learning (Hill, 2010)

The Small Talker Groups were set up exactly to try to help alleviate the problems faced by the Class Teacher. We work on everything they need to be successful, effective communicators including attention, listening, vocabulary, understanding, expressive language skills and social interaction.

They are for all children but are ideal for those who really need a boost before they start school next year www.smarttalkers.org.uk

Grumpy old woman: sad observations of society

I know I'm rapidly approaching 50, so I probably qualify for the role of grumpy old woman but what I saw today made me not only angry but very sad. I'd taken a  break from work to have my nails done in Rugeley.  It's a small market town which is suffering more than its fair share of the recession. There is a wealth of charity shops and many boarded up pubs but the level of socio-economic well being in general is much the same as elsewhere. They had the door open because it was warm, so for an hour and a half while I was sitting in the chair 'being done', I could hear the general hum of human activity as families, teenagers and a good sample of the general population passed by on their way to the market hall or the bus station on a warm summer afternoon. Sounds peaceful, a slice of England going about its business?

NO!! It might have been a sample of society on a summer afternoon but  what I heard was most upsetting and made the whole session quite stressful. At least 3 children crying and being screamed at from a very close proximity to either 'Shut up', or 'Shut the f@&k up' in one instance to a little boy who couldn't have been more than 18 months old. One 2 year old got a smacked bottom because he dropped his dummy (yes dummy, why on earth they need dummies at that age in the middle of the afternoon!). There was a loud, heated argument between a couple in front of their bemused 3 year old with too many swear words to mention and a teenaged mum with a cigarette hanging precariously over her newborn. I could go on but I won't. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO SOCIETY? Are we so stressed, caught up in our own world of problems that we have forgotten how precious and in need of nurturing our children are.

We have a national crisis where parents are not adequately interacting with babies and children which leads to social interaction difficulties, language  and communication problems. At least 40,000 children will have started school this week without the necessary levels of spoken language ability to access the curriculum. These are NOT children with speech, language or communication disorders which they have through no-one's fault, these are victims of what is, in reality, negligence. Had they had better parenting they'd be fine. I am not condemning just families with low income, as some of my most language deprived children who I see come from very affluent families. Conversely, some people I know are struggling on very low income but are fantastic parents.

We must keep trying to spread the word about good practise but its going to take a long time. I was discussing social change with a  friend, we were discussing the fact that everyone wears a seatbelt now and we all know that we shouldn't drop litter. These were two very powerful social messages that various governments managed to sustain. We need one now, about something I think is more important than both of those put together:how we should be talking to our children, valuing them, listening to them and showing them a good example.

The Smart Talkers groups were devised because of this decline see www.smarttalkers.org 

Ban TV to protect children's health, top psychologist tells EU politicians

Taken from The Daily Mail 31/8/10

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
TV should be banned for toddlers and severely rationed for other youngsters to protect their health and family life, a leading psychologist will tell MEPs today. 

Dr Aric Sigman claims that millions of children spending hours slumped in front of TVs and computers is 'the greatest unacknowledged health scandal of our time'. 

He says it is linked to ills ranging from obesity and heart disease to poor grades and lack of empathy. 

Ban: Toddlers should not be allowed to watch TV, according to expert Aric Sigman, and viewing should be limited for older children as well to protect their health

Some British children spend as much as seven-and-a-half hours a day in front of a screen  -  the equivalent of a full year of 24-hour days by the age of seven. 

Dr Sigman, an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, believes that the youngest children, whose brains are undergoing massive development, should not watch any TV at all. 

From the ages of three to 12, boys and girls should be limited to an hour a day, rising to an hour and a half for teenagers. 

Expert: Dr Aric Sigman believes too much TV results in health problems such as heart disease and mental issues such as a lack of empathy

The psychologist will tell an EU parliamentary working group on the 'quality of childhood' that TVs and computers should be kept out of bedrooms until a child is 15.

'Governments throughout Europe regularly advise their citizens on the most intimate health matters: from daily grams of salt intake and units of alcohol to number of sexual partners,' he will say.

'Yet when it comes to children's main waking activity, politicians are mysteriously lost for words. 

'Irrespective of what our children are watching or doing on the screen, a clear relationship is emerging between daily hours of screen time and negative medical, psychological, behavioural and educational consequences. 

'The more hours per day, the more likely the risk of these negative consequences and the greater their intensity. 

'Most of the damage linked to screen viewing seems to occur beyond exposure of one-and-a-half hours per day, irrespective of the quality of the content. Yet the average child is exposed to three to five times this amount.' 

Dr Sigman's work and studies by other researchers around the world link TV and computer time with problems including obesity, high cholesterol and blood pressure, inattentiveness, declines in maths and reading, sleep disorders and autism. 

A recent US study found that many youngsters are so engrossed in surfing the internet, playing computer games and watching TV, that they don't even notice when their father comes home from work. 

France banned TV programmes aimed at under-threes two years ago.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1307550/Ban-TV-protect-childs-health-psychologist-urges-European-politicians.html#ixzz0yCzayhNH

 

Free Smart Talkers classes in the Staffordshire Surestart Children's Centres

Smart Talkers Pre-School Communication Groups, in conjunction with SureStart, have more free classes this term:

Willows Children's Centre Tues 10.00 a.m. Tiny Talker suitable for 2 year olds

Charnwood Childrens Centre Thurs 1.30 p.m. Small Talker (3-4 years)

Shenstone Childrens Centre Tues 1.30 p.m. Small Talker

Little Aston Childrens Centre Wed 1.30 p.m. Small Talker

Springhill Childrens Centre Tues 1.30 p.m.Small Talker

Bony Hay Childrens Centre Thurs 10.00 a.m.Small Talker, 10.45 a.m.Tiny Talker

Barton-under-Needwood Fri 1.30 p.m. Small Talker

St Mary's Childrens Centre,Uttoxeter Weds 10.00 Small Talker


Stapenhill Childrens Centre Tues 1.45 pm Small Talker

We work on everything your child needs to be a confident, successful communicator using stories, puppets, games and songs. Come and join us! 


Groups are run by Nicky Wilson, Franky Shepperson, Helen Stretton and Libby Hill 


www.smarttalkers.org.uk

Our first ever competition

We want to spread the word about the Smart Talkers Pre-School groups and so we need more people to know about them. We have a prize draw for anyone to enter if they recommend the Smart Talkers Pre-School groups Facebook Page. The winner will receive a Champagne Tea-time Hamper from John Lewis. The closing date is 30th September 2010.



We also have a special  'finders fee' of £1000 if you recommend someone who becomes a franchisee.

Smart Talkers Pre-school Groups are a series of groups  to provide a fun way to stimulate children's spoken language development. Devised by qualified, experienced specialist speech & language therapists, these sessions are for all children. www.smarttalkers.org.uk Using signing, games, stories & songs, we work on everything a child needs to be a confident, successful, effective communicator including attention, listening, vocabulary, understanding and expressive language skills. We have different classes available for different age groups:
Small Talkers: especially for 3- 4 year olds to prepare them for school.
Tiny Talkers: for around 2 -3 years
Baby Talk: for around 0m - 2 years
Baby Smart Signers: 0-2 years
Toddler Smart Signers: 2-3 years
Small Talk Smart Signers: 3-4 years

So, to be in with a  chance of the hamper go to our Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1003637090&v=photos&so=0#!/pages/Smart-Talkers-Pre-School-groups/126998813993019?ref=ts and if you could spend £1000 before Christmas pass our details on to your 'likely' friends. It's a great opportunity to have fun, earn money and make a real difference!

Transitions: hard for us all but worse if you have ASD

As our children look forwards to heading back to school, many of them are facing transitions. May be they're starting school, maybe they're moving to secondary school or just to a new Teacher. It is stressful for all children but imagine what its like for a child with ASD.
The latest ASD information bulletin from the Options Group came through today. They are always worth reading.The latest article by Geoff Evans, Head of Quality Improvement at Options Group is about transitions. When he interviewed parents and professionals about their concerns about behaviour they all reported that transition was a real problem. This could be at the finish of an activity or at the start  of a new one in class, at home it could be moving from one part of the house to another. So imagine what it's like for bigger transitions such as moving class, moving school etc.

He urges that we look at the problem from the child's point of view and offers a check-list to make sure we're understanding the difficulty and doing our best to help. It's an interesting article and there's a catelogue of previous articles you can access, all about ASD and all from a practical, very experienced standpoint.

If you know anyone who would like to receive autism information  from the Options Group, e-mail info@optionsgroup.co.uk stating 'opt in' as the subject.

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• A Summary of Signs of Autism by Age (brighthub.com)

The TV and talking: you can't do both!

I've just listened to the new Gary Barlow/Robbie Williams single where they sing about poor communication skills and attempting to discuss important issues in front of the TV and it occurred to me that it reflects the whole issue of the decline in human communication ability. The song is pure fiction but it's true, how many of us have attempted to bring up an important subject when the other partner is watching the television? They could not fully attend to what you're saying and would only be half listening. It sounds ridiculous and I'm sure many of you would say you wouldn't dream of doing it. Perhaps the TV is to blame for much of the decline in adult communication and even some relationships...I don't know, that's not my area of concern. 


What I do know however, is that we do do this with our own children  on an everyday basis. This is bad for many reasons and I feel needs much more research. In Australia, they have already looked at the issue and decided that TV should be banned for under 2s while watching for under 5s should be kept to an absolute minimum. They recommend no more than 1hour.  


The Australian Government support the guidelines drawn up by the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne (which was actually part of a national anti-obesity drive rather than to develop communication skills).  The report advised parents and professionals to make a plan for reducing screen time.  “Screen time . . . may reduce the amount of time they have for active play, social contact with others and chances for language development. [It may] affect the development of a full range of eye movement [and] reduce the length of time they can stay focused.”

They found that that very young children in Australia spend more time watching television than in any other activity. Four-month-old children watch an average of 44 minutes of television daily, while children under 4 years with pay TV at home spend at least three hours a day in front of the screen.Nearly a third of children in Australia live in households that have a television switched on all the time and it was seen to be used as a “babysitter” from earliest infancy. “Face-to-face interactions and responsive, engaged relationships provide the foundation for all child development,” they report, ' so language and communication development is bound to be adversly affected'. 

I'm sure the viewing figures here would easily mirror the Australian ones so what are we doing about it? Let's have  more research about viewing habits and  some good quality guidelines to help families be aware of the problems they are creating and how they could help. Attention, listening, vocabulary and social interaction increase without the TV....in adults as well as children!