Author: atlas

In a momentous event hosted at the House of Lords on 30^th January 2024, the ATLAS-Leiden Manifesto was launched, marking a crucial step in advocating for better understanding, recognition, and support of language difficulties in our school system. Sponsored by Lord Boateng, Chancellor of the University of Greenwich, and led by Prof Maria Arche and Dr Alexandra Perovic, in partnership with the RCSLT.

The launch of the manifesto symbolised a commitment to bring language development in the school years to the forefront of research and policy and served as a platform to address key issues in this area, with a call to action to Think Language First. Distinguished panellist speakers from diverse fields engaged in compelling discussions.

The panel consisted of:

• Dr Alexandra Perovic (UCL), chair
• Professor Joao Costa, Linguist and Minister of Education from Portugal
• Mr Diz Minnitt, SEND and Speech and Language Lead for Association of YOT Managers (AYM), Head of Youth Justice and Support Service, Milton Keynes
• Ms Carol-Ann Murray, Associate Director – Learning Disability and Autism at NHS South East London
• Ms Sara Pennington, HM Inspectorate of Prisons
• Ms Louisa Reeves, Speech and Language UK
• Ms Sharon Gray, Youth Justice Board
• Justice Renate Winter, President of UN Committee of the Rights of the Child

The manifesto highlights that over 10% of the world population face different language challenges and calls for timely assessments, broad recognition of the significant impact of unmet language needs on behavioural issues, educational exclusion, and a higher likelihood of unemployment and criminal activities. The panel speakers addressed the crucial topic of language skills as the gateway to lifelong wellbeing and educational attainment.

The Manifesto calls for:

• All types of language needs to be recognised and understood.
• Diagnosis of language difficulties that does not miss a single child.
• Every child to have access to adequate language support.
• The barriers that children and young people with communication difficulties face to be removed.

The ATLAS Think Language First Manifesto has been endorsed by over 50 organisations, including the British linguistics associations LAGB, BAAL and BACL, Speech and Language UK, Autistica, the Down Syndrome Association, and the Association of Youth Offending Team Managers. This widespread endorsement highlights the urgency and importance of the cause to Think Language First.

Pictured L-R: Dr Alexandra Perovic (UCL), Prof Tracey Reynolds (University of Greenwich), Prof Maria Arche (University of Greenwich), Lord Boateng, Professor Jane Harrington (University of Greenwich)

We are delighted to provide the final details of the ATLAS Think Language First launch on Tuesday, 30 January at the House of Lords.

Israel Science Foundation

The aim of the 5th Workshop on Communication: Forensic examination of DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) is to raise awareness about communication and language disorders during adolescence and early adulthood. View the presentation by clicking the image below.

The Linguistics Association of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (LAGB) is the leading professional association for academic linguists in Great Britain. View the presentation Raising awareness: linguistics in the university curricula of health sciences, delivered at the Annual Meeting on 14th September 2022.

Language development, diagnosis and assessment in school ages (6-16): next steps in research and practice

27^th September – 1^st October 2021, Lorentz Center @Snellius / Hybrid

Scientific aims:

The aim was to establish a new way of working on the identification of language needs in children in the age range of 6-16, by integrating workforces from Linguistics and the Health and Education sciences. The workshop, which was international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral, brought together non-academic professionals at the front line of identification and intervention of language needs (medics, speech and language therapists, teachers) with experts in detailed description and analysis of language development (linguists, speech and language therapist researchers, educational researchers) to identify gaps in knowledge of the development of language abilities in the school years in a variety of populations (typical developing, deaf, children with language impairment, children with intellectual impairment) from different countries, and determine a pathway for linguistically-based research on language diagnostics and interventions for language delays and impairments in the school age years (ages 6- 16).

Key moments

Each day of the workshop had a theme and an intended output identified from the start. A day was organized around a set of short talks, two blocks of discussion in small interdisciplinary breakout groups and a plenary discussion—both in hybrid format—to gather the views of the day and construe the output of the day. The themes of the workshop were:

• Language needs in the context of education and health,
• Language development during the school years in typically and atypically developing children,
• Language assessment and academic performance,
• Language intervention and support,
• Raising awareness and affecting policy.

Outcomes

The participants engaged extremely well during the breakout groups and plenary discussions, and the joint work led to the following outcomes:

• Improvement of the mutual understanding about the value of integrating expertise from Linguistics, Language Health Sciences and Education on research and practice agendas around language needs,
• Identification of concrete next steps to improve diagnosis and assessment of language needs,
• Creation of an interdisciplinary academic network enriched with stakeholders (professionals, parents and professional bodies) to establish a transnational research agenda,
• Draft of a Manifesto to raise awareness across Europe and beyond on language needs as an invisible disability that still awaits adequate recognition,
• Follow up plans to finalize the Manifesto and continue the shared research agenda.