Nursery World - Babies to be tested for speech delay risk

An initiative launched in south Edinburgh will seek to identify children with delayed language development while they are still in the cradle. Under the scheme, babies' language development will be assessed at eight months, the same age as they have the routine hearing test. The assessment will check on attentiveness and responsiveness. Parents whose children show signs of language delay will be offered a home visit by speech and language therapists to assess the problem in more detail.

Under the scheme, babies' language development will be assessed at eight months, the same age as they have the routine hearing test. The assessment will check on attentiveness and responsiveness. Parents whose children show signs of language delay will be offered a home visit by speech and language therapists to assess the problem in more detail.

The parents will then be advised on strategies to help their children catch up, such as spending time together in a quiet place that will give the babies the best opportunity to understand and communicate, and playing with sounds and nursery rhymes. The children will be visited at home at least once a month until their language levels are in line with their peer group.

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