Findings from a survey of 1,251 health visitors, carried out by the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) last year, reveal that 72 per cent reported seeing an increase in children with delayed speech and communication development. This is up from 64 per cent the year before – an eight-per-cent rise.
Children with delayed speech and communication development may use simpler sentences and fewer words thatn their peers and struggle to understand instructions.
The release of the findings follows confirmation from the Department of Health earlier this month that health visitor checks, including those to identify language difficulties in young children, will remain mandatory in the early years, after a review of the policy.
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