Last week I read some alarming findings - a small but significant percentage of three-year-olds (4 per cent) couldn't talk. The survey published by the Government's new communication champion, Jean Gross, also found boys were almost twice as likely to struggle to learn to speak as girls.
This reminded me how we need to constantly rethink what we know about babies and language. It is too easy to assume that language just comes naturally. It doesn't. It needs parents and others to communicate with children from birth.
For some parents, doing this comes more easily than for others. The Family and Parenting Institute's own work shows that early years services can play a crucial role in helping parents interact and communicate.
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