School speech therapy making 'massive difference'
BBCChildren struggling to talk and understand words are getting support earlier in life, thanks to a new scheme.
About 150 school staff in South Tyneside and Sunderland have been trained by speech and language therapists to spot and help tackle problems early as part of the Talk Boost project.
Dr Tracey Lucas, clinical lead at the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), said the average reading age of adults in Sunderland was aged nine and the scheme was doing "pioneering" work to tackle the problem.
Penshaw mother Stacey Gunn said the support she received made a "massive difference" to her son Fred's speech while waiting for a specialist referral.
The programme is being funded by the NHS and both local councils and will be expanded to reach more children.
Talking about her son, Stacey said: "I can remember being at a soft play and some other children really picked up on the fact that some of the words he was pronouncing, they couldn't understand.
"The biggest thing actually was Fred was never embarrassed about it and he's happy to admit that he struggles with some sounds.
"We didn't want him to be ashamed or feel that he was very different because of it."
She said she was conscious that it was going to affect his relationship with his peers.
However, thanks to the scheme, Fred's teachers had the skills to help him.
Barnwell Academy in Houghton Le Spring was one of the first schools to take part.
Emma Brown, Early Years lead, said the school had a high number of children with some speech and language difficulties.
"A question for me was, how can I help these children day to day?
"So the Talk Boost programme was absolutely fantastic."
The teachers are trained to deliver the programme in small group sessions, assessing the children at the beginning and end.
"A lot of our children are making six months' progress in nine weeks," Brown said.
She also said it helped pupils who lacked confidence to speak in front of others.
"I had a little girl who would just whisper all day, now she just doesn't stop talking," she said.
'Getting in early'
The scheme is being funded by the NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB, the NHS South Tyneside and Sunderland Foundation Trust, South Tyneside Council, Sunderland City Council and Together for Children.
Dr Tracey Lucas said: "We know that speech and language skills are such a vital part of learning and without them, children can struggle in lots of other areas.
"Getting in early for those that might need a little bit more of a hand means that they might go on to flourish."
The next step in the programme is to train a further 250 local staff with the charity Speech and Language UK.
