Statistics collected by the Institute of Health Visiting reveal that 72 per cent of health visitors in 2016 said they had experienced an increase in the number of children they encountered with delayed speech and communication development - meaning they may use simpler sentences, fewer words and struggle to understand the same instructions as their peers.
This compares with 64 per cent in 2015 - an increase of eight percentage points. the results of the survey have been submitted to the Bercow: Ten Years On review of service provision for children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).
Jean Gross, chair of the review, said: "The Institute of Health Visiting's evidence highlights a worrying trend in health visitors reporting a rise in children with delayed language.
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