"Too many children in Britain are literally speechless," says John Bercow MP. His interim report on speech and language provision for children and young people will be published tomorrow (Thursday 20 March).
According to children's communication charity I Can, one in 10 children in the UK has a communication disability. Speech and language needs are closely associated with poor educational attainment and can affect employability and mental health in adulthood.
Despite this, Bercow says children and young people still don't seem "to be getting anything like the help they need to address their difficulties".
Bercow has been collecting evidence since last October when ministers asked him to carry out the first review for seven years. Pressing issues such as gaps in early intervention services, a lack of speech and language therapists, plus a desperate need for therapists in young offender institutions have come up time and time again.
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