Focus on Practice: Educational placements and National Curriculum Key Stage 2 test outcomes of children with a history of specific language impairment

Abstract

As part of their longitudinal investigations of a large cohort with a history of specific language impairment (SLI), Professor Gina Conti‐Ramsden and her research team based at the School of Education, University of Manchester, Dr Emma Knox, Dr Nicola Botting and Dr Zoë Simkin report on the changing educational placements and National Curriculum assessment outcomes of 200 children at 11 years. Teacher questionnaires reporting on the Year 6 primary education placements of the sample reveal details about the long‐term educational needs of children with SLI. Furthermore, in exploring the experiences of the sample in the National Curriculum Key Stage 2 tests the present study found that children with SLI perform poorly relative to national expectations of levels of achievement across all tests. At present there are no guidelines for supporting children with SLI in relation to National Curriculum tests and the present data suggests there is an obvious need for these to be developed.

Specific language impairment and school outcomes. II: Educational context, student satisfaction, and post‐compulsory progress

“…This is a consistent longitudinal profile. However, the provision of support was lower than that found for the same sample when they took examinations at 11 years of age (Conti‐Ramsden et al 2002) where almost three out of four children had access arrangements made for them. Adolescents provided with examination support had significantly lower non‐verbal IQ, language and literacy than those not provided with examination support.…”

“…Snowling et al 2001). More specifically, in terms of educational support for examinations, in a previous paper concerning 11‐year‐old children (Conti‐Ramsden et al 2002), we found that almost three out of four children who took at least one test had access arrangements made for them during their examinations. Access arrangements, which must be approved before the examination, comprise the provision of a reader or a scribe, for example.…”

Non‐word repetition and language development in children with specific language impairment (SLI)

“…The present study con rms this position and shows that tests of phonological memory can be used to predict test performance in a number of diVerent language domains as well as literacy performance. The ndings discussed here have serious implications for the educational progress of children with SLI, especially the use of timed and/or oral testing conditions such as those evident in some aspects of the UK School Achievement Tests (SATs; Conti-Ramsden et al 2001b). In addition, this paper shows that the progress made by children with high non-word repetition scores is signi cantly greater than for those with poor repetition scores.…”

‘Off the Radar:’ the Framing of Speech, Language and Communication in the Description of Children with Special Educational Needs in Literacy

“…The focus on SLCN and speech, language and communication development is justified because within primary schools language delay is the most common childhood disability (Law, Boyle, Harris, Harkness & Nye, 2000). This disability has potentially far reaching and stark consequences for children"s social, emotional, behavioral and academic well-being (Botting and Conti-Ramsden, 2000;Clegg, Hollis, Mawhood & Rutter., 2005;Conti-Ramsden, Knox, Botting & Simkin, 2002;Lindsay, Dockrell, & Strand, 2007;Stothard, Snowling, Bishop, Chipchase & Kaplan, 1998). It is important to note that within the population of children with SLCN there are issues of under-identification (Meschi, Micklewright, Vignoles & Lindsay, 2012).…”