SLI and Further Education

Research indicates that over a million children in the UK will have a speech and language impairment (SLI) – an average of two in every classroom. Many of these children will overcome their difficulties with appropriate support or develop strategies to help them cope although their early difficulty may have a long term impact on achievement and self esteem. Links between SLI and long term social disadvantage are well-documented. Others, will have severe and complex difficulties which will be long-term and will impact on their economic and social well-being.

Young people from both these categories will leave school to go on into Further Education, and others, in between, will have speech and language difficulties which have not been identified as sufficiently severe to be noted within a Co-ordinated Support Plan and may well masquerade as low achievement.

Understanding the impact of SLI and how to support learning for young people with communication difficulties is crucial in Further Education.

Afasic Scotland is forging links with Further Education colleges in Scotland to offer support. For a list of colleges supporting Afasic Scotland with reciprocal web-links, click here.

Please note this site is currently under construction but will shortly offer an information leaflet (in collaboration with Glasgow Nautical College) to help young people with SLI planning to go to college.