Talk To Your Baby

Talk To Your Baby
Prioritising early language development: how and why?

Why is the critical importance of early language currently receiving so much attention from politicians and policy-makers?

We will be looking at why early language is being prioritised across the UK and what it means for those of us working across early years and public health. We look at how different regions are tackling the language development gap and hear about the very latest research, and evidence-based practice being utilised, in language acquisition.  There will be an exciting line-up of expert speakers from academia and public health, and throughout there will be opportunities for discussion and enquiry.  The price of booking includes two-course lunch and refreshments throughout the day.

Speakers confirmed so far are:

• Padraic Monaghan, keynote speaker, is co-director of the ESRC International Centre for Language and Communicative Development, and Professor of Cognition in the Department of Psychology Lancaster University.
  He’ll be talking about the effect of quantity and diversity of early language on vocabulary development, and on later effects on literacy.
• Alice Skelton from The Sussex Baby Lab will be talking about the exciting work she and the team have been doing on infant colour perception and how it informs our understanding of early language acquisition.
• Victoria Leong head of the BabyLINC Lab at Cambridge University, will be examining how infants are attuned to baby talk and nursery rhymes.
• Andrea Layzell, from the Bradford Early Years Hub, and the National Literacy Trust’s own Tara Parker will be revealing the positive impact of Early Words Together and HELLO at aged two in Bradford early years settings.

• Jane Young and David McDonald, speech and language therapists from Nottinghamshire Language for Life, will be talking about the work they’ve been doing to identify early, and therefore change the outcomes of, speech, language and communication needs.
• Pauline Lee, consultant clinical psychologist and clinical lead for Tameside and Glossop Early Attachment Service
• Jean Gross CBE was senior director within the government’s national strategy and has also been England’s Communications Champion for Children
• Michelle Morris, consultant speech and language therapist at Salford Royal Foundation Trust, will be focusing on Salford’s early language strategy: why it took six years to build, how they did it and what has been achieved.