Staff 'ill-equipped' to help children communicate

Poor communication skills mean that half of all five-year-olds are starting school without the skills to make friends and learn, severely affecting their future life chances, says speech and language charity I CAN. A report, launched in conjunction with the charity's Make Chatter Matter campaign, says that early intervention is the key to turning around children's lives, but many early years staff feel 'ill-equipped' to help children with transient or persistent communication difficulties.