Giving voice

One in ten children in the UK suffer from a speech and language difficulty - that's more than a million children struggling every day. One Brighton mother, Anita Hall, has three boys, all of whom are affected by this 'hidden' disability.

Life for Anita's family was a real challenge. One by one her boys were diagnosed with communication disabilities, leaving all of them feeling irritated and upset and causing them regularly to lash out. But for her two youngest, Lewis (seven) and Charlie (three and three-quarters), an I CAN Early Years Centre in Brighton has benefited them hugely.

I CAN, in partnership with local education and health authorities, has developed specialised early years centres where children receive support on a one-to-one basis and in small groups through a programme of specialist therapy and education. Research conducted by City University and the University of London's Institute of Education has shown that children attending such centres made significantly greater progress than those receiving other types of support that are routinely available to pre-school children.