A North Wales newspaper reported this week on a 17 year old teenager who found himself in court on firearms offences because of an undiagnosed language disorder (http://tinyurl.com/2ft333z).
Gwyndaf’s mother, Wendy Jones, discussed her experiences at the launch of a report highlighting the instances of speech & language difficulties in young offenders. The report, known as ‘Speaking Out’ in England, and as ‘Locked Up and Locked Out’ in Wales and Northern Ireland, states that 70% of all male young offenders have significant communication problems. It also states that half the UK prison population has literacy difficulties, with 35% of offenders only having basic speaking and listening skills. There also appears to be a link with socioeconomic status – in some areas of deprivation 55% of children had some form of communication difficulty.
The report notes that much has been done to address rehabilitation needs of young offenders, including improving literacy skills, drug counselling and anger management courses. However, many of these courses are impossible to access without basic speaking and listening skills. In the case of Gwyndaf – who struggled to understand what the police were saying – how helpful would these be?
The report hopes to encourage provision of targeted speech & language therapy to young offenders, in the hope that if successful, they will be far less likely to re-offend.
Some of the areas that speech & language therapists could help with include:
· Improving non-verbal communication skills, such as body language.
· Developing language skills for everyday life.
· Taking part in conversation.
· Developing vocabulary and putting sentences together.
· Using techniques to express feelings and emotions
· Dealing with the triggers that spark anti-social behaviour.
· Finding ways to overcome drug-related short-term memory problems.
· Dealing with authority figures, e.g. coping at interviews.
· Understanding and being understood by prison/YOI staff.
For more information about the Speaking Out/Locked Up and Locked Out report, see http://www.rcslt.org/about/young_offenders_and_criminal_justice/intro
Sarah Bennington – October 2010
Written on behalf of Integrated Treatment Services. ITS is a private Speech and Language Therapy service based in Leicestershire and the East Midlands . It specialises in providing highly-skilled Speech and Language Therapists, but also associates with other therapeutic professionals, including Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Psychologists and Arts Therapists.
