Westminster centre aid children's communication skills

A speech and language therapy team in Westminster are using cooking to help kids progress with their verbal communication skills.

Staff at Bayswater Children's Centre are responding to the fact that over 30 per cent of young children in Westminster need support in learning to understand how to talk. This genesis of the idea comes from research that suggests if parents and youngsters talk to each other during everyday activities - such as mealtimes - it helps little ones with their progression.

The purpose-built space caters for childcare for three to seven-year-olds. As well as running a parent forum, it also does outreach work and offers advice about all things to do with raising a family.

Anyone with a young family may look at property to rent in Westminster because of the specialist skills on offer. The project - which sees cooking sessions and home learning videos used to educate children - is jointly funded by the Central London Community Healthcare (CLCH) NHS Trust and Westminster City Council.

Liz Lowton, principal speech and language therapist at CLCH, said: "We are a specialist NHS trust that works in local communities and we are always looking for the most creative ways to support the families we work with.

"Developing good speech and language skills in the early years is of vital importance - it lays the foundation for all future learning. We are delighted that our new cooking initiative has been so successful".

Councillor Nickie Aiken, cabinet member for children, young people and community protection at the local authority, said the scheme is brilliant because it helps youngsters learn how to speak in a family setting.

Tamsin Greig - who has appeared in TV series such as Green Wing and Episodes - noted the importance of good communication skills cannot be underestimated. She added without those attributes, people will struggle to fully enjoy their lives.

Posted by Chris Price

Published 31st May, 2012

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