Fall Election Opportunity to Increase Awareness of Speech and Language Crisis

Although OAFCCD members are excited about the speech and language demonstration projects and the new Provincial Advisory on Speech and Language Services, many children are still facing long wait lists and speech language services in some communities are facing cuts in the coming months.

Few Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) are aware of the issues or the need to protect and enhance funding for speech and language services. The falls election provides an ideal opportunity to educate MPP candidates about the need of speech and language services.

You can help by:

Attending all candidate meetings and asking about the party plans to support children with communication disorders

Talking to candidates who campaign door to door about your experience with speech and language services

Submitting questions to radio and cable talk shows for candidates

Writting Letters to the Editor of newspapers about the need for enhancements to speech and language services

Did you know....

        ...that 1 in 10 Canadians has a speech, language or hearing problem

...an estimated 4% of the preschool population has a significant speech or language disorder

...8% to 12% of school children have some form of speech or language impairment

...communication disorders in school-aged children are often misdiagnosed as learning disabilities or behavioural problems, and can be very difficult to treat in later years.  Children with behavioural problems are ten times more likely than other children to have language disorders

...a child should use 200 or more words by the time they are 2-3 years old and by the age of 4 1/2 their vocabulary should consist of approximately 2000 words

...speech and language disorders are strongly related to failure in reading and writing

...drop our rates in students with communication disorders is 43% compared to 23% in non-impaired students


 
 

Early detection and intervention is vital!

If you have concerns about your child’s speech or language development contact and of the following:

 
  • A Speech Language Pathologist (look in your yellow pages)

  • Your local Preschool Speech and Language Program

  • Your local School Board's Special Education Department

  • OAFCCD