Enhancing children's oral language skills across Europe and beyond - a collaboration focusing on interventions for children with difficulties learning their first language

Oral language (speaking and understanding) is critical to children's development, affecting the emergence of personal, social and academic skills throughout school and into the workplace. Most children acquire such skills effortlessly but a sizeable proportion, those with Language Impairment (LI), do not. LI affects 5.8 million children and young people (0-18 years) across Europe. There is evidence for the efficacy and effectiveness of intervention to improve the language skills of these children but this information is not well disseminated and services are inconsistent across Europe. This Action will enhance the science in the field, improve the effectiveness of services for children with LI and develop a sustainable network of researchers well placed to answer the key questions in this area.