Griffiths, Sarah;
(2024)
Special educational needs provision and academic outcomes for children with teacher reported language difficulties at school entry.
JCPP Advances
, Article e12264. 10.1002/jcv2.12264.
Preview |
PDF
JCPP Advances - 2024 - Griffiths - Special educational needs provision and academic outcomes for children with teacher.pdf - Published Version Download (877kB) | Preview |
Abstract
Background Language ability predicts academic attainment across the curriculum. Teacher report of language difficulties may therefore help schools identify children that require Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision. Special Educational Needs provision is intended to enable children to reach their academic potential, however the effectiveness of this for children with language difficulties is unknown. Methods We linked teacher-ratings on a brief language difficulties questionnaire (13-item) collected in the first year of primary school (N = 7013), with data on SEN provision until age 12–13 and scores on statutory assessments at ages 5–6, 6–7 and 10–11 years from the National Pupil Database (UK). We conducted a preregistered analysis to (a) test the association between teacher-reported language difficulties and later academic outcomes, (b) identify predictors of subsequent SEN provision for monolingual children with language difficulties and (c) test whether SEN provision is associated with better academic outcomes for these children. Results Teacher-reported language difficulties predicted achievement in phonics (rs > 0.41), reading (rs > 0.38), writing (rs > 0.32) and maths (rs > 0.40) assessments up to 7 years later. For those with language difficulties, having an existing diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental condition or sensory impairment was the strongest predictor of SEN registration (OR [95% CI] 8.33 [4.12, 19.24]) and special education placement (OR [95% CI] 18.89 [9.29, 42.01]) during primary school. However, 38% of children registered as having a primary speech, language and communication need, lost this registration during transition to secondary education. We could not estimate the effect of SEN provision on academic outcomes, as the majority of children with high propensity to receive SEN provision did receive provision, and very few children in SEN settings completed statutory assessments. Conclusions Teacher perceptions of language difficulties at school entry, in the presence of additional risk factors, should prompt SEN provision. Recognition and support for language difficulties should be sustained throughout children's education.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Special educational needs provision and academic outcomes for children with teacher reported language difficulties at school entry |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1002/jcv2.12264 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1002/jcv2.12264 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Keywords: | Academic attainment, language disorder, school placement, special educational needs, statutory assessment |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10195062 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
