tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11011943269795353612024-02-07T03:24:23.922+00:00Blogsmithspeech and language therapy - child development - evidence based practice - science communicationclarrysmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08255950611891056231noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101194326979535361.post-67981948180483453242015-12-30T15:36:00.000+00:002015-12-30T15:36:24.036+00:00Essays on Early Language: 1, Language - Is it what makes us human?<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next few blogposts: 'Essays in Early Language' explore some foundational questions that help us to understand the nature of communication difficulties in modern society. These questions may often be overlooked, or taken as a given without much analysis, but they are key to understanding the importance of language in human communication, what can go wrong and the implications for individuals if things do go wrong. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whilst I have been meaning to post the essays for some time, I was inspired to share the first of these in response to a discussion on Twitter about the claim that "Language is what makes us human". This is a claim that has been made about language in the past, perhaps most audaciously by Pinker (1994). It is a debatable claim, for example, I have also heard friends describe the use of fire as being our most fundamentally human characteristic, and one could cite the complex communication systems of other species in defence of the argument that we are not so unique after all, although this factor is robustly defended by Tomasello (2008). Even considering these arguments, there is no denying that language is pretty special, and worthy of being a major player amongst fundamental human characteristics. In my PhD research I examined Language Learning Impairment and its impact on individuals. The starting point was to address the question of exactly how important the ability to communicate using language is for individuals. Is it merely a desirable practical skill, or is it at the very core of what it means to be human?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This first essay; 'Language - is it what makes us human?' tackles this question by considering how necessary language is for humans for healthy living and functioning in society. Rather than debating the question of whether language is <b>the</b> one characteristic that stands out from others (such as use of fire) as defining the human organism, however, the argument is made that, although individuals who's language skills are impaired are certainly not any less human, that language is a fundamental human ability that significantly affects our ability to fully participate in many aspects of social life and<b> be humans together.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The argument for the fundamental need for language in modern society in this essay is made considering three factors. First, through a consideration of the origins of language and its use amongst humans universally. Second, a case is made for the increased demand for language skills in modern society, highlighting further the fundamental need for language competence. Third and final, the recognition of language as a basic human need in law and international policy is examined. Communication needs are considered within the context of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, and examples of national interpretations are illustrated through UK based policy and law. </span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">
Origins and universality of language</span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Evolution of language
in humans<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As primates, human beings are biologically adapted for social
life <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">(Joffe, 1997; Tomasello, 2007)</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his summary of social adaptation, Winston <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">(2002)</span> reported that the ability to function
within groups has enabled humans to increase their capacity for passing on
learned skills and knowledge, and for engaging in group activities including
finding food and tool use, and that the primary skill that enables these
functions is the ability to communicate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As part of this biological adaptation for social and cultural life,
humans have a highly developed communication system, the most complex feature
of which, by far, is language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The question of how humans evolved to use language and
whether language structure itself is a biologically evolved adaptation, or a
learned cultural process emerging from other social adaptations continues to be
debated <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">(Bickerton, 1992; </span>Fitch, Hauser, & Chomsky, 2005; <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">Pinker, 1994; Pinker, 2002; Sampson,
1997; Tomasello, 2008) and will not be covered in detail in this essay</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the purposes of
understanding to what degree language is important to our species it is only
necessary to state that it is widely agreed that human language is in some
degree related to and dependent on our biological and evolutionary makeup
(Sampson, 1997). Human language enables us to request and offer help, inform
and share intentions and experiences (Tomasello, 2008).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only is the ability to communicate using
language beneficial to humans for all these reasons, it is in fact expected
between conspecifics, and humans who do not understand or cooperate according
to the underlying purposes of human communica</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">tion (including cooperation,
altruism) may find themselves ostracised from society if they are not supported (Tomasello,
2008).</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Universality of
language</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Human language use is universal (Pinker, 1994).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whilst across the world we all speak
different languages, all normally developing humans acquire some form of spoken
or signed language. Even individuals raised without a linguistic model (for
example deaf children born to non-signing parents, or slaves removed from their
own linguistic environment and therefore only using pidgin versions of a
language) have been reported to generate full linguistic competence within a single generation <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">(Bickerton, 1992; Pinker, 1994)</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whilst there are limitations in these early
anthropological studies <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">(Pinker, 1994; Sampson,
1997)</span>, it appears that for all cultures worldwide language use is a
robust human skill and full linguistic competence develops quickly between
individuals, even in adverse circumstances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Language use appears therefore to be a fundamental feature of what it
means to be human. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1101194326979535361" name="_Toc430110807">Increased demands for language use in the modern world</a></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reduction of manual
labour<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has been proposed that in the twenty-first century the
ability to communicate has become an even more vital skill for participation in
the developed world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several authors
have highlighted that as society has moved towards advances in technology, the
demand for traditional manual labour has decreased, <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">(Hart & Risley, 1995; Law, Reilley, & Snow, 2013; Ruben, 2000)</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">Law et al.
(2013)</span> stated; “the more sophisticated, the better educated and the more
automated or digitalised the society becomes, the greater the shift from the
blue collar manual employment towards white collar ‘communication’ focused
jobs” (p. 488).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ruben (2000) carried out
a survey of employment in the USA which found that labour that would be
considered to be manual had reduced from 80% of the workforce in 1900 to 37% of
the workforce in 2000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also
postulated that even the work that is considered to be blue collar manual
labour in 2000 would require employees to have certain cognitive skills, for
example in process management or logistics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These skills rely to a degree on language abilities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The need for language
in a digitalised society</span></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is also noteworthy that the increasing dependence on the
Internet for participation in society places demands on an individual’s communication
skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Livingstone (2002) highlights
three different kinds of interactions that take place on the internet; user to
user interactions, that is, computer aided interactions such as email, text and
chat environments, user to document, such as access to information through
hyperlinks and user to system, such as takes place in gaming environments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The internet is now used for so many aspects
of life; participation in social life for forming friendships and relationships
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">(e.g. McKenna, Green, & Gleason, 2002)</span>,
access to information for the purposes of health <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">(e.g. Norman & Skinner, 2006)</span>, education (e.g. Wright, 2010),
employment <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">(e.g. Kuhn & Skuterud, 2000)</span>
and for leisure <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">(e.g Sanchez-Navarro &
Aranda, 2012)</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ability to
interact in these three ways using the internet is now considered to be a basic
skill <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">(Skills for Life Network, 2015)</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is even some evidence of an attempt to
measure social status in part according to level of social networking on the
internet (Savage et al., 2013).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
proposed in this essay that the ability to take full advantage of all aspects
of a digitalised society is largely dependent on an individual’s communication
and language skills, and that those with speech, language and communication
needs are further disadvantaged.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1101194326979535361" name="_Toc430110808">Global recognition of communication as a human right</a></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Given the importance of these highly developed communication
skills through language in the evolution of humans and the universality of
language use, it is not surprising, therefore, that the ability to communicate
effectively (and arguably, thus, to use language) is considered globally to be
vital to an individual’s health and wellbeing and is recognised internationally
to be a basic human need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Declaration of
communication rights and human rights<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 2014 the International Communication Project published a
universal declaration of communication rights (International
Communication Project, 2014).
This declaration was developed by its member organisations across the
globe, that is, the speech and language therapy professional bodies of the UK,
Canada, Ireland, USA, Australia and New Zealand. This declaration is not representative of the
world as a whole as it represents only the interested profession of English
speaking developed world. It also does
not have the legal gravitas of the Universal declaration of Human Rights (United Nations, 1948) which was agreed by
fifty member states and now forms the basis of human rights law. The communication rights declaration does,
however, highlight that the ability to communicate affects significant aspects
of life that are referenced in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (1948).
For example, the declaration of communication rights states that
barriers to communication affect an individual’s ability to relate to and
interact with others (thus affecting their right to realise social and cultural
rights and develop their personality, as outlined in Article 22), to learn
(affecting their right to an education as stated in Article 26) and to access
the justice system (affecting their right to equal protection before the law as
stated in Article 7). Furthermore, the
World Health Organisation (WHO) recognises the importance of communication as
vital for health literacy. The WHO
defines ‘communication and interpersonal skills’ as one of five areas of life
skills globally relevant and necessary for health promotion and the protection
of human rights across the world (World Health
Organisation, 1999).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The rights of children<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The importance of communication is also recognised
internationally concerning the rights of children. The United Nations Convention on the rights
of the Child (1989), signed by all member
States (excluding the USA and Somalia) acknowledges the rights of children to
be able to express their views (Article 12, p.5). Furthermore, Article 13 (p.5) states that
“the child shall have the right to the freedom of expression; this right shall
include the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds....
either orally, in writing or in print...”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recognition of
communication as a human right in the UK.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The international recognition of the importance of
communication is reflected in UK policy and law. Numerous reviews and white papers highlight the
importance of communication to support child development and wellbeing. Just as
in the case for the UN declaration of human rights, barriers to communication
would also affect a child’s ability to achieve the five outcomes which are
identified in the government green paper ‘Every Child Matters’ (2004) and underpinned in the Children Act 2004. These outcomes are ‘be healthy’, ‘stay safe’,
‘enjoy and achieve’, ‘make a positive contribution’ and ‘achieve economic
wellbeing’. In the green paper the role of
speech and language therapy as a priority in meeting a child’s educational and
social outcomes is cited as an example of good practice (p. 19 Department for Education and Skills, 2004). The Children Act
specifies the need for the Children’s Commissioner to ‘consult with’ and
‘communicate with’ children regarding the discharge of his/her function (Part
1, section 4, page 2, 2004).
Furthermore, the Act also stipulates that the Children’s Commissioner
take steps to accommodate the needs of children who do not have adequate means
to make their views known (Part 1, section 4, page 2, 2004).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Bercow Review<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 2008, mindful of the importance of communication for
health and wellbeing the UK government carried out a review of services for
children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) (Department for Children Schools and Families, 2008). The evidence gathering process of this review
was comprehensive and included a range of enquiry methods. Whilst the methods of sampling were not
reported, the consultation questionnaire received 2000 responses, which considerably
exceeds the usual requirements for a 95% confidence interval in findings for
the population of the UK (Raosoft, 2014). Consultation groups were held with a variety
of interested parties, including a range of people affected by SLCN and
services and professionals employed to support children and young people with
SLCN. Consultations were convened in a
diverse selection of geographical locations, but did not include Wales,
Scotland or Northern Ireland (so therefore may only be representative of views
in England). The review also commissioned
research from a range of UK academics with expertise in SLCN. It may be concluded, therefore, that the
findings of this review are representative of interested parties concerned with
SLCN, particularly in England. The
review confirmed international opinion that communication is an essential life
skill, stating, “the centrality of communication is not simply a personal
statement of value. It is a formal, public and multilateral declaration...[and]
is a fundamental human right.” (p. 16).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Summary</span></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The use of language, therefore, is universal; it is the
direct or indirect result of biological adaptations in humans to facilitate
highly complex levels of cooperation necessary for advanced social life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Language competence has been proposed as even
more essential for participation in a technologically advanced society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is recognised internationally at a
governmental and legal level to be a fundamental life skill, necessary for
health, education as well as for emotional and economic wellbeing, and the protection
of human rights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, it has of
itself been described as a human right <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">(Department
for Children Schools and Families, 2008; International Communication Project,
2014)</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The centrality of
language to human life was summed up succinctly by <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">Tammet (2014)</span>: “there is almost nothing we can do to a human being
worse than take away their language and their ability to communicate and...
relate to other human beings through language"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/video/2014/jul/24/are-drugs-the-answer-to-language-learning-video-highlights">(you can listen to Tammet here, the quote is spoken at 04:42 minutes)</a>. The question of whether it is language or some other factor which is the one defining feature of being human may not be answerable. As stated above, the need for language, however, could be argued as a fundamental factor that enables us to be humans together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The material from these essays has been adapted from my PhD thesis due to be electronically available from the University of Surrey repository.</span></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
</div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
References:</span></h3>
<div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bickerton, D. (1992). <i>Language and Species</i>. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Children Act 2004, (2004).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Department for Children Schools and
Families. (2003). <i>Every Child Matters</i>. London: Crown Copyright</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -36pt;">Fitch, W. T., Hauser, M. D., & Chomsky,
N. (2005). The evolution of the language faculty: Clarifications and
implications. </span><i style="text-indent: -36pt;">Cognition, 97</i><span style="text-indent: -36pt;">(2),
179-210.</span><span style="text-indent: -36pt;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hart, B., & Risley, T. R. (1995). <i>Meaningful differences in the everyday
experience of young American Children</i>. Baltimore MD: Paul H Brookes
Publishing Co.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">International Communication Project.
(2014). <i>The Universal Declaration of
Communication Rights</i>. Retrieved from <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Joffe, T. H. (1997). Social pressures have
selected for an extended juvenile period in primates. <i>Journal of Human Evolution, 32</i>(6), 593-605. Retrieved from </span>http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047248497901408<span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kuhn, P., & Skuterud, M. (2000). Job
Search Methods: Internet versus Traditional. <i>Monthly Lab. Rev., 123</i>(3), 3-11. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Law, J., Reilley, S., & Snow, P. C.
(2013). Child speech, language and communication need re-examined in a public
health context: a new direction for the speech and language therapy profession.
<i>Int J Lang Commun Disord, 48</i>(5),
486-496. doi:10.1111/1460-6984.12027<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Livingstone, S. (2002). <i>Young People and New Media: Childhood and
the Changing Media Environment</i>. London: Sage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">McKenna, K., Green, A., & Gleason, M.
(2002). Relationship Formation on the Internet: What’s the Big Attraction? <i>Journal of Social Issues, 58</i>(1), 9-31. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Norman, C. D., & Skinner, H. A. (2006).
eHealth Literacy: Essential Skills for Consumer Health in a Networked World. <i>J Med Internet Res, 8</i>(2), e9.
doi:10.2196/jmir.8.2.e9<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pinker, S. (1994). <i>The Language Instinct</i>. London: Penguin.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -36pt;">Pinker, S. (2003). Language as an
adaptation to the cognitive niche. In M. H. Christiansen & S. Kirby (Eds.),
</span><i style="text-indent: -36pt;">Language evolution.</i><span style="text-indent: -36pt;"> (pp. 16-37). New
York, NY, US: Oxford University Press.</span></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Raosoft. (2014). Sample size
calculator. Retrieved from </span>http://www.raosoft.com/samplesize.html<span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ruben, R. J. (2000). Redefining the
survival of the fittest: communication disorders in the 21st century. <i>Laryngoscope, 110</i>(2 Pt 1), 241-245.
doi:10.1097/00005537-200002010-00010<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sampson, G. (1997). <i>Educating Eve; The 'Language Instinct' debate.</i> London: Cassell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sanchez-Navarro, J., & Aranda, D.
(2012). Messenger and social network sites as tools for sociability, leisure
and informal learning for Spanish young people. <i>European Journal of Communication, 28</i>(1), 67-75. doi:10.1177/0267323111432411<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Savage, M., Devine, F., Cunningham, N.,
Taylor, M., Li, Y., Hjellbrekke, J., . . . Miles, A. (2013). A New Model of
Social Class? Findings from the BBC's Great British Class Survey Experiment. <i>Sociology, 47</i>(2), 219-250.
doi:10.1177/0038038513481128<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Skills for Life Network. (2015). About
us. Retrieved from </span>http://www.skillsforlifenetwork.com/article/about-us/2174<span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Tammet, D. (2014). Are drugs the answer to
language learning? - Highlights from a debate hosted by the Guardian and
British Academy. Retrieved from </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/video/2014/jul/24/are-drugs-the-answer-to-language-learning-video-highlights">http://www.theguardian.com/education/video/2014/jul/24/are-drugs-the-answer-to-language-learning-video-highlights</a><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The United Nations General Assembly.
(1989). <i>Convention on the Rights of the
Child </i>Retrieved from <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tomasello, M. (2007). <i>The Human Adaptation for Culture: Public Lecture</i>. London School of
Economics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tomasello, M. (2008). <i>Origins of Human Communication</i>. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">United Nations. (1948). The Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. Retrieved
from </span>http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml<span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Winston, R. (2002). <i>Human Instinct</i>. London: Bantam Press.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">World Health Organisation. (1999). <i>Partners in Life Skills Education;
Conclusions from a United Nations Inter-Agency Meeting</i>. Retrieved from <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wright, N. (2010). <i>e-Learning and implications for New Zealand schools: a literature
review.</i> Retrieved from Hamilton: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
clarrysmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08255950611891056231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101194326979535361.post-86617161480527262432015-05-13T11:14:00.000+01:002015-05-13T11:14:38.248+01:00Chatting about screen use on @WeSpeechies - Tuesday - Chat overviewYesterday I moderated the 55th @WeSpeechies chat, an hour long online discussion (on Twitter) focussed on a topic of interest to the speech and langauge therapy / pathology profession. This week, as you may have seen from my previous blogposts the focus is on child screen use, child development and our professional responsibilities in this area. The chat, but also about my experience of moderating the chat covers two areas of interest for me: the topic (screen use and child development) and the forum (new ways of communicating evidence). I'll focus on the topic today but I will blog about the chat as a communication tool along with my experience of curating @WeSpeechies in due course, so watch this space!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The topic - Screen time and child development: Exploring the impact of audiovisual and interactive screens from all angles</b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Some great photos were tweeted around this topic, including photos of i-potties, i-walkers, ipads in cots. The most endearing was this:</div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en-gb">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/wespeechies">@WeSpeechies</a> I've been tweeting i-bouncers, i-walkers, etc. but why do I find these endearing? Do you <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeSpeechies?src=hash">#WeSpeechies</a>? <a href="http://t.co/tlGl6jVtxh">pic.twitter.com/tlGl6jVtxh</a></div>
— Caroline Bowen (@speech_woman) <a href="https://twitter.com/speech_woman/status/598216095808368641">May 12, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
The chat was based around four questions that focussed on speech and langauge therapists' responsibilities concerning this topic. The questions were as follows:</div>
</div>
<br />
Q1 What do #wespeechies need to consider when advising clients and the public on screen use & child development?<br />
<br />
Q2 Need #wespeechies incorporate information on child screen use into our assessment and treatment of children and adolescents?<br />
<br />
Q3 What are the benefits & risks of #wespeechies using screen based technology in clinical practice? Do we relay these to children/parents?<br />
<br />
Q4 How do you access information about screen based technology, child development and clinical praactice? #wespeechies<br />
<br />
You can read a transcript of the entire chat <a href="http://t.co/nPOL6VizoP">here.</a> Several factors were highlighted in response to the questions and I will discuss four here with my own reflections.<br />
<br />
<b>1: Focus on the positives and gauge client opinion</b><br />
First, there was some agreement that when advising clients it would be preferable to focus on positive behaviours (such as interaction) rather than taking a restrictive stance on screen use/screen time. I would extend this to factors for which screen time is found to be associated with (but not as yet to cause), including sleep and pyschological wellbeing. This is partly due to the limited evidence surrounding screen use and negative outcomes, partly to facilitate a positive working relationship with clients and partly to enable the positive features of technology to be embraced where appropriate. Comments from Susan Rvachew proposed that by gauging the client's or parent's own views towards screen use we can tailor our services to best meet their needs:<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/wespeechies">@wespeechies</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/speech_woman">@speech_woman</a> if the family believes tech can be helpful u can incorporate it into therapy program and advise how to use it</div>
— Susan Rvachew (@ProfRvach) <a href="https://twitter.com/ProfRvach/status/598273880659230720">May 12, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/wespeechies">@wespeechies</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/speech_woman">@speech_woman</a> if family believes that tech is harmful you can avoid it because it is not necessary</div>
— Susan Rvachew (@ProfRvach) <a href="https://twitter.com/ProfRvach/status/598274028156104704">May 12, 2015</a></blockquote>
<br />
<b>2: Screen technology resonates with and works for many young people</b> <br />
The second factor that was highlighted was the potential benefits of some screen based apps for children with communication difficulties. For example, some reported positive progress using apps for children with social communication difficulties. Also, a study by <a href="http://t.co/lNKFgLJ81M">Durkin et al (2010)</a> was tweeted, which demonstrated benefits of computer mediated communication for children with communication needs. There was agreement that a benefit of incorporating screen technology was that it could resonate with young children but a potential disadvantage may be that the activities recommended might displace other activities. It was noted, however, that strategies such as parent to child interaction might just as reasonably be incorporated into an activity involving smart devices.<br />
<br />
<b>3: Children are the teachers</b><br />
The third factor that I want to reflect on in this blogpost, and which resonated strongly with me was the extent to which we can learn from young people about screen based technology. Several tweeters acknowledged that children and young people know so much about screen technology and parents and adults are spending most of their time just 'catching up.' This phenomenon has been described in the literature in terms of children and young people being 'digital natives' and their parents 'digital immigrants' <a href="http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/128/4/772.full">(Christakis 2001)</a>. Some really interesting thoughts about engaging young people as tutors on computer mediated communication were raised, let's hope some interesting research follows!<br />
<br />
<b>4: Screen based technology is a source for our own professional development</b> <br />
Fourth and final, the source of advice for professionals varied from asking around, using twitter and getting information from young people, as stated above. There doesn't currently appear to be a forum for professionals to share or get advice. My own experience is that Twitter and handles such as @WeSpeechies are a great starting point for sharing information. I also hope that by blogging I can share my own reflections and hopefully encourage others to do the same.<br />
<br />
The hour went so quickly and we have only scratched the surface of this topic. If you have a thought or comment on any of the chat questions or on this blog, please do share your thoughts either in the comments section below or on Twitter with me @clarrysmith and with @WeSpeechies.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>clarrysmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08255950611891056231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101194326979535361.post-26747022255585820012015-05-11T18:35:00.000+01:002015-05-11T18:35:40.957+01:00Chatting about screen time on WeSpeechies - MondayToday on WeSpeechies we have been getting an idea of the issues surrounding screen use and child development, health and wellbeing. I am collating references and will provide them and more analysis in due course but some key themes are emerging:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li style="text-align: left;">There is a large body of opinion based articles in circulation. This is prevalent in the mainstream press (e.g. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/04/27/look-whos-swiping-now-6-month-old-babies-are-using-smartphones-study-says/">Washington Post</a>, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/01/toddler-brains-research-smartphones-damage-social-development">Guardian</a>) and blogosphere but does also extend into the grey literature (e.g. <a href="http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/128/4/772.full">Christakis, 2011</a>). The first stage when approaching the literature on child screen use, therefore, is teasing apart opinion from evidence. This doesn't mean opinion = bad, evidence = good. There may be good reasons for forming opinion and opinion clearly highlights evidence of concern. The more explicit the reasons are for the concern or opinion, however, the better. Conversely, evidence from peer reviewed studies may be also subject to biased opinion, so just because something has been peer reviewed it doesn't make it failsafe.</li>
<li>Where research has been cited there is a fair amount of misrepresentation. The most common example of this is where associations (e.g. such as found in correlation or regression analysis) are cited to argue that screen use is a causal factor for a negative outcome. However, another example of misrepresentation is where a research outcome is used to make a generalisation beyond the context of the original research. An example of this is an article that uses the negative association between aggressive video games in older children to justify a ban on iPad use for children under the age of 2 years as cited in this <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cris-rowan/10-reasons-why-handheld-devices-should-be-banned_b_4899218.html">Huffington Post</a> article.</li>
<li>Much research is based on associations. Understanding associations is informative as a potential risk is highlighted, however, causality has not been found. As highlighted in many other areas of psychology research, the direction of causality is not determined in association studies, or indeed a third, unexamined causal factor may be responsible for the findings in the study reported. Furthermore, the methodological approach, particularly concerning regression analysis needs to be examined in studies as it may be flawed. A case of this was reported by <a href="https://digitalmediaprojectforchildren.wordpress.com/2013/09/22/are-baby-videos-bad-for-babies/">Susan Rvachew, here</a>.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Considering the above factors, it is clear from the chat today and the articles cited that there are some concerns around screen use. Several studies, including this <a href="http://identifythesigns.org/new-asha-survey-of-u-s-parents-significant-percentages-report-that-very-young-children-are-using-technology/">ASHA survey</a> and also <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/zero-to-eight-childrens-media-use-in-america-2013/key-finding-1:-young-kids%27-mobile-access-dramatically-higher">this study by Common Sense Media</a> have shown that access to and use of screen based technology has increased. These concerns are justified to varying degrees (some have more evidence to support them than others) and include associations with opportunity loss (e.g. lost opportunity for parent to child interaction), poor outcomes for sleep, obesity risks, and psychological wellbeing. There are also some concerns highlighted over cognitive and language development but there is less evidence of associations here. This needs further analysis and I'm keen to get the information out to those interested, so for the time being please see links below to the studies highlighted today. Feel free to comment on them!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Infant and mother play in the presence of
television <a href="http://t.co/3dHDyqhWbo">http://t.co/3dHDyqhWbo</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Overall media exposure and lang dev at 14
months <a href="http://t.co/ZV7CFu4WQp">http://t.co/ZV7CFu4WQp</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2004 hours of television exposure
associated with attention difficulties <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15060216">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15060216</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Screen time associated with psychological
wellbeing regardless of activity <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/sps/news/2010/107.html">http://www.bristol.ac.uk/sps/news/2010/107.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Problematic videogame use related to
psychological wellbeing but not activity <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21342010">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21342010</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Avoidant attachment and psychopathology
predicts internet addiction <a href="http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cyber.2010.0470">http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cyber.2010.0470</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">5 days at camp with no screens <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">improves preteens social skills <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563214003227">http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563214003227</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/10/1/102">http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/10/1/102</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Gaming and psychosocial adjustment <a href="http://t.co/Xtqy0dXbTp">http://t.co/Xtqy0dXbTp</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Impact of digital media on shared reading <a href="https://digitalmediaprojectforchildren.wordpress.com/2015/05/08/shared-e-reading-is-better-e-reading-an-uncertain-certainty/">https://digitalmediaprojectforchildren.wordpress.com/2015/05/08/shared-e-reading-is-better-e-reading-an-uncertain-certainty/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Metaanaylis on violent and prosocial video
game use effects (there is one) <a href="http://psp.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/01/22/0146167213520459.abstract">http://psp.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/01/22/0146167213520459.abstract</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
clarrysmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08255950611891056231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101194326979535361.post-78153695291671390692015-05-10T14:49:00.000+01:002015-05-10T14:49:10.907+01:00Chatting about screen use on WeSpeechiesThis week I am the lighthouse keeper on @WeSpeechies, a twitter handle for those interested in issues to do with the speech and language profession. WeSpeechies is focussing on a topic I have been interested for some time - the debate around children's use of screen based technology and child health, wellbeing and development. It's a topic that arouses much opinion so I think it will be keeping me busy!<br />
<br />
To find out more about WeSpeechies you can read about them <a href="http://speech-language-therapy.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=147">here</a>. To find out specifically about this week look <a href="http://speech-language-therapy.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=148">here</a>. For this page I have written a background to the week with editing support from WeSpeechies founders Caroline Bowen @speech_woman and Bronwyn Hemsley @BronwynHemsley. For ease I have copied it below. Just 2 hours after taking over as lighthouse keeper the debate around this issue is well underway, and I'll update this blog with a summary of issues raised throughout the week. There'll also be a twitter chat on this issue on Tuesday 12th May from 8.00-9.00pm Brtish Summer Time. Tune in and get involved!<br />
<br />
<h3>
Topic: Screen time and child development: Exploring the impact of audiovisual and interactive screens from all angles</h3>
There is no doubt that we live in a time of rapid technological
advances. Travelling on a London Underground train recently, I estimated
that around 70% of passengers were using smartphones. The screen has
exploded out of cinemas and living room TVs and into people’s back
pockets. In addition, small screen based technology has provided a
platform for many other uses, including, but not limited to social
networking, audio-visual communication (such as Skype and Facetime),
education and gaming.<br />
The widespread adoption of the small screen is said to be changing
behaviours (Ley, et al., 2014) and questions have been raised about the
effects of screen time on child development (Ebbeck, et al., 2015). This
is no new phenomenon; indeed the effect of the television on children’s
development was questioned by Meerloo, back in 1956. Concern was raised
in 2005 when a UK survey reported 20% of young children had a
television in their bedrooms. Nowadays, many children have regular
access to up to five screen based devices in their own homes (Kesten, et
al., 2015).<br />
Over the years screen use has been reported to be associated with both a
range of positive and negative developmental outcomes. Across the
research to date, the variety of aspects examined obviously makes it
impossible to generalise findings from different studies to all screens,
all media and all user behaviour. None-the-less, certain trends
emerge.<br />
There are of course advantages associated with the availability and use
of screen technology for communication, learning, and social
connectedness. Applications have been developed to support child
development, and social media platforms may facilitate networking for
children with their peers, families, and many other people. By contrast,
there are potential risks to children’s privacy, safety and mental
health that may result from unsupervised use of Internet based apps on
the small screen (Broughton, 2005).<br />
As speech-language professionals, we face many decisions about how much
to recommend or use ‘screens’ in our work with children and families.
We must take account of all of the evidence, not only the
representations made in the mainstream media. On @WeSpeechies this week,
I will challenge all taking part in discussions, and reading along, to
consider the role of speech-language professionals in providing reliable
advice to parents on screen use and how we might adopt screen use in
our own clinical practice.<br />
<strong>References</strong><br />
<a href="http://aapnews.aappublications.org/content/26/8/11.full">BROUGHTON, D. D. 2005</a>. Keeping kids safe in cyberspace: Pediatricians should talk to patients, parents about Internet dangers. <em>AAP News, 26</em>, 11-12.<br />
EBBECK, M., YIM, H. Y. B., CHAN, Y. & GOH, M. 2015. Singaporean
parents’ views of their young children’s access and use of technological
devices. <em>Early Childhood Education Journal</em>. <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10643-015-0695-4">ABSTRACT</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335515000066">KESTEN, J. M., SEBIRE, S. J., TURNER, K. M., STEWART-BROWN, S., BENTLEY, G. & JAGO, R. 2015</a>. Associations between rule-based parenting practices and child screen viewing: A cross-sectional study. <em>Preventive Medicine Reports, 2</em>, 84-89.<br />
LEY, B., OGONOWSKI, C., HESS, J., REICHLING, T., WAN, L. & WULF, V.
2014. Impacts of new technologies on media usage and social behaviour
in domestic environments. <em>Behaviour & Information Technology, 33</em>, 815-828. <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0144929X.2013.832383">ABSTRACT</a><br />
MEERLOO, J. A. M. 1956.<em> Technology invades our minds. The rape of the mind: The psychology of thought control, menticide, and brainwashing</em>. Cleveland, OH, US: The World Publishing Company.clarrysmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08255950611891056231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101194326979535361.post-89596060067305455472015-03-02T14:17:00.000+00:002015-03-06T19:32:12.544+00:00Are speech and language therapists too "nice" for robust peer review on the internet?<i>This is a sensitive post that explores the issues around debates that take place on social media. Whereas with other blogs I have attempted to source third party information, due to the sensitive nature of the story told, parts of this blog will remain anonymous. Some readers will be aware of specific events I have referred to from Twitter, but as the role of this blog is to explore the themes and principles necessary to learn about professional development through social media, individual names and tweets will not be repeated here.</i><br />
<br />
Social media has burst into the professional arena over the past few years and is increasingly being used to network with colleagues, share information and reflect on practice. In my last blog <a href="http://clarrysmith.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/healthy-skepticism-in-clinical-practice.html">"Healthy skepticism in clinical practice"</a> I recommended Twitter as a forum to share critical thinking in order to develop robust practice. The past few days, however, have been rather heated in the Twittersphere with allegations of cyberbullying and individuals being requested not to use certain professional networking hashtags as a result of their previous tweets.<br />
<br />
The twitterstorm originated from one user challenging a speech and language therapist who had hosted a guest post about psychological astrology on a professional blog. Requests were made to remove this post with the argument that it did not adhere to the principles of evidence based practice. A lively discussion followed on twitter which extended to discussion around evidence based practice and blogging in general. Shortly after this, however, the originator found themselves the subject of allegations of cyberbullying from several users of the professional hashtag. Allegations included using an inappropriate tone in tweets, "obsession with EBP", and fostering negativity on the hashtag. The originator was asked by these users to stop requesting that fad therapy posts be removed, stop asking for evidence for interventions and to stop using the professional hashtag. Whilst there may be differences in opinion over the hows and whys of the discussion that had taken place, was it necessary to jump to public allegations of cyberbullying? And was it appropriate to request another user to stop tweeting and to veto them from a professional network hashtag?<br />
<br />
This incident has raised a few issues that as a profession we need to explore. Discussed in more detail below they are: a; the nature of pre peer review publication, b; conduct on social media concerning peer review and c; professional standards in the world of social media.<br />
<br />
<i>The nature of pre peer review publication</i><br />
Before the emergence of social media most professionals communicated through peer reviewed journals or edited professional magazines. These media give should give the reader confidence that the reports and views of the author have been reviewed and given approval for publication by other professionals in the field. (That assumption has recently been in dispute <a href="http://deevybee.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/editors-behaving-badly.html">in one case</a>, as described by Bishop, but largely holds true). Whilst professional magazines (such as the RCSLT's Bulletin) are not peer reviewed, the editorial process provides some protection to the reader against outlandish or rogue opinions. Magazines also often give an opportunity for readers to respond to articles through a letters page.<br />
<br />
Things on the internet are different. Individuals may freely publish articles on blogs without any peer review. Opinions can also be tweeted without checks and balances on twitter and can reach thousands of people very quickly. This has benefits and disadvantages. One of the benefits of these forms of media is the democratisation of opinions. You don't have to be an established figure or authority to have a voice, and anyone can comment on information. Another benefit is the speed and degree to which information can be shared amongst professionals. Through tweets and blogs news gets out very quickly and can be disseminated widely. I believe I am better informed in my area of practice (early language development) than I would be if I were not on Twitter and did not read other professionals' blogs. Social media also gives an international perspective for things, so as a UK speech and language therapist I am learning from professionals in different countries and different health economies. In her <a href="http://www.rcslt.org/news/events/past_events_docs/rcslt_conference_2014_presentations/caroline_bowen_ict_social_media_and_speech_and_language_therapy">keynote speech</a> to the RCSLT 2014 conference, Caroline Bowen proposed that Twitter was useful for generation and dissemination of news, engaging in discussion, asking and answering questions, inspiring, encouraging and supporting others, participating in professional learning networks, and connecting and collaborating with groups. Disadvantages of social media, however, include the ease in which cod science and quackery can be distributed and the unpleasant interactions that can result from this unregulated environment (both of which I have alluded to above).<br />
<br />
Two blogposts with guidance for academics on <a href="http://deevybee.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/gentle-introduction-to-twitter-for.html">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://www.oxbridgebiotech.com/review/careers-2/why-blog/">Blogging</a> have been written by Dorothy Bishop. This guidance may be equally applied to clinical professions, such as speech and language therapy. Bishop also discusses the role of blogging in post publication peer review <a href="http://deevybee.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/blogging-as-post-publication-peer.html">here</a>. The value of peer critique on social media extends beyond post publication review of peer reviewed journal articles. I would argue it is not only of huge benefit to our profession but is essential in the presence of pre-peer reviewed publications, such as professional blogs and websites. It is the post publication review (via comments on a blog, tweets and shares) that takes place within social media that helps the wider community interpret and understand the validity of what is published. Put simply, if you blog or tweet, you need to be open to critique of what you are saying. If we seek to stifle or subdue opinion, that is to the detriment of our profession.<br />
<br />
<i>Conduct on social media concerning peer review:</i><br />
Given the unregulated environment of social media, and its relative youth in terms of a medium for human communication it is not surprising that things go wrong. There are many examples in Twitter of where things have got nasty and personal. Trolling on Twitter happens and we need to be aware of it. There are steps you can take to protect yourself from this, including blocking and reporting offensive tweeters. The extreme reaction to this is not to be on Twitter, or not to tweet what you really think. Whilst I always advocate 'thinking before tweeting' and not being offensive or personal, it would be such a shame if our desire to always be 'nice' or 'positive' resulted in a muting of the debate. Our profession could consider a code of conduct when communicating with others on Twitter. There are several questions that such a code might address. First, what is the right way to critically appraise someone else's work? How might someone whistle blow if professional misconduct is observed on social media? How should we decide what is the appropriate use of a hashtag? I would argue that it would not be appropriate to dictate who can or cannot use hashtags as that goes against the democratic nature of social media. It seems reasonable, however, to have explicit agreed rules over how a hashtag may be used. #WeSpeechies, for example has a rule that the hashtag is not used for promotion or advertising of commercial goods and services.<br />
<br />
<i>Professional standards in the world of social media:</i><br />
Another issue that this incident raised is the extent to which we are free to publish or post what we like on a professional blog or website. A clinical standard which all speech and language therapy professional bodies now expect, for example, is adherence to the principles of evidence based practice. Our clinical practice falls along a continuum regarding levels of underpinning evidence and I would doubt anyone would advocate too strict a policy regarding what level of evidence is required for services. It could be argued, however, that it is not appropriate for our profession to promote services that would be considered 'rogue' or 'outlandish', however, or services where there has been clear evidence of non-effectiveness. Given that many speech and language therapy professionals now use the internet to promote services, I suggest that our profession would benefit from professional standards on blogging and other publication on the internet. <br />
<br />
<i>Update 6th March:</i><br />
Thank you to those of you who responded to a request for information regarding current guidelines. In the UK the RCSLT does not have its own standards, but refers all enquiries to the HCPC which has guidelines on social media <a href="http://www.hcpc-uk.org/Assets/documents/100035B7Social_media_guidance.pdf">here</a>. Speech Pathology Australia have guidelines <a href="http://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/library/M_and_CO/SpeechPathology_and_SocialMedia.pdf">here</a> and please see Caroline Bowen's comment below for guidance on use of the #WeSpeechies hashtag. If you are aware of any other professional bodies across the world with guidelines or standards for publishing on the internet, please do get in touch with me and I'll update this blogpost.<br />
<br />
<i>Conclusion - are we too nice?</i><br />
The internet is the 'wild west' of our professional practice. Currently unregulated and with no code of conduct it appears that anything goes. This can be refreshing and liberating but it also has its consequences. While we do develop our practice in this arena, however, I challenge the reader to consider the priorities. When working towards a better, more clinically robust service for the benefit of our clients (who I would hope should always be the priority), let's not close down discussions for fear of not being 'nice' enough. We need to be robust and stand up to critique, especially those of us who publish on the internet. Try to be nice on the internet, but not too nice not to keep the debate open for the benefit of everyone.<br />
<br />
3rd March 2015 PS: Further to my request for information on guidelines from different professional bodies I have received comments from readers with information. I am waiting to hear from others, after which I will update this blogpost. In the meantime please do read the comments below where you will find more information on professional guidelines for social media and internet use.<br />
<br />clarrysmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08255950611891056231noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101194326979535361.post-18565039385631132512015-02-27T10:01:00.000+00:002015-02-27T11:16:19.965+00:00Healthy skepticism in clinical practice.<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I’m a bit of a stargazer, so I was exited to learn that
we would be able to see the International Space Station passing over the UK last
Christmas. My family and I stood outside
in the cold and watched in wonder as what looked like a bright star majestically
passed directly over our house. A couple
of days later another astronomy tweet did the rounds claiming that on January 4<sup>th</sup>
2015 we would all experience some weightlessness due to an unusual planetary
alignment in our solar system. Thanks to Phil Plait – astronomer and blogger,
this claim was debunked shortly afterwards as being completely false </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/12/24/zero_g_day_nope.html">(Plait, 2014)</a></span><span lang="EN-US">. This saved me from the social
embarrassment of jumping up and down on January the 4<sup>th</sup> yelling to
the kids “can you feel it?” for no good reason! Aside from astronomy, however,
Plait’s blog caused me to reflect on the importance of healthy skepticism within
our profession.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">What is skepticism?</span></i></b><span lang="EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A skeptic questions the truth or value of a
claim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not to be confused with religious
skepticism, scientific skepticism is fundamental to the advancement of
knowledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A skeptic will endeavor to base
beliefs on the accumulation of evidence and is prepared to modify beliefs in
the light of new scientific findings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It is also n</span>ot the same as intelligence, Plait noted that intelligent people are
sometimes taken in by false beliefs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is more likely if the belief is either widely held or championed by an
authority figure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In the workplace, effective skeptical practice
does not stop with questions but seeks evidence to either support or reject assumptions.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This may result in a conclusion of ‘we
don’t know yet’, but that is better than a false assumption that we do know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Why is skepticism important for speech and language
therapists?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We might consider that a skeptical approach
to our work is not so important, because we are already underpinned by
evidence-based-practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alternatively
we may believe that we are already skeptical enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> A</span> skeptical approach to work,
however, is needed more than ever for the following reasons:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Professional
integrity<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A huge amount of information is now
available at the click of a mouse. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recently carried out a google search using the search term ‘speech therapy’ and it yielded over
18.5 million results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only is the
quantity of this information overwhelming, much of it will not be reliable and
clients may find a vast range of cod science and quackery surrounding their
clinical need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a protected profession
we are trusted as experts and our message should be reliable. New trends that
overlap with our therapy practice emerge regularly that claim efficacy but are
not grounded in adequate or reliable evidence (examples in my field of practice include brain gym
and baby signing).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some advice even
extends to the ridiculous, with one speech therapy blog hosting a guest blogger
promoting astrology for children with communication needs!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whilst most practice does not extend into the
realms of the ridiculous in this way, we do need to be aware of the grounds on which claims
of efficacy are made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we know, no
evidence of effectiveness is not the same as evidence of non-effectiveness and
therapists are entitled to be open-minded about new initiatives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We should, however, be aware of the level to
which different approaches are evidence-based, and in turn be honest with
clients about this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Myths and
legends.</span></i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We may be tempted to believe that we are no
longer subjected to myths and legends as in times past, however, there are
still many stories that abound concerning communication and language that
need to be debunked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recent mainstream
news articles in the UK have blamed forward-facing buggies and ipads for
damaging child development.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neither
claim is underpinned by any evidence (for an analysis of the iPads article see <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2015/feb/02/no-research-does-not-say-that-ipads-and-smartphones-may-damage-toddlers-brains">this Guardian post</a>, and for
forward facing buggies read my blog <a href="http://clarrysmith.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/debunking-parenting-myths-tale-of.html">here</a>). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whilst as a profession, we generally follow
principles of evidence-based-practice it can be tempting to run with stories such
as these because in doing so we can promote our own messages (for example, a
carer-facing buggy promotes face to face interaction).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe we have a duty, however, to be more
robust with our professional advice instead of dressing up our messages up in
popular opinion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Conflicts of
interest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Sources of evidence that we are presented
with may be influenced by bias due to conflicts of interest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These may be financial but may also be for
other reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example,
‘investigator allegiance’ refers to a particular intervention being championed
by one person, who may be seeking to enhance their own reputation </span><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span
style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>ADDIN EN.CITE
<EndNote><Cite><Author>Bernstein-Ratner</Author><Year>2006</Year><RecNum>74</RecNum><DisplayText>(Bernstein-Ratner,
2006)</DisplayText><record><rec-number>74</rec-number><foreign-keys><key
app="EN" db-id="vzwa9szpu95xpxe5ezc5wt0cpfaddzerse99"
timestamp="1402914307">74</key><key app="ENWeb"
db-id="">0</key></foreign-keys><ref-type
name="Journal Article">17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author>Bernstein-Ratner,
N.
</author></authors></contributors><auth-address>Department
of Hearing and Speech Sciences, 0100 Lefrak Hall, The University of Maryland,
College Park, MD 20742, USA. nratner@hesp.umd.edu</auth-address><titles><title>Evidence-based
practice: an examination of its ramifications for the practice of
speech-language pathology</title><secondary-title>Lang Speech Hear
Serv Sch</secondary-title><alt-title>Language, speech, and hearing
services in schools</alt-title></titles><alt-periodical><full-title>Language,
Speech, and Hearing Services in
Schools</full-title></alt-periodical><pages>257-67</pages><volume>37</volume><number>4</number><keywords><keyword>Biomedical
Research/standards</keyword><keyword>Evidence-Based Medicine/*methods</keyword><keyword>Humans</keyword><keyword>Information
Dissemination</keyword><keyword>Interdisciplinary
Communication</keyword><keyword>Randomized Controlled Trials as
Topic</keyword><keyword>Speech-Language
Pathology/ethics/*methods</keyword></keywords><dates><year>2006</year><pub-dates><date>Oct</date></pub-dates></dates><isbn>0161-1461
(Print)&#xD;0161-1461
(Linking)</isbn><accession-num>17041074</accession-num><urls><related-urls><url>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17041074</url></related-urls></urls><electronic-resource-num>10.1044/0161-1461(2006/029)</electronic-resource-num></record></Cite></EndNote><span
style='mso-element:field-separator'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">(Bernstein-Ratner, 2006)</span></span><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US">. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This, as well as other conflicts of interest may lead
to a bias towards positive results in the literature, known as a positive publication bias.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aware of this bias, there is now an
expectation that negative findings of evaluation studies or trials are
published but this still does not routinely happen. </span>Ben Goldacre highlighted this issue very clearly in the case of drug trials <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljIlpyvFY1Q&feature=youtu.be">in this talk</a>. We need to be aware that a similar bias may also occur in our own field of practice concerning trials of interventions.<span lang="EN-US"> As a profession, we need to
keep up with these results too, so we are aware of what is likely not to work
for clients as well as what is likely to work.
Loff </span><span lang="EN-US">(2011)</span><span lang="EN-US"> highlighted that if evidence suggesting an intervention does not
work is not shared then ineffective practice can continue, grow in
popularity and become part of the folklore of the profession. As I stated earlier, myths that are widespread are more likely to be believed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">What should we be skeptical about?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Skepticism should not just be limited to
questions concerning effective therapy approaches. Our profession can benefit
if we question all aspects of our practice, from theory underpinning our
decisions through to discharge planning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We should even question assumptions about evidence-based practice
itself. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we all bring different
perspectives, collective and constructive skepticism can help to move the
profession forward.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">How can we exercise healthy skepticism?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We can’t all be experts on everything, so
it is important to be skeptical collectively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Make the most of specialists and regularly update care pathways in line
with recent evidence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clinical
researchers are skeptics in practice, so if there is a research active
clinician or a researcher in residence in your team, use them to inform the
questions you ask and the way you go about answering your questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They should be aware of the most up to date guidelines
that are in place to inform the quality and clinical relevance of evaluation
studies and trials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US">As well as researchers, use the tools now
available to support evidence based practice decision making, including the
<a href="http://www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk/whatworks">What Works Website</a>, <a href="http://speechbite.com/speechbite/search/articlesearch">SpeechBite</a> and the <a href="http://www.rcslt.org/members/research_centre/e_learning/launch_evidence_based_clinical_decision_making_tool">Evidence-Based Clinical Decision making tool</a> </span><!--[if supportFields]><span lang=EN-US><span style='mso-element:
field-begin'></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>ADDIN EN.CITE
<EndNote><Cite><Author>Joffe</Author><Year>2014</Year><RecNum>404</RecNum><DisplayText>(Joffe
and Pagnamenta, 2014)</DisplayText><record><rec-number>404</rec-number><foreign-keys><key
app="EN" db-id="vzwa9szpu95xpxe5ezc5wt0cpfaddzerse99"
timestamp="1421074567">404</key></foreign-keys><ref-type
name="Magazine Article">19</ref-type><contributors><authors><author>Joffe,
V.</author><author>Pagnamenta,
E.</author></authors></contributors><titles><title>Evidence-based
clinical decision making.</title><secondary-title>RCSLT
Bulletin</secondary-title></titles><pages>22-23</pages><number>751</number><dates><year>2014</year></dates><pub-location>London</pub-location><publisher>RCSLT</publisher><urls></urls></record></Cite></EndNote><span
style='mso-element:field-separator'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">(Joffe and Pagnamenta, 2014)</span></span><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US">. How about a regular “What’s the evidence?” feature in the non peer reviewed professional magazines, such as the <a href="http://www.rcslt.org/members/publications/bulletinonline">RCSLT's Bulletin</a>, where different contributors write an analytical article on the current evidence for a particular therapy?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
Another great source for collective skepticism and a way to keep in touch with evidence based practice is to maintain an active Twitter account. As well as my Twitter account <a href="https://twitter.com/clarrysmith">@clarrysmith</a> there are many ,champions for evidence based practice in the Twittersphere. These include, but are by no means limited to <a href="https://twitter.com/vjoffe">@vjoffe</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/SusanEbbels">@SusanEbbels</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/deevybee">@deevybee</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/lilacCourt">@lilacCourt</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/avrilnicoll">@avrilnicoll</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/speech_woman">@speech_woman</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/BronwynHemsley">@BronwynHemsley</a>, as well as professional networking and organisational Twitter handles, including <a href="https://twitter.com/CochraneLibrary">The Cochrane Library</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/wespeechies">WeSpeechies</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/EBPchampion">EBPChampion</a>. Twitter also enables me to maintain an international perspective. As well as my own professional body, the <a href="https://twitter.com/RCSLT">RCSLT</a>, I am also able to follow other speech and language therapy professional bodies such as <a href="https://twitter.com/ASHAWeb">ASHA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeechPathAus">SpeechPathAus</a>. I appreciate I am probably preaching to the converted here, if you have read this blog then it may be because you're already on Twitter. If you benefit from Twitter in the way that I do, however, why not share this blog or your message with your colleagues via email and spread the word. The more clinicians we can network with via Twitter, the greater our collective wisdom.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Reflective practice and clinical
supervision are opportunities for disciplined skeptical thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reflective practice is a great opportunity to
question your own practice and assumptions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Within group supervision healthy skeptical conversations can be
encouraged at work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Skepticism can be seen as a negative
trait but if harnessed constructively, it can help us to grow as a profession.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we experience more commissioning of
services, a team that enables open and constructive skepticism supports staff
in developing robust services that they are proud to deliver.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">References:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span
style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>ADDIN EN.REFLIST <span style='mso-element:
field-separator'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">BERNSTEIN-RATNER, N. 2006. Evidence-based practice: an
examination of its ramifications for the practice of speech-language pathology.
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch,</i> 37<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">,</b> 257-67.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">JOFFE, V. & PAGNAMENTA, E. 2014.
Evidence-based clinical decision making. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">RCSLT
Bulletin.</i> London: RCSLT.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">LOF, G. L. 2011. Science-based practice and
the speech-language pathologist. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Int J
Speech Lang Pathol,</i> 13<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">,</b> 189-96.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">PLAIT, P. 2014. No, a planetary allignment
on 4th January 2015 won't decrease gravity. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bad
Astronomy </i>[Online]. Available from: <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/12/24/zero_g_day_nope.html"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/12/24/zero_g_day_nope.html</span></a>
[Accessed December 2014 2014].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
clarrysmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08255950611891056231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101194326979535361.post-9374471876398189432015-02-05T14:16:00.000+00:002015-02-05T15:57:38.716+00:00We need a positive culture of music for our children.<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div data-ft="{"tn":"H"}">
<div class="mtm" style="margin-top: 10px;">
<div class="_6m2 _1zpr clearfix _dcs _4_w4 _59ap" data-ft="{"tn":"H"}" id="u_ps_0_0_s" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px 1.5px inset, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588) 0px 1px 1px; background-color: white; overflow: hidden; position: relative; z-index: 0; zoom: 1;">
<div class="clearfix _2r3x" style="zoom: 1;">
<div class="lfloat _ohe" style="float: left;">
<div class="_6ks" style="line-height: 0; position: relative; z-index: 1;">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<i>I originally wrote this commentary last year, inspired by the Channel 4 series "Don't Stop the Music". The comments are still valid but I have updated the blog very slightly. This year a fantastic project called TenPieces has been produced by the BBC, which aims to introduce primary school children to ten well known pieces of classical music in a dynamic and interactive way. It's a great project and my son's school has been using it as a basis for music lessons with really positive outcomes. My son has come home singing classical pieces he has learned and he also is able to talk about the composer and the structure of the music. I experienced a real joy the other day when he commented "I really like classical music, in fact some of my favourite tunes are classical music!"</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>To find out more about Ten pieces click on <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02j5j42">this link</a>, or follow #BBCTenPieces on Twitter.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="js_8" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; overflow: hidden; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_541029dcea8d33906050320" style="display: inline;">
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
Last year Channel 4 produced a short series called 'Don't stop the music', featuring James Rhodes, a concert pianist with a mission to revolutionise music teaching in Britain's Primary Schools. You might be forgiven for thinking - 'oh no, not another mission campaign programme', following hot on the heels of the likes of the highly admirable Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and Gareth Malone, but perhaps yet another expert moralising about what we need?</div>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="line-height: 1.38;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 1.38;">After watching the series, however, James Rhodes appeared to have got this right. First, it is apparent that </span><span style="line-height: 1.38;">the state and status of musical teaching in primary schools in the UK is dire. </span><span style="line-height: 1.38;">As a developmental language therapist I've been banging on about this for years so James Rhodes is a man after my own heart. </span><span style="line-height: 1.38;"> Our children are currently being denied access to quality musical education in primary school - the early, formative years whe</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; line-height: 1.38;">n it really matters. And I believe the root of this problem lies with a lack of a positive musical culture in school and at home.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; line-height: 1.38;"><br /></span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; line-height: 1.38;"></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwlCSpEjsVUNF0D2QnGCvKBVUjcdYbLYkhEShta4pIVtvQlBUeZwPfTlAoIit86cdQf9iNNFkc2fxGZ01Q4C3owq7_qNuzpyT0PhWntxmQ6qIaHOzS4rBedpnWXut1VJwtiuHeGnfSHXYn/s1600/IMG_1757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwlCSpEjsVUNF0D2QnGCvKBVUjcdYbLYkhEShta4pIVtvQlBUeZwPfTlAoIit86cdQf9iNNFkc2fxGZ01Q4C3owq7_qNuzpyT0PhWntxmQ6qIaHOzS4rBedpnWXut1VJwtiuHeGnfSHXYn/s1600/IMG_1757.JPG" height="240" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;"><i>Why do we need to develop a culture for music?</i></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;">Do you like music? - seems like a pretty stupid question doesn't it, because we all enjoy some form of music or other. Music is part of our everyday experience. And yet, many people are unable to participate in music beyond singing along to the radio or watching the X factor. What if our children could do more than this? Beyond getting skills for working life, w</span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;">hat is education for, if not to expose our children </span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">to the</span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;"> wider world and to instruct them so they can be active participants in life? This is especially valid for music, where some skill is needed to support participation. Most people would agree that they enjoy music, and those of us that have had the </span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">privilege</span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;"> of playing music with others are testament to the life enhancing experience that it is.</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;"> What is more, as James Rhodes pointed out in the first episode, we have a multimillion pound music industry in the UK, which will need future talent. Schools do their best with the limited resources they have, but apart from a once weekly general music class (often taught by unqualified staff), any other musical training is usually an optional extra that comes with a price tag for parents. Because music is not adopted as an integral part of the culture of schools, children are left to 'go it alone' when it comes to the discipline required with practicing an instrument (especially if their parents are not musical themselves). I think this is why so many children give up if they do start to learn an instrument. </span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;"></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;">This lack of a musical culture in schools is further exacerbated by the (in my view, wrong) opinion that music is not a high priority subject at school or home. The educationalist Ken Robinson highlighted this problem clearly, when he described the 'hierarchy of subjects' - maths and literacy at the top of the hierarchy, with many hours and resources dedicated to these subjects, and music and art at the bottom. Of course our children need to learn to read and write and add up, but this dilemma is so extreme, that school reports and SATs largely ignore subjects beyond literacy and numeracy in primary school (the sciences and humanities are paid lip service but very little more). This is problematic for so many reasons. Why do we need literacy and maths? Surely partly to engage in wider learning! Also, this approach carries the assumption that literacy and maths can't be learned outside of literacy and maths sessions! I would argue that children could gain literacy and maths skills by engaging in music (and the arts in general - there is much to be said for drama and dance, but that is another blog!!). Aside from the obvious lifelong pleasure to be gained from playing music with others, learning an instrument has so many benefits for academic achievement (there is evidence for impacts on language, maths, literacy etc). Too often I hear parents saying that their children 'want to give up' an instrument after they have got over the initial excitement and are having to face the challenges of regular practice. Funny how we never hear the narrative of wanting to 'give up' maths or reading!!!</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;"><br /></span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;">The purpose of this blog is not to undermine or negate in any way the fabulous work that is already done by the unsung musical heroes in our schools music services, and the scores of talented and inspiring music teachers up and down the country. Also it is important for me to point out that our local primary school has done a fab job of encouraging music with the limited resources it has. But more is needed. Like James, I believe all children should be encouraged to actually learn to play an instrument. This blog is about supporting those who work towards supporting music, and positioning their role firmly as an essential component of learning in a musically active school culture. </span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;">Musical development is hugely beneficial for children and if nurtured in a positive culture, where music is an accepted and prioritised aspect of school life, I believe children would rise to the challenge of learning to play. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;"><i>Developing a musical culture in our communities.</i></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Developing a culture means we all get involved. Children are led by example, and if they see adults (teachers, parents and friends) engaging in and enjoying music, they are more likely to get on board. This means that, as much as we are able, we should try to develop a musical culture at home too. Perhaps we might enjoy it along the way!</span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;"></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 6px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDuTCTWsqSgfYU9c1R0PTQrO_aJ-sTRWf-0JRKfGPUuAwuiDxBMzw8YEEIBWcWYuqdsqcTS6fZM4PjrEKCS5BqSpdAWdWryuz3YQHpVlTYfJWD-ula_tQvbiELAJ3GKzFqNggOBpGJCRL0/s1600/248481_10150267398905560_528152_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDuTCTWsqSgfYU9c1R0PTQrO_aJ-sTRWf-0JRKfGPUuAwuiDxBMzw8YEEIBWcWYuqdsqcTS6fZM4PjrEKCS5BqSpdAWdWryuz3YQHpVlTYfJWD-ula_tQvbiELAJ3GKzFqNggOBpGJCRL0/s1600/248481_10150267398905560_528152_n.jpg" height="240" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
Playing at a local festival </div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;"></span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;">There are many ways parents can encourage their children with music. In 'Don't Stop the Music' James Rhodes has called an amnesty on all the unplayed instruments sitting in peoples' attics, but before you give it up, </span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;"> perhaps you might think about starting to play it again? This would do wonders to encourage your children. Join a musical group or form a band with your friends. I learned to play the double bass after both my children had been born and were at school. I'm no expert, but have fun playing with friends who have also either learned later in life or who have picked up an instrument once learned then forgotten. Our children see us having fun and are encouraged to join in.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;"></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 6px; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eRW0j9d_uH1wPyaIfnYdZNiygrn7o20VYGCg8H9wg2zzP7nQ6HykVo9yZL08od5J59_uEC96O1Rns5jBJ6yivkrU4bNt1R5lQKHI8ZkT7JFf3KrKqy5Bb6Qrg34DHA2Dp2KhhkdJJxvi/s1600/IMG_0601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eRW0j9d_uH1wPyaIfnYdZNiygrn7o20VYGCg8H9wg2zzP7nQ6HykVo9yZL08od5J59_uEC96O1Rns5jBJ6yivkrU4bNt1R5lQKHI8ZkT7JFf3KrKqy5Bb6Qrg34DHA2Dp2KhhkdJJxvi/s1600/IMG_0601.jpg" height="240" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
With friends round the bonfire on a camping holiday</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;"><br /></span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjww5kys2s9kA1MesxPqyHI7CI0v_1fZWiA6VxROBPHYgnHzq2vvRwKfdL-LJPRCBejj7HkcZFUBCID6nMEQxY9rIaUQEB6xsPBqsV-lbwPND2zk4qnZRFmAo9nIv8LtGYomNKHQHaNPlRt/s1600/IMG_0591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjww5kys2s9kA1MesxPqyHI7CI0v_1fZWiA6VxROBPHYgnHzq2vvRwKfdL-LJPRCBejj7HkcZFUBCID6nMEQxY9rIaUQEB6xsPBqsV-lbwPND2zk4qnZRFmAo9nIv8LtGYomNKHQHaNPlRt/s1600/IMG_0591.jpg" height="240" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
The kids joining in with the music</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbH6Sus42y7okZIdyKsPD2-A6owhxXVfOOX0DPtx4UDIVyKxmpn7PeVJ5tUet1M7aSV_fBbHvpC7lJU06v3wqwIPwj3by62T96R2WOqOVO15RMUWKoFvn-b9Cwr5V7kabTw2OWKgOmTnT/s1600/IMG_1215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbH6Sus42y7okZIdyKsPD2-A6owhxXVfOOX0DPtx4UDIVyKxmpn7PeVJ5tUet1M7aSV_fBbHvpC7lJU06v3wqwIPwj3by62T96R2WOqOVO15RMUWKoFvn-b9Cwr5V7kabTw2OWKgOmTnT/s1600/IMG_1215.JPG" height="240" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
Experiencing the thrill of the Royal Albert Hall</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Another way to foster a musical culture at home is going to see live music. The wider the range of genres, the better. As a family we have recently been to a pop concert, our local festival, a classical concert at the Royal Albert Hall and a Royal Marines band concert. Concerts can be expensive, but if we cast our eyes beyond the big stars the price tag comes down. There are also often free classical events taking place regularly in churches, and in our home town there's always a gaggle of buskers on busy shopping days. This is a great way of democratising music, and helpi</span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">ng our kids to see that you don't have to be a big star to play music (and there are more instruments than the guitar!).</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>A culture leaves a legacy</i></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The British successes in the 2012 Olympics demonstrated that by building a culture for sport, people got inspired, and that encouraged participation and excellence. Credit to James Rhodes for his part in developing a music culture for children. We can all be part of this. Not only will our children reap all the known benefits for learning music, but just think what legacy that might leave!</span></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
clarrysmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08255950611891056231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101194326979535361.post-81089902292917174432015-02-03T14:57:00.000+00:002015-02-03T22:31:31.205+00:00Can Big Data help research into language development?Last Monday I attended an event at Cambridge University organised by the <a href="http://www.bigdata.cam.ac.uk/">Cambridge Big Data Strategic Research Initiative</a> (CBDRI) entitled "The vocabulary of Big Data". I am cognisant of the fact that I am not a specialist in this area and, just as the title of the event suggested, I went along to dip my toe into this increasingly more useful approach to data analysis and gain at least a basic vocabulary. Could embracing Big Data increase the possibilities for research into language development? Travelling up from the South Coast of England it was a fair distance, and I wasn't sure whether the event would be appropriate at all for me, an early career researcher with roots in clinical practice and one randomised controlled trial under my belt. I wasn't entirely sure what Big Data even meant, perhaps it might be something to do with astrophysics, or analysis of Twitter use, or perhaps there might be other applications, such as language analysis, something I have used in my research. This was a free event shared on Twitter and, not one to miss an opportunity, I went along.<br />
<br />
There were 8 speakers in total, giving talks on Big Data from a range of perspectives. In this blog I am going to focus on just a few of those talks and the key aspects I learned from the event.<br />
<br />
First we were introduced to the concept of Big Data, and why it was relevant today and in the future. We live in a time where very large amounts of data are being produced, far more than ever before. Social networking, genome sequencing, brain imaging, images, text and many more examples were given of the data generated. It was also highlighted that this data generation is predicted to grow, and in 5 years time, the data we have access to now will appear as a drop in the ocean to data generated in the future. By acquiring a vocabulary of Big Data we can begin the journey of learning how to tap into and benefit from the data that is produced.<br />
<br />
The first talk by Professor Zoubin Ghahramani was an introduction to Machine Learning. In this talk we were introduced to the vocabulary of machine learning, which stems from the field of computer science and statistics. Machine learning is a way to make sense of and manage large amounts of data. An algorithm or model is created and built using the data which is input into the system. That model can learn from new data and consequently is able to make predictions based on the data. There are a range of different approaches used in machine learning, which include artificial neural networks, clustering and Bayesian networks. These different approaches enable analysis and predictions in different ways. We also learned about different applications for machine learning. A well known example is that of the company Netflix, which used machine learning to more successfully predict consumer preferences. Other applications of machine learning include object or photo recognition, speech recognition and natural language processing. The benefit of machine learning is that, as it is able to learn from data it does not rely on a fixed predesigned algorithm to start with. <br />
<br />
A real case example of the application of Big Data was presented by Dr Richard Gibbens who described how Big Data was used for road traffic modelling, demonstrating how the large amount of information gained from motorway sensors was used to predict and manage traffic flow on Britain's motorways. He highlighted that this data was already collected for another purpose and was therefore available but through analysing the data his department were able to provide the Highways Agency with really valuable information about traffic flow, which is now contributing to road safety. Whilst traffic data isn't something we're likely to be mining in the field of language and communication, the case study highlighted that a Big Data approach can exploit data that has already been generated for another purpose to answer questions.<br />
<br />
A problem with handling Big Data is just that; it is big! The issue of handling large amounts of data were addressed by Dr Anders Hansen, Dr Eiko Yonkei and Dr Jan Lellmann. Through their talks we were introduced to the storage and processing issues encountered when dealing with Big Data. We were introduced to the concepts of compressing data. We were shown two images of earth, one with all the data and one with the data compressed. To the naked eye, it was impossible to see the difference between the two, and this highlighted the fact that most of the information held in a data sample may be gleaned from a small percentage of that data. We were shown how this approach can be used in brain imaging to provide a high level of focus on an area of interest, such as a lesion, without significantly increasing the amount of data processing. The ways in which large amounts of data are stored were also addressed. In part, Big Data can now be stored effectively thanks to the ability to use multiple servers and cloud technology.<br />
<br />
The event ended with a case history of natural language processing presented by Dr Paula Buttery. She showed how natural language processing could be used to gain information from large sources of text using algorithms, and how the syntax of language could be used to make predictions.<br />
<br />
This event really did give me a basic vocabulary of Big Data and an awareness of how it might be useful in language development research. Undoubtably, Big Data approaches will already be employed in the field of genetic research and the neuroscience of language development. I believe Big Data may be employed in the same way concerning environmental influences on language development. Having spent my last research project transcribing hours upon hours of parental talk to children I am very interested in how we may embrace both new technologies of data capture and the discipline of Big Data analysis to make progress in this academic field.<br />
<br />
<br />clarrysmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08255950611891056231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101194326979535361.post-58185590627627036402015-01-11T13:52:00.000+00:002015-01-12T13:19:35.814+00:00A Review of 'Brainstorm' - a whirlwind encounter with the teenage brainI love science and the communication of science in new and interesting ways. My daughter and I love theatre. I am a developmental speech and language therapist, researcher and parent. My daughter is a teenager. Islington Community Theatre's production 'Brainstorm', a youth theatre drama explaining the neuroscience behind the teenage brain and teenage behaviour looked set to tick all the boxes.<br />
<br />
Brainstorm is a collaborative production with Islington Community Theatre, Park Theatre, the Wellcome Trust and the National Theatre Studio. The result of 2 years of creative theatre making and workshops and with the involvement of leading neuroscientist Professor Sarah-Jane Blakemore (UCL), this looked like an exiting and innovative production. <br />
<br />
Each of the teenagers made their entrance onto the stage with a typical teenage exclamation or grunt and proceeded to play with their mobile phones. We were reminded that many people think of teenagers as a 'crap version of an adult'. This production was to show the audience that it is not really like that. Right from the first scene, the importance of the teenage brain in this story was given centre stage. How the brain develops during the teenage years explains why they behave the way they do. Members of the audience were informed that teenagers' behaviour is part of their development and is just the way it should be. The performers pointed out that their brain is 'not broken' but 'beautiful'.<br />
<br />
The setting of the production was the teenagers' own bedroom, which acted as a metaphor for many features important to teenage development; an expression of emerging independence and identity, a sanctuary and an illustration of the brain itself. Another key prop in the production was the mobile phone, a device to which this generation of teenagers appears to be permanently attached. Images from the cast's mobile phone screens were projected up onto the wardrobe to illustrate parts of the message. This was an innovative way of communicating the story through a medium which is a fundamental part of the modern western teenager's identity.<br />
<br />
The cast did a great job of explaining the neuroscience behind the teenage brain, behaviour and development. Our brains are made up of no less than around 85 billion brain cells called neurones, which are connected together with synapses. Teenagers have many more connections than adults so everything is connected together. This was illustrated in the drama as the teenager's own bedrooms, messy and chaotic, full of everything. As we develop, the connections or synapses that we use are reinforced and the ones that we don't die away, a process known as pruning. The bedroom analogy was used again to illustrate pruning in the brain as the teenagers found a special place for their really useful or loved items, and cleared the less useful stuff away.<br />
<br />
Other features of brain development also explained teenage behaviour. The prefrontal cortex 'just behind your forehead' is the part of the brain responsible for reason and rational behaviour. This part of the brain takes a long time to develop and is not fully developed in the teenage brain. The limbic system, that is the part of the brain responsible for emotions, risk taking and reward, is highly sensitive during the teenage brain. The performers illustrated this as the limbic system shouting at them to take risks and handing out sweets, while the underdeveloped prefrontal cortex whispers in the background 'can you hear me?'<br />
<br />
The production explored key aspects of teenage life, hopes and dreams for the future, relationships with friends and parents and the teenagers' emerging sense of self; 'you want me to be you but I am not you'. The performers gave a candid account of themselves and their experiences which was both life affirming and moving. A particularly powerful scene was introduced as 'brain scan', and involved the performers answering questions about themselves by turning on a lamp. The anonymity of responses the randomly placed lamps gave enabled the teenagers to be open in their answers to challenging questions such as 'have you lied to your parents today?', 'does the thought of sex scare you?' and 'have you ever been drunk?'<br />
<br />
The confidence, energy and potential of the teenager was demonstrated through the voices of these young actors. Their vulnerability and need for understanding and support from their parents was also clearly communicated, particularly in the final scene where each performer shows a written message of love to their parents, something that they 'could never say'. One key theme that was reinforced throughout the play was that brain development is not a 'one-off'' event, like starting your period. It takes a long time. 'That's important.'<br />
<br />
This production was a truly unique way to communicate the neuroscience of the teenage brain to a wider audience. Using the voices of teenagers themselves made it even more powerful. They understood and owned the science behind their own development. The combination of these two aspects of communication resulted in a clear, powerful and relevant message.<br />
<br />
I have always had an interest in the theatre and how it can be used to inform and educate. I am also very interested in exploring ways in which scientific discoveries can be communicated to a wider audience (for more of this see my previous blogs on my experience of the Cheltenham Science Festival). Living on the south coast my family is a long way from Finsbury Park in North London. I wanted to see this production for myself, but given that my daughter loves drama, I thought it might be an opportunity for her too to be exposed to a new field of science through a medium she loves so she and I travelled to North London for the Saturday matinee performance. Brainstorm did not disappoint, in fact it far exceeded expectations. I was surprised by the sheer energy of the cast, young people aged between 13 and 17, giving graphic, emotional but authentic portrayals of their experiences as teenagers.<br />
<br />
It would be amazing to see such an innovative performance given a wider audience, perhaps at a major UK science festival such as Cheltenham or the British Science Festival. Whatever the future of this venture, however, one thing is clear; Islington Community Theatre should be proud of a truly unique production.clarrysmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08255950611891056231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101194326979535361.post-18571382432497305642015-01-02T10:00:00.000+00:002015-02-05T15:59:58.295+00:00Debunking parenting myths: The tale of the incompetent parent, the fiendish forward facing buggy & the developing child.The poem <a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/178055">'This be the verse'</a> by Philip Larkin starts with "they f*&!k you up, your mum and dad, they may not mean to but they do". It is true that parents are going to get some things wrong, but are they really messing things up quite as much as the media would have us believe?<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Last week the UK's Daily Telegraph - education section published an article claiming that child communication development was being damaged as a result of parents' use of forward facing buggies. The argument followed that forward facing buggies do not facilitate face to face interaction and conversation. The claims were made by Gail Larkin, president of the National Association of Head Teachers. You can read the article <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/11297567/Forward-facing-buggies-damaging-childrens-social-skills.html">here</a><span style="color: #0000f6; font-size: 19px;">.</span> This might be worrying were it not for the fact that there is no evidence that these claims are true. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In my fifteen year career as a speech and language therapist and now as a researcher into early language development these scare stories blaming parents are not new. This article could well have been written back in 2005 when the National Literacy Campaign authored a paper entitled <a href="http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0000/1151/discussionpaper.pdf">Why do many young children lack basic language skills?</a> as part of it's "Talk to your Baby" campaign. Or it might have been written back in 1995 after a groundbreaking study by Betty Hart and Todd Risley in the United States highlighted the relationship between parental talk to children and child language development. Similar articles expounding the failings of parents were written in <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/3312626/Ignored-and-grunted-at-TV-toddlers-have-to-be-taught-to-talk.html">June 2003</a> , <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1440186/Schools-chief-Parents-have-raised-worst-generation-yet.html">August 2003</a> and <a href="http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/talk_to_your_baby/news/2788_i_can_poll_blames_tv_for_language_deterioration">2004</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It is valid to be concerned about child language development. Communication through language is a vital skill, necessary for successful social, emotional, academic and ultimately economic wellbeing. It is also valid to question what influences child language development and seek to optimise the environment children grow up in to support their acquisition of language. We do know that there are a significant minority of children who genuinely need support due to difficulties with learning to communicate. The sad fact is that despite this being a fascinating and valuable area of study, some newspaper articles such as the latest in the Daily Telegraph appear to be interested in going no further in this debate than blaming parents for the problem. In this particular case, to make matters worse, the claims were not valid and were not based on a shred of credible evidence.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Following a brief discussion with other professionals interested in child development on Twitter I felt it necessary to debunk the myths in this latest article that have been reported as fact. In order to make the claim that forward facing buggies are damaging child language development you need to establish a number of factors based on evidence; first, you need to agree there is evidence that children's communication skills have deteriorated over the last decade, second, that child language development is caused by parents not talking to them enough, third you then need to establish that parents are talking less than they used to, fourth and finally you would need to establish that forward facing buggies cause parents to talk less, and this effect is large enough and lasts for a long enough duration to have an overall effect on parent input to children.<br />
<br />
In this blog I have explored these questions with reference to the evidence we currently have;</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i><b>1. The article claims that, in general, children's language has deteriorated.</b></i><br />
I have heard this concern consistently throughout my clinical experience, and yet there is no empirical evidence to support it. In areas of social deprivation there does appear to be a higher prevalence of language delay than in more affluent areas (see for example <a href="http://www.lec.ie/media/docs/Locke%20article%20disadvantage.pdf">Locke et al; 2002</a> and the Hart and Risley study cited above), but this factor should not be generalised to a blanket concern about all children, and there is no evidence of change over time. The only way to be sure that language skills have deteriorated is to compare cohorts of children at different points in time and there have been no such studies reporting a deterioration of language skills. In fact, in 2003 in response to this very same concern an article in the UK's Times Educational Supplement uncovered 2 unpublished cohort studies, which indicated that, if anything, children's language levels had improved over that previous decade (you can read this article <a href="https://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=374746">here</a>).<br />
<br />
Given this factor, the two further claims in the article that I challenge below are in essence moot points. Let us explore the claims, however, to see if they might shed light on how we can help children who do present with language learning difficulties.<br />
<br />
<b><i>2. The article claims that parents are having fewer conversations with their children.</i></b><br />
Gail Larkin postulates that, in addition to forward facing buggies, this is because parents are spending too much time talking on their mobile phones or chatting to friends at the school gate. This issue needs to be broken down to two distinct questions, <b><i>a; are language learning difficulties caused by a lack of parental talk?</i></b> and <b><i>b; are parents actually talking less to their children than previous generations?</i></b><br />
<br />
<b><i>a;</i> <i>Are language learning difficulties caused by a lack of parental talk?</i></b><br />
There is evidence that children from different families do experience a wide variety in the quantity of language that they hear from their parents. This has also been found to be related to the child's language development (again see Hart & Risley, and <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11949900">Hoff and Naigles; 2002</a> for examples of this research). It is also generally established that the language children hear forms part of the language learning mechanism and so as a clinician I would always advise parents to talk to their child through everyday routines to support child language acquisition. How effective this advice is is a topic for another blog, however, and whilst there is a relationship between parent language input and child language learning, Dorothy Bishop (Professor of Developmental Neuropsychology; University of Oxford) highlighted recently in her blog that as these studies on parent talk and child language learning are based on correlations a cause and effect relationship has not been established. It may be that a third factor is influencing both parent language input and child language development. For a more comprehensive discussion on this matter, read Dorothy Bishop's blog <a href="http://deevybee.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/parent-talk-and-child-language.html?m=1">here</a>. The point to be made in this discussion is that, attractive as the proposal may be, there is as yet no evidence that child language learning difficulties are caused by lack of parental talk.<br />
<br />
I suppose professionally I find this the most difficult question to address. Something is going on between parent talk and child language learning, and much more research needs to be carried out in this area, as it is clearly a potential area of value to the speech and language therapy profession. It is important, however, to be aware of what we know and what we don't yet know, and not to jump to conclusions. In any case, the argument put forward by the Telegraph does not rest on this fact alone. If anything, it states the claim that parents are talking less to their children than previous generations. Let's explore that question, therefore, in a little more detail.<br />
<br />
<b><i>b; Are parents actually talking less to their children than previous generations?</i></b><br />
Whilst there is evidence of a wide variety in the amount of language children hear across a population, there is no evidence that the amount of language children hear has changed within a population over time. On the contrary, the research I have carried out with families in Portsmouth city, UK, reveals a similar distribution of parent talk across the population to that carried out by Hart and Risley in the early 1990s. Other studies have also reported similar distributions over the years, including the Hoff and Naigles study cited above and a recent study of parents in the US by <a href="http://pss.sagepub.com/content/24/11/2143">Weisleder and Fernald; 2013</a>. There is no evidence that parents in general are talking less to their children than previously.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<b><i>3. The article claims that forward facing buggies are to blame for the decline in children's language skills.</i></b><br />
Again this is not a new concern but was raised in the noughties (around 2005) by the National Literacy Trust's (NLT) 'Talk to Your Baby' campaign. The NLT commissioned a study at Dundee University exploring the effect of forward facing buggies on parent-child interaction. The buggies were already being blamed, however, for poor parent-child interaction in a Talk to Your Baby Conference in 2004 before the research findings were reported (see page 3 of conference report <a href="http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0000/1127/2004confreport.pdf">here</a>). To see if there had been any further developments leading to the latest newspaper article I carried out a quick review of the literature. It yielded 1 review in 2011 (<a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10648-011-9169-4">Topping et al</a>) and 1 subsequent empirical study (<a href="http://www.childforum.com/research/research-journal-articles-reviewed-ece/1139-volume-16-2013-details.html">Blaiklock; 2013</a>). The Dundee study was not published in peer reviewed literature but a <a href="http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0000/2531/Buggy_research.pdf">study report</a> was published by the National Literacy Trust. No study provided any evidence of a negative effect on child language development. Effects on parental interaction were at best inconclusive, sample sizes were too small to have any confidence in the outcomes. The fact is, in terms of empirical evidence, we are a long way from any claim that forward facing buggies are damaging child language development.<br />
<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">To conclude; </i>should parents be forced to fork out on expensive buggies on the grounds of the Telegraph article? Furthermore, should the media continue to fuel parental guilt based on the opinions of one person? Whilst debate is to be encouraged in order to support child language development, rather than basing judgement on opinion let's have an informed inclusive discourse based on evidence.<br />
<br />
The daily Telegraph has a much wider readership than this blog ever will, so journalists have a duty to report a balanced view of a topic, and there are moves to report science more objectively through the efforts of <a href="http://www.senseaboutscience.org/">Sense about Science</a> and <a href="http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/">The UK's Science Media Centre</a>. Unfortunately much needs to be done in the field of child learning and development before poor parenting myths are put to bed.</div>
clarrysmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08255950611891056231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101194326979535361.post-79047841645926331442014-07-08T15:29:00.002+01:002015-02-05T15:57:56.165+00:00What is an effective communicator?Recently the Kings Fund tweeted questions to followers enquiring about essential qualities future NHS leaders need to have. If you want to see the responses, check out #emergingleaders and @TheKingsFund on Twitter.<br />
<br />
I responded with what may seem like a pretty obvious quality:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitK8fMxZSdnJYiYJcvTmmZ9Uu0V2zBYTxPddaRWU30_mMIzmx9xJ1qorCvSrsdBWUbVsgWcFWHX894Zc3m2gsp_3b3cTzp47kh9vW2FHLXtrhfuljbaS_yBFpkp5lvDP8sv8eHjuOFxL3Z/s1600/BrS-OL_IEAAsXGL.jpg-large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitK8fMxZSdnJYiYJcvTmmZ9Uu0V2zBYTxPddaRWU30_mMIzmx9xJ1qorCvSrsdBWUbVsgWcFWHX894Zc3m2gsp_3b3cTzp47kh9vW2FHLXtrhfuljbaS_yBFpkp5lvDP8sv8eHjuOFxL3Z/s1600/BrS-OL_IEAAsXGL.jpg-large.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Yes of course NHS leaders will have to be effective communicators I hear you say. "Excellent communication skills" seems to be a given on practically every job description nowadays. And, as a clinical researcher / speech and language therapist I would say that communication skills are essential. It's my job, after all.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The purpose of this blog, however, is to challenge the reader to reflect on how they judge someone to be a good communicator. Think for a moment of someone you know (either personally or in the media) who is an 'effective communicator'. We might think of people that we admire for their communication of science or history, or a political or social influencer. It might be an entertainer or comedian. Or it might be a leader at work who's talks inspire employees to go that extra mile. Chances are, whatever field you think of, when asked to think of an 'effective communicator' you will think of a great orator, wordsmith, someone who delivers a slick presentation and keeps you engaged.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The reason that I added 'a 2 -way process' to the photo above was because communication can never only be a one directional process. Listening skills are as essential to be an effective communicator as are speaking skills. Again, this may seem like an obvious statement, we know this and we all value 'a good listener', but professionally we do not always judge communication skills, particularly in our leaders, by the ability to listen.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm sure I am not alone in witnessing poor communication skills in some NHS leaders. Sure, they can deliver a slick presentation, they have no problem with spoken language, they have an answer to all the questions that are thrown at them, but staff or clients just don't think the leader is on the same page as they are. The problem is, they are just not listening.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've recently witnessed some excellent examples of communication skills when I attended the Cheltenham Science Festival on a bursary from my University. The purpose for me was to learn about successful public engagement and to see how science is communicated to the public. The most impressive examples of communication were from Professor Robert Winston and Professor Vincent Walsh. What made these two stand out was not their ability to speak about their work. Though they were highly skilled in this respect, so were many of the other speakers I watched. The difference with these two speakers was that they appeared genuinely interested in the questions and opinions of the audience. This communicated an open mindedness to other ways of thinking or to new ideas.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Listening skills are a fundamental part of the communication process. We would be unable to develop even basic language without listening skills. In "Origins of Human Communication" Michael Tomasello argues that the roots of language lie in humans' biological adaptations' for advanced social life. Our communication skills, he suggests, are the result of a motivation for 'cooperative communication'. This results in humans establishing shared experiences, helping and informing others reciprocally in order to establish and work towards shared goals. It is on this platform that language develops and continued successful communication takes place.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In order to establish shared goals, a communicator needs to understand the experiences and motivations of whoever he or she wishes to communicate with. In an organisation this involves listening to staff, customers and other stakeholders and having some understanding of their experiences and needs. As Owen Hargie and his colleagues highlight in their book "Social Skills in Interpersonal Communication", however, effective listening skills achieve much more than this. They point out that effective listening serves 5 main purposes, enabling the listener to:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1. focus on the message communicated</div>
<div>
2. gain an accurate understanding of the other communicator's message</div>
<div>
3. convey interest to the other communicator</div>
<div>
4. encourage full, open and honest expression</div>
<div>
5. develop an 'other centred' approach</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It can be seen, therefore that even in the listening process, positive messages are being communicated out from the listener; "I'm interested", "I want to know your honest opinion", "I care".</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Perhaps because we are all able to hold a conversation most days, and therefore all 'listen' as part of every day interactions, we do not consider listening as a skill. It is a skill, however, and may be just as finely honed as outward communication skills such as public speaking. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
'Active listening' is described by Hargie and his colleagues as a process where the listener pays particular focussed attention to the speaker and indicates with nonverbal communication (or body language) that he or she is doing so. A favourite quote of mine by Stephen Covey has done the rounds on Twitter:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7dGZAhtcrL8a6ShpP5e3GZUqnQCN37oZNHmidH4Hw3l_wdfijEZmX_K_Dq9RX31RAh8_RlBSkNoG2_Z4hd-6UelpcNPsDrvEl-1KCEmD2R2JeFfCOJ9cq6zKXwWGF04KAvBmPkwcDT2u/s1600/BkrmWvFIYAAp33T.jpg-large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7dGZAhtcrL8a6ShpP5e3GZUqnQCN37oZNHmidH4Hw3l_wdfijEZmX_K_Dq9RX31RAh8_RlBSkNoG2_Z4hd-6UelpcNPsDrvEl-1KCEmD2R2JeFfCOJ9cq6zKXwWGF04KAvBmPkwcDT2u/s1600/BkrmWvFIYAAp33T.jpg-large.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In essence, listening takes effort. It is not a pause in your own speak where you can plan your next comment, it is a real opportunity to establish shared understanding.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Another comment I want to make about being a good listener is that the skill of listening does not need to be confined to one to one, or even group conversations. A leader of an organisation can have listening as a value underpinning her/his actions. The last chief executive of our NHS trust made a point of spending time at the 'coal face' with staff to find out what life was like for them, and what mattered to them. She also made it clear that any member of staff in the trust could email her if they needed to. These are examples of a good listener in action.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
An effective communicator needs to be not only a skilled presenter, but also an effective listener. Whilst we all know this, perhaps we should seek evidence of being a good listener from future NHS leaders, and not simply judge communication skills on the outward message.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
clarrysmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08255950611891056231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101194326979535361.post-39201239044743198052014-06-24T14:06:00.000+01:002015-02-05T15:58:09.063+00:00News from the Chelthenham Science Festival - Day 4 - Are we bubble wrapping our kids? - Professor Tanya ByronThis talk was given by Professor Tanya Byron, clinical psychologist, writer, broadcaster and Professor for Public understanding of Science.<br />
<br />
As a clinical psychologist Byron is probably best known for her television series' 'Little Angels' and 'House of tiny tearaways', where she gives advice to parents who are struggling with their children's behaviour. Byron gave a humorous introduction to her talk by confessing some of the times where she has been challenged as a parent, including a time where she was struggling to get to sleep and a toddler temper tantrum in a public place.<br />
<br />
She then asked the audience to try to remember the place where they had most happy memories of playing as children. Concluding that these places were outside and without the supervision of parents, Byron went on to suggest that many of today's children do not have these experiences. She postulated that as parents with access to 24 hour media constantly portraying horror stories, modern parents have developed a paranoid sense of protectionism towards their children. Parents witness horrific events on the television which they internalise. They then pass this anxiety onto their children.<br />
<br />
As a result of this paranoid protectionism, Byron postulates that children are prevented from playing in outside unsupervised situations, which are generally not that risky, so they stay at home and spend a lot of time online, which she believes is ironic, because the online world is significantly more risky.<br />
<br />
Byron reports that there has been a significant increase in children referred to child and adolescent mental health services with anxiety disorders. She then proceeded to give some statistics about presentation and prevalence of mental health disorders. In summary 75% of non dementia mental health disorders present by age early 20's, and yet only 6% of government funding is allocated to child and adolescent mental health services.<br />
<br />
Byron believes that through overly protecting our children we are denying them the opportunity to take risks and experience failure, which she believes is key to developing emotional resilience. Byron also lays the blame firmly at the feet of the current education system which she states is too focussed on target driven academic achievement and pushes children too hard for too long.<br />
<br />
These were hard hitting messages for the parents amongst us and I came away challenged to 'let go' a little and also not to look upon failure so negatively. Byron also balanced the negativity by pointing out that the current generation are displaying many truly positive features, including the fact that they are more socially and politically active and drink and substance abuse less than their parents' generation.<br />
<br />
Byron was witty and engaging but didn't pull her punches with this hard hitting message.<br />
<br />clarrysmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08255950611891056231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101194326979535361.post-19320467186891035362014-06-24T13:58:00.000+01:002015-02-05T15:58:24.188+00:00Communicating STEM - A review of the Cheltenham Science Festival<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>If you have read my previous blogs you'll know that I had an opportunity to attend the Cheltenham Science Festival on a public engagement bursary from my University, the University of Surrey. I had a fantastic time at the Cheltenham Science Festival, and I managed to rise to the self set challenge of reviewing at least some of the talks I attended (see previous blog posts).</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As a requirement of the bursary, I was asked to report my experiences of the Festival, so here is my final review of the whole experience:</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></i></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><u>The Cheltenham Science Festival</u></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Is there somewhere you can go to explore ideas, unrestricted by the boundaries of your own experience? Is there somewhere where you can put your brain through its paces, with material that you don’t usually encounter? Yes there is, it is called the Cheltenham Science Festival (CSF).</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For a week in June, Cheltenham becomes a modern day Athens, where the big ideas of the modern era are discussed, not only in the lecture theatres but also in bars and cafes on every street corner. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I attended the CSF as one of 18 research students from the University of Surrey and UCL. We represented a diverse range of backgrounds but were united by our common enthusiasm for public engagement. The CSF sparked lively debate and gave a forum to share collective experiences and develop our own learning. This learning across disciplines was a rare opportunity which encouraged me to think about my work in new ways. Three weeks later, I find myself referencing material that I heard at the CSF and I suspect I will be doing so for a great deal longer.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">One role of public engagement is to satisfy the public’s appetite for scientific discovery. The programme at the CSF did not disappoint, with a broad topic range represented over the week. As a developmental health scientist I was challenged by experts in familiar topics; ‘Noise, a sound concern’, Where does creativity come from’, ‘Identifying Autism’, ‘Are we bubble wrapping our kids?’ and ‘What is school for? In contrast, I was amazed by discoveries in disciplines out of my comfort zone (‘Higgs: the particle at the end of the universe), tackled with topics that stretched my understanding to its limits, (‘Infinity’) and had a go at something completely new (Raspberry_Pi programming).</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">During the week I engaged in some of the current ethical debates raised by technological advances. For example, in ‘Brain Stimulation’ Vincent Walsh questioned why we seek to enhance human abilities and in “The future of human enhancement’ Robert Winston gave a chilling reminder of eugenics when discussing genetic modification in medicine. Both demonstrated effective public engagement by communicating evidence objectively within an ethical framework, but also by seeking public opinion during questions.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Public engagement inspires the next generation of scientists. I invited my family to join me at the weekend to attend some of the family friendly events, including the science of explosions (‘Kaboom’), noise (‘Sound Science’) evolution (‘Life fantastic’), engineering (‘Engineering the world’), documentary making (‘BBC - The secret life of cats’) and natural history (‘Deadly Pole to Pole’). At the Discover Zone they talked directly to the scientists and tried their hand at a range of activities. It was great to see them enjoying STEM outside of the classroom.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It was invigorating to witness so much enthusiasm about STEM. Despite some heavy cloudbursts, the CSF zone was a constant hive of activity. At Cheltenham there was clear evidence of an appetite and need for public engagement and for one week in June, that need was met. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
clarrysmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08255950611891056231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101194326979535361.post-43310240004336469082014-06-06T12:03:00.001+01:002015-02-05T15:58:36.024+00:00News from the Cheltenham Science Festival - Day 3News from the Cheltenham Science Festival - Day 3<br />
<br />
In addition to 'Infinity' reviewed in my last blog, I also attended 2 other events on Day 3.<br />
<br />
First was learning to code using Minecraft for Raspberry Pi. The first thing I noticed was that the average age for this workshop was considerably younger than all the other events I have been to. The attendees were mainly school aged boys who were far more competent at the task in hand than I was! <br />
<br />
This workshop used the Raspberry Pi which is a very cheap computer which looks a bit like a small, credit card sized circuit board with plugs taped around the outside. It plugs into a keyboard, monitor and mouse, costs around £25-£30 and enables the user to learn about coding. The Raspberry Pis we used also had a version of Minecraft, a cult level online game which is a bit like building lego online, and the object of the workshop was to learn how to use simple coding to make things happen on Minecraft.<br />
<br />
Already feeling considerably outwitted by the other attendees I bravely attempted the first task, which was to go onto Minecraft and build a house. Given that I had never used Minecraft in my life I was beginning to wish I had been able to smuggle my 10 year old son in with me. Thankfully I sat next to a very considerate 15 year old who was able to get me to navigate around the screen and I finally managed to build a wall. <br />
<br />
We were then shown how to write several different pieces of code using Python to get Minecraft to do different things; to teleport the player to a different location, to leave a trail of flowers when walking around and to automatically build a house. We were also given worksheets to enable us to try out other codes at home.<br />
<br />
It was great to learn a bit of coding and see your commands take shape within the game. I have to say what impressed me the most was simply witnessing a really sophisticated computer interface all coming from this circuit board with plugs! I'm a huge fan of Raspberry Pi and given that it doesn't cost much more than a book, it's a revolutionary computing tool for anyone who wants to learn to code. I'll certainly be getting one for my family. Also, the teaming up of Raspberry Pi and Minecraft is a sure winner for encouraging many young people to learn coding.<br />
<br />
Next I went to see 'Identifying Autism', a talk given by Emily Jones, cognitive psychologist and winner of the L'Oreal UNESCO prize for women in science. The talk was presented as an interview with the chair of the session, so was delivered in a question, answer format. Jones defined what autism is, a neurodevelopmental disorder that is diagnosed through recognised behaviours which are; stereotypical behaviours, restricted interests and social communication (sometimes including language) difficulties. She highlighted that diagnosis is difficult, and diagnostic criteria differ not only over time (the USA has just published a revised criteria in their diagnostic manual the DSM V) but also geographically, with different criteria in Europe and the USA (Europe uses a World Health Organisation criteria the ICD 10). One feature that has emerged from the recent changes to the USA criteria is that the term 'Aspergers' Syndrome' will no longer be used, as individuals previously diagnosed with Aspergers's Syndrome are now thought to be the same as those identified as high functioning autism. These discrepancies in diagnosis can prove both frustrating and confusing for both families who have a child they suspect is autistic and individuals who have received a diagnosis in the past that no longer is used. She also stated that many parents of children with autism notice that something is wrong at around when their child is aged around 1-2, yet children often do not receive a diagnosis until around age 4 years. She pointed out that given that there is much evidence that the earlier children receive treatments for autism the better the outcomes, there is a need to try to identify signs of autism at an early age.<br />
<br />
Jones then outlined her research, which was following infant siblings of children diagnosed with autism. These children have a 20% chance of developing autism themselves, so Jones' team at Birkbeck observe all these children at key milestones (5 months, 10 months, 14 months 2 years and 3 years) in order to try to identify emerging symptoms of autism at an earlier stage. Observations include use of EEG, optical imaging, eye tracking techniques and use of interactive stimuli that respond to the infant's eye movements.<br />
<br />
Jones highlighted treatment options currently available for children with autism, including parenting programmes and training programmes for children (for example, one computer based training programme is aimed at increasing eye gaze and visual attention using eye tracking technology).<br />
<br />
During the question and answer session that followed many individuals cited personal experiences of living with autism or a loved one living with autism. Difficulties with diagnoses were discussed, but also success stories, for example, starting university. Jones' highlighted the value of looking at the positive features of autism and discussed that perhaps autism could be seen as a different personality, rather than just in negative terms. Suggestions were made from the audience on helpful strategies, such as educating the wider world about autism, and using sport to support some of the negative associations with autism, such as depression and anxiety.<br />
<br />
This talk clearly had personal resonance with many people in the audience, and Jones made herself available for continued discussion in the hub afterwards, which is to be commended.clarrysmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08255950611891056231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101194326979535361.post-13103939568575532642014-06-06T10:02:00.001+01:002015-02-05T15:58:48.838+00:00News from the Cheltenham Science Festival - Day 3 - Infinity<br />
'Infinity' was presented by Jim Al Khalili (Professor of Physics and Public Engagement, University of Surrey and BBC broadcaster) and Richard Pettigrew (Reader of Philosophy, University of Bristol).<br />
<br />
I didn't really know what to expect with this talk. Given that physics and mathematics are not subjects I discuss daily, exploring infinity was always going to be a challenge for me. Al Khalili and Pettigrew, however, managed to present this very inaccessible topic in a way that enabled me to come away feeling I had certainly learned something.<br />
<br />
Jim Al Khalili started by giving an example of the paradoxical nature of infinity; try to divide 1 by 0 and your calculator might state 'not a number'. But this is not strictly true, because infinity is indeed a quantity.<br />
<br />
He then gave a historical summary of how philosophers, physicists and mathematicians have try to understand the paradox of infinity, starting with Aristotle, who postulated that 'nature abhors a vacuum' suggesting that there was no such thing as empty space, but space was filled. Al Khalili then described two paradoxes that have tried to explain infinity, first, Zeno's paradox of Achilles and the Tortoise. Achilles and the Tortoise were running a race (much like the hare and the tortoise), only Achilles gave the tortoise a headstart. Zeno suggested that even though Achilles was faster than the tortoise he could never win the race because there were an infinite number of times when as Achilles moved to the point where the tortoise was, the tortoise would then be in a position further ahead. We now know that you can have an infinite number of stages within a series with the final answer still being finite (so Achilles can overtake the tortoise!).<br />
<br />
Another paradox Al Khalili discussed was Olber's paradox (1758-1840). This was based on the question 'if the universe is infinite, why does it get dark at night?' If the universe were infinite, then every line of sight should ultimately result in reaching a star, so therefore, the sky should be complete light from all the stars. Various theories have been put forward to address this paradox, including postulations the universe is not infinite (Keppler) or that the light from distant stars fades (Halley). These arguments have been refuted, but the problem of the dark night was finally resolved by Edgar Allan Poe, who stated that the sky was dark despite the fact that the universe might be infinite, because the universe had a beginning, so what we see is limited by the beginning of time. So if you go outside at night and see it is dark, that is proof that the universe had a beginning. That is a pretty incredible concept. As for the end of the universe, the truth is, we still do not know if the universe is infinite.<br />
<br />
Richard Pettigrew then gave a mathematician's perspective on the subject of infinity. He started by explaining that in mathematics infinity also presents as a paradox. He outlined different individuals who through time have tried to calculate infinity or try to grasp how infinity operates as a number. Through his explanations of the work of mathematicians Georg Cantor and David Hilbert, Pettigrew demonstrated the bane of that playground squabble where one child tries to win a numbers argument by saying "infinity +1!" The paradox of Hilbert's hotel identified that infinity +1 = infinity, infinity + infinity also = infinity, and infinity x infinity also = infinity. He showed, however, that infinity was not a number that you could do anything to and still get infinity, because if you add up all the measuring numbers and try to add them to infinity there is a point where infinity cannot accommodate all the numbers.<br />
<br />
Al Khalili and Pettigrew's talk sparked a lively question and answer session with questions ranging from the purely mathematical to profound questions about the origins and nature of the universe, and of time. I would say that this talk has stretched the levels of my understanding the most. I'm glad I went along though, as it's great to challenge your brain to think in a completely different way sometimes. Another, unexpected benefit, is I will have a riposte to my son's attempts to get one up on me using "infinity + 1!". <br />
<br />
<br />clarrysmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08255950611891056231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101194326979535361.post-87209151449568686442014-06-04T23:37:00.000+01:002015-02-05T15:59:00.268+00:00News from the Cheltenham Science Festival - Day 2Today I saw two very interesting but different talks.<br />
<br />
First was Sean Carroll talking about the Higgs boson. Carroll was the winner of the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science books in 2013. Hailing from Los Angeles he commented that he was delighted to be the winner of this prize, and delighted, indeed, that there was such a prize in the UK, adding that he hoped there could be similar recognition for popular science writing in the USA.<br />
<br />
First of all I must confess that, having given up physics at the tender age of 14 I feel completely unqualified to review this talk on its scientific content, or even give a comprehensive summary of the content of the talk, for fear of getting it all wrong. The reason I went to this talk was just that, however, in my later years I have become more interested in physics, mainly as a result of a fantastic public engagement effort on behalf of the BBC.<br />
<br />
Given that for a non-physicist there was a high risk that the topic of the Higgs boson was going to result in my eyes glazing over due to material going completely over my head, Carroll was remarkably engaging. He was able to pitch the talk at a level that kept the physics graduates interested whilst teaching the neanderthals like myself the fundamentals of particle physics. I learned about the history of particle physics, from discovery of the basic components of the atom; proton, neutron and electron, through the discovery of quarks, neutrinos and many other particle names I can't now remember. He then described the problem of 'action at a distance', that is, how does a magnet know to move near a fridge, how does a planet know how to move in relation to the sun? He explained that Laplace was able to explain the problem of 'action at a distance' through field theory, showing that forces operate on a slope of a field that pervades space. So, the world is made of fields that fill a space, and particles are packets of energy that we observe in a given location when the fields vibrate, move, interact. At this point my limits of physics knowledge were considerably exceeded, but Carroll kept me engaged with his excellent accessible presentation style. So now we moved on to types of particles, fermions which create the physical things that we can see and touch, and bosons which create the fields. The incentive to look for the Higgs boson was to provide evidence of the Higgs Field, which gives other particles mass, and therefore enables particles to form into the physical world we see around us. Without the Higgs field, all the other particles would just be spinning around randomly and would not form into matter, and therefore there would be no you or me or life or anything. He concluded that that is why the Higgs boson is such a big deal.<br />
<br />
Carroll didn't just talk about all this. He also gave a fascinating insight into the development of the Large Hedron Collider at Cern, Switzerland, where the Higgs boson was discovered, and he recognised in his talk all the many individuals who contributed to this discovery.<br />
<br />
Carroll made a highly inaccessible subject accessible to me and his talk was engaging, warm and had a human dimension. It is not surprising that he won the Winton prize.<br />
<br />
Then I went to see Vincent Walsh (UCL) discuss "Where does Creativity come from?" Walsh is a neuroscientist (I saw him, quite accidentally, yesterday talk about developments in brain stimulation). Given that the very question itself has a philosophical ring to it, Walsh took care to point out on a few occasions that his role was not to discuss the philosophical. First he gave a definition of what creativity is; 'the combination of skills and concepts in a new and useful way'. He challenged us to consider creativity as not domain specific, not confined, for example, to the arts but also something that occurs in business, sport and science. He gave the example of Mohammed Ali, who he felt was the most creative person he knows of. He stated that no one has every been truly creative (at genius level) without really knowing their stuff first. Truly creative people spend a great deal of time honing their skill before their creativity really takes off. He also pointed out that truly creative individuals never feel that they have 'made it', and creativity is a process, perhaps without an end point.<br />
<br />
Walsh then went on to describe the case of Eadwaeard Muybridge, a photographer who achieved his 'eureka moment' and became considerably more creative following frontal lobe brain damage. Walsh postulated that Muybridge's creativity surge was a result of the attenuation of frontal lobe processes, which control for social behaviour and reasoning. He showed some MRI scans of brains of jazz players in improvisation mode, which showed that during the improvisation, the frontal lobe activity was reduced, suggesting that the other areas of the brain were 'freed up' to develop new patterns of activity.<br />
<br />
Walsh then outlined four stages of creativity; 1- preparation (this is the grind, you can't be creative about stuff you don't know about), 2 - incubation (this is the down time). Walsh highlighted that ideas happen in down time, times when you are doing nothing. He argued that this was a vital part of the process of creativity, reinforcing that you can't be creative when you are always busy. He gave examples of studies the showed that the brain activity is at a fairly low level just before an insight occurs. Incubation gives rise to 3 - illumination. This is the 'aha' moment, but we all know that that often leads to 4 - verification, the cold light of day where you have to verify your ideas and, like the first stage, this may take time.<br />
<br />
Things that didn't seem to matter for creativity were IQ (although above 120 was suggested), being a prodigy (Walsh pointed out that many prodigies including Mozart, the Williams sisters also had a 'crazy father'), or personality. <br />
<br />
Finally, Walsh alluded to the importance of sleep for creativity, suggesting that, together with doing nothing, sleep created space for your brain to be creative.<br />
<br />
Equally as engaging as Carroll but in a more informal, conversational way, Walsh's talk left me with a deep profound need to go forth and do nothing! (Or at least just for a little while!).clarrysmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08255950611891056231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101194326979535361.post-3709474733851133622014-06-03T19:07:00.000+01:002015-02-05T15:59:22.803+00:00News from Cheltenham Science Festival - Day 1So, as promised, I am sending a first update from Day 1 at the Cheltenham Science Festival. <br />
<br />
To start with I met up with all the other Bursary winners from the University of Surrey and UCL. It was great to see representatives from so many disciplines, including Chemistry, Space Science, Physics and Professions Allied to Medicine. It was also great to see an artist amongst us, which sparked an interesting dialogue about the complimentary roles of art and science, and how one can learn from the other. Then after checking into the hotel, it was on to the talks.<br />
<br />
So First up for me today was "Noise, a Sound Concern", chaired by Quentin Cooper and featuring Bernie Krause, a soundscape ecologist and Bernard Berry, an expert in environmental noise. This was a stimulating talk in two parts; the first, a fascinating insight from Bernie Krause about sounds in the natural world (termed geophony and biophony retrospectively), and the effect that human noise (anthrophony) is having on other species. First he showed how naturally occurring sounds from other species (biophony) often occupy different acoustic spaces within a biosphere in complimentary ways, so that all the species can be heard, giving a fascinating example from Borneo. More worryingly he demonstrated several examples of animals falling silent in response to human noise, e.g. the response of a certain species of frog to low flying aircraft noise. Bernard Berry then spoke about his work in assessing the health impacts of environmental noise and how these are assessed. He showed evidence that there is a negative impact of environmental noise on human health, with cardiovascular disease implicated.<br />
<br />
As a speech and language therapist with a keen interest in sounds, natural, human and musical I was fascinated by this talk. A clear opinion from Bernie Krause which I happen to share is that many people are in denial about the negative impact environmental noise has on our health and wellbeing. I certainly feel that we are passively accepting an increasing level of noise in our lives, to the extent that it is extremely rare to hear true silence, or even only natural sounds. Bernard Berry reported that there are standards for manufacturers to reduce noise levels, but I wonder how aware we all are about the amount of noise we experience every day that we could actually reduce? I want to rise to the challenge that Bernie Krause gave to all of us to get out into the field and record the natural world.<br />
<br />
Then I went to "Brain Stimulation", sponsored by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and featuring neuroscientist Vincent Walsh (UCL) and ethicist Ilina Singh (Kings College). Vincent first spoke, identifying four different types of brain stimulation: The first form of stimulation, deep brain stimulation involves electrodes being implanted deep into the brain through the scalp. This is typically used as a form of therapy, for example, to inhibit abnormal movements caused by Parkinsons Disease. The second form, electroconvulsive therapy is infamous with highly negative associations, for example, with narratives such as the film "One Flew over the Cuckoo's nest. It is reported to be, however, a highly effective form of therapy for severe, drug resistant depression. The third form of stimulation is known as transcranial magnetic stimulation. A device is held above the head and brain stimulation occurs through a magnetic field. There is a growing body of evidence for the effectiveness of this, far less invasive form of stimulation for depression. Fourth and finally, direct current stimulation describes a benign stimulation using very simple machines that have developed across the market. In this particular field, there have been claims to improve memory, help people make moral choices and even see God. There have been no proven benefits yet to support any of these claims, but a degree of hype has been created around the concept of brain stimulation. <br />
<br />
Ilina then talked about exploring the ethics around brain stimulation research and product development. The drivers for developing an ethics board within the Nuffield Council for novel neurotechnologies were threefold; an increasing number of people are living with serious neurological and mental health disorders, pharmacological interventions have not been as successful as originally hoped, and new technologies are being developed, often outside of the usual regulatory frameworks for clinical interventions. One particular ethical issue central to the development of novel neurotechnologies is the special status of the brain as being the organ that represents the very essence of who we believe ourselves to be.<br />
<br />
Ilina also spoke about the hype associated with brain stimulation research with often unsubstantiated claims. She and Vincent also raised concerns about society's tendencies to look for technological solutions to enhancement and for management of disorders such as ADHD and dementia, when often low tech every day life and environmental changes can provide the support people need. Ilina highlighted that talks such as this were valuable in raising the awareness of a more balanced and objective view of brain stimulation.<br />
<br />
I believe this talk was both cognisant of the exiting developments that are taking place in brain stimulation research and development, particularly for conditions such as depression, but was also firmly rooted in common sense and awareness of the ethics around this new area.clarrysmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08255950611891056231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101194326979535361.post-73903796512532391852014-05-01T16:10:00.000+01:002015-02-05T15:59:33.833+00:00Why is public engagement important in STEM? Views of an early career researcher.<i>At the end of April I won a bursary to attend the Cheltenham Science Festival in June 2014. This is a great opportunity to see scientists from a range of disciplines successfully engaging with the public about their work or the work of others in their field.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>To enter the competition, I was asked to submit a 250 word article on public engagement in Science, Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM), and why I think it is important. Here is my entry:</i><br />
<br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"This is a wonderful world, and we live in an age where we can learn about it through STEM. Humans are naturally inquisitive, and the STEM community can help to answer questions people have. </span></span><br />
<div style="min-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We start asking questions as children. When I grew up there was much less public engagement in STEM than today. Without a discourse around my questions, my interest in STEM waned. Fortunately for me, more recent public engagement reignited my enthusiasm, informed my career choices and broadened my topic interest around STEM. Public engagement through the media and public events now informs my own children and as a result they know more about the world than I did at their age! More importantly, they are inspired to continue asking questions. STEM public engagement has enriched my family’s engagement with the wider world. </span></span><br />
<div style="min-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">My family’s experiences are not unique.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The STEM community has a responsibility to engage with the public, partly because the public want it!</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Public engagement is, however, more than just a one-way channel.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Relationships between the STEM community and the public are mutually beneficial.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Knowledge about the world helps us to make informed choices about the way we live and influences policy decisions.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Knowledge liberates us to challenge the status-quo. Public engagement encourages ordinary folk to get involved with STEM.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">This contributes to a collective wisdom which informs future developments. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">After all, 63 million heads must be better than one! And, most importantly, public engagement inspires us all to keep asking questions."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I have been involved with public engagement for our own service development within my local health community for 10 years. I believe that public engagement is a vital part of STEM, and of clinical research and development. I am very excited about gaining this opportunity to learn from other scientists who are already successfully engaging with the public, and I would encourage others to do the same.</i></span></span><br />
<div style="min-height: 16px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></i></span></div>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>At a personal level, I love hearing about developments in STEM that are outside of my own research discipline, and I believe this broader interest enriches my work. We can all learn from each other, and seeing other disciplines in action can sometimes give us a new perspective. </i></span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I can't wait to go to the Cheltenham Science Festival, and I will attempt to review the events I see (as an effort to contribute to the public engagement effort)! </i></span><br />
<div style="min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
clarrysmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08255950611891056231noreply@blogger.com0