Newcastle University

ECHO: Enhancing CHildren's Oral language skills with research on interventions grew out of the COST Action IS1406 (Enhancing children's oral language skills across Europe and beyond - A collaboration focusing on interventions for children with difficulties learning their first language) project that successfully ran from 2015 - 2019.

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

The research network, comprised of members from over 36 countries, which were divided into 3 Working Groups:

1. The Linguistic and Psychological Underpinnings of Interventions for Language Impairment 

2. The Delivery of Interventions for Language Impairment

3. The Social and Cultural Context of Intervention for Children with Language Impairment