Abstract
The Surrey Communication and Language in Education Study (SCALES) is the first UK population study of language development and disorder at school entry. The study is funded by Wellcome and the ESRC and involves more than 180 schools across Surrey UK.
This longitudinal study was initially established to determine (1) the extent to which 'Specific' Language Impairment (SLI) was prevalent in a population (as opposed to clinically ascertained) sample at school entry, and (2) the impact of language impairment on other aspects of development and how these patterns of development change over time. A second phase of SCALES aimed to test theoretical accounts of the developing relationship between language and social, emotional, and mental health during the transition to secondary school. Unfortunately, the final testing wave coincided with the global Covid-19 pandemic which impacted data collection due to school closures and lockdown.
The Surrey Communication and Language in Education Study: Intensive Data T2-T5, 2012-2020 concerns the intensive cohort who were assessed at four time points: Year 1, Year 3, Year 6, and Year 8. The dataset includes 528 variables assessing language, literacy, cognition, executive function and social, emotional and behavioural well-being.
Further information about the study can be found on the UCL Literacy, Language and Communication Laboratory SCALES project website.