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: Screening Data, 2012 contains anonymised data from the first phase of the SCALES study. In this phase, Reception class teachers in state-maintained schools in the county of Surrey UK were invited to respond to an on-line questionnaire for each child in their class. The main focus of the study was to identify the prevalence of language difficulties at school entry and document the association between language difficulties, behavioural problems and educational attainment in the first year of school.
Further information about the study can be found on the UCL Literacy, Language and Communication Laboratory SCALES project website.