SOME children in Caia Park are struggling to learn basic language skills.
An audit carried out at Caia Park Nursery has shown that 45% of the children aged three and above who attend have difficulty pronouncing single words.
This means that they cannot express their needs, problems and emotions.
The situation is compounded by the national shortage of speech therapists and the fact that when parents on the estate get appointments with specialists they are often not kept.
The issue is highlighted in an application for extra funding by the nursery's head, Sheila Meadows.
She has asked Caia Park Community Council for £500 to fund language support for those children who most need it.
'This is a problem that has developed over time,' she said. 'For a few years it has been getting worse.
'The children having the problems are very clever children and they find it incredibly frustrating that they struggle to communicate what is going on inside their heads.'
The money will enable the nursery to purchase learning aids which will help improve the support staff can offer children in building their vocabulary and improving their use of language.
There are plans to create a speech therapy centre in Caia Park but they are not due to be completed until phase four of the Caia Park estate development is finished.
Even then, a national shortage of speech therapists means that the centre would not offer many more appointments than are currently available.
'We are not offering speech therapy,' said Sheila. 'We are simply trying to compensate and help give extra support to the children we have now so they are not left behind.
'They will not benefit from the speech therapy centre to come, it will be too late for them. That is why we are trying to take action now.'
