Catherine Delamain has fortyseven years' experience of working with young children. Her last post before retiring was team leader for education in a large speech and language therapy service. She is currently collaborating in the delivery of a rolling programme of training for first and primary school teachers, designed to help them meet the needs of children with speech and language difficulties in mainstream schools. Jill Spring is a speech & language therapist specialising in speech and language disorder in children, and the impact of these difficulties on their learning. She qualified in 1972 and has worked in paediatric settings including community clinics, asssessment centres, opportunity playgroups and mainstream schools. She is currently senior clinician in a speech and language unit, and is actively involved in providing training for teachers and learning support assistants, health visitors and those involved in nursery education.