Social well-being: Tracking the links to language

Good language and communication skills are absolutely fundamental to personal and societal well being. This study examined the complex relationship between language and social well-being.

First, it considered the language skills of children rejected by their peers. By following these children over time, it was hoped to identify early risk factors for social exclusion. Sensitive experimental methods were devised to investigate the links between word knowledge and sensitivity to social cues, and to investigate naturalistic social processing, both in children socially excluded, and children with recognised communication impairments.

The research aimed at providing insights into the extent to which language skills underpin social success, and pointing to areas for future intervention work. It provided a unique opportunity for the Fellow to learn new methodology, develop written and analytical skills and apply these skills to an under-researched topic using novel and original methods.