Actor and director Peter Mullan stressed the importance of communication during childhood as he opened a conference in Perth on Thursday.
The NEDS writer and director visited the town for the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists’ (RCSLT) annual day at the Queens Hotel.
He said the topic is close to his heart as he has seen first-hand the damage that can be done if children cannot communicate effectively.
Mullan said: “It’s vital for where I’m coming from because I work with a lot of kids from poorer backgrounds and, within that community, communication becomes a very big issue particularly for youngsters.
“I’m not speaking about accents or vocabulary but the very ability to speak what they feel and express themselves. It’s certainly the case that not being able to do that leads to the area of personal and social problems.”
RCSLT Scotland officer Kim Hartley said: “Peter’s many films dramatically portray how lack of understanding, clear expression and poor communication abilities can have a devastating impact on people’s lives, often leading to social exclusion, inequality and injustice.
“This is demonstrated by the fact that three of out five young offenders in Scotland’s prisons have speech, language and communication problems.
“RCSLT is committed to raising awareness and understanding of communication difficulties and the role of speech and language therapists so that everyone has the best chance of good communication.”