'Nervous' dad took matters into his own hands when son…

'Nervous' dad took matters into his own hands when son struggled to speak

A Liverpool dad had a lightbulb moment after his son was struggling with his speech and language.

Robbie Blackhurst, from Childwall, was “heartbroken” to see his son, George, unable to say his own name. The six-year-old would try to speak but family members couldn't understand what he saying. As a result of this, it was difficult for George to make friends during his years at nursery - Robbie claimed he would “play alongside other kids rather than play with them”.

With Robbie feeling “extremely nervous” about George starting reception at Runnymede St. Edward's Catholic Primary School, West Derby, the dad-of-two took matters into his own hands and created a story on “pad and paper” for his son.

The story focused on a gorilla who couldn’t find his voice and his first day at school was looming. Robbie wanted to show his son that school was a “good thing” and “would help” him with his speaking difficulties. Instantly, George recognised it was him and this inspired Robbie to “bring it to life” in the form of an illustrated book.

The self-published author told the ECHO: “As George was the second child, it was easy to spot he had difficulties when he wasn't forming his first words at two. It was one of those things that you don’t know if it was ever going to get solved. The weeks rolled into months and we were thinking this isn’t getting any better. We started wondering if he would ever talk or if it would ever click for him. Literally, the years just kept rolling into the next and it just seemed there was no progress being made.”

Initially, the Blackhurst family believed George suffered from a hearing problem, but after they realised it was his speech and language, he began seeing a specialist at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. Alongside this, George would visit a specialist unit two days a week at Mab Lane Primary School, West Derby.

Robbie Blackhurst will be donating the profits of his book, inspired by his son George, to Speech and Language UK (Robbie Blackhurst)

Thanks to the help of specialists and Robbie’s book, Silent George, George’s speech and language “has dramatically improved”.

Silent George is a story time adventure book that tells the story of a young gorilla who has not yet found his voice. Throughout his journey, the gorilla meets a cast of characters that need his help and with the support of his teacher, he is able to summon up the confidence to help his friends and ultimately find his voice - something which Robbie hopes will happen for his own son.

George isn’t alone in his struggle as a recent report from Speech and Language UK found that at least 1.7 million children - almost one in five school-age children - are now estimated to be behind in talking and understanding words.

The profits made from the book will be donated to Speech and Language UK - an organisation which “gives children and young people the skills they need so they aren’t left behind, waiting to be understood”. They do this by creating tools for schools and nurseries, giving advice and guidance to families and putting pressure on politicians.

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