This event took place on 1st November 2006
Berrill Lecture Theatre, The Open University, Walton Hall Campus, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
One of Professor Messer’s current interests concerns children who have language difficulties involving word finding. These children show slower retrieval of words, use of fillers (um, err), use of general terms (stuff). The difficulties appear to affect at least a quarter of children receiving language therapy and result in social and learning problems. He aims to show that by carefully studying the children’s cognitive abilities we can gain insights into the reasons for their difficulties, and this will help us understand other forms of language and reading disability.
Another of his research interest concerns the way that children’s thinking develops. All of us experience difficulty when expressing some forms of knowledge in speech - for example how to ride a bike. What has fascinated him is the progression from thinking that is not available to consciousness, to more advanced forms that enable us to explain something. He will present findings drawn from investigations of primary school pupils that explore the importance of different levels of thinking and show how these can impact on children’s ability to learn.
One of Professor Messer’s current interests concerns children who have language difficulties involving word finding. These children show slower retrieval of words, use of fillers (um, err), use of general terms (stuff). The difficulties appear to affect at least a quarter of children receiving language therapy and result in social and learning problems. He aims to show that by carefully studying the children’s cognitive abilities we can gain insights into the reasons for their difficulties, and this will help us understand other forms of language and reading disability. 
Click below to play the event (60 minutes)
