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Speech and Language Therapy Services for Children
Our Services
Pre-school Children in mainstream schools
Pre-school children referred to the speech and language therapy service are seen for an initial appointment in the clinic setting. On receiving a referral, families are invited to phone in to make an appointment at a convenient time and clinic. Initial appointments are 30 minutes long and enable families to discuss with the therapist what sort of difficulties, if any, the child may have, and whether further input from the speech and language therapy service is required.
The role of the therapist is to work in partnership with parents, nursery staff and other professionals involved, to help children develop their communication skills to the best of their ability, and reach their potential both educationally and socially.
Further appointments may be clinic based, in nursery, or at home depending on the needs of the child and their family.
For further information contact Bev Charles or Dana Taylor.
Working with Pre-school Children through Sure Start
Speech and language therapists also work through Sure Start to offer a service to families whose children are not formally referred. Drop-in clinics run throughout the city, as do Talking Toddler groups.
Drop-in clinics
Are you worried about your child’s speech? Do you want to ‘Dump that Dummy’? Want to know more about children’s talking?
Drop-in clinic locations and dates
Talking Toddlers
Talking Toddlers is a 10 week rolling programme aimed at children aged 2 - 4 years, who have delayed language. It is for families who would benefit from activities around language promotion, who may not need statutory Speech and Language Therapy.
Download referral form for Talking Toddlers (72kb pdf, opens in a new window)
Primary Aged Children in mainstream schools
Primary aged children referred to the speech and language therapy service are usually seen within the school setting. The role of the therapist is to work in partnership with parents, teachers and other professionals involved, to help children develop their communication skills to the best of their ability, and reach their potential both educationally and socially. For some children, particularly those with speech sound difficulties, this may involve weekly sessions for a period of time. For other children, input may be at the level of working with parents, and professionals, to set appropriate goals and monitor progress.
For further information contact Alice Woods or Janelle Gardiner.
Secondary Aged Young People
Secondary aged young people referred to the speech and language therapy service are usually seen within the school setting. As with primary aged children, the role of the therapist is to work in partnership with parents, teachers and other professionals involved, to help individuals develop their communication skills to the best of their ability, and reach their potential both educationally and socially. At secondary school, intervention mainly takes the form of training and advice to ensure that school staff are able to support students in mainstream lessons and social activities.
Some young people with speech sound difficulties will be offered clinic appointments to work with therapists on developing their sounds.
For further information contact Ann Birks.
Children in Special Schools
Most of the children being educated within a special school setting will have a degree of speech, language and/or communication difficulty which will have been identified as part of their statement of need. The speech and language therapy service works with the staff at each school to identify the most effective way of supporting the childrens’ communication development. This may involve working at a strategic level within the school to develop aspects of the communication environment; training and development; joint working with teaching staff; leading groups for targeted groups of children; in-depth work with individual children to advise on supportive strategies and input to the IEP (Individual Educational Plan). The involvement of parents in this process is welcomed and home visits can be arranged .
Some children may experience difficulties with eating and drinking . Therapy staff will work with parents and school staff to make sure that snack and other eating times are as safe and as enjoyable as possible.
For further information contact Kath Williamson.
Services to Children and Adolescents who stammer
Where the primary reason for referral is concern around stammering, children, adolescents and their families are offered clinic appointments.
The service works with children and adolescents under the age of 16 years, but there is also an adult service for people over 16 years.
First appointments for assessment are between 30 and 45 minutes and help us to decide what difficulties the child may have and the sort of strategies most likely to help with speech and communication.
Individual therapy appointments to work with parents and their child are usually weekly for an agreed number of weeks and are clinic based.
We have close links with schools and work with them to provide information about how they can support the child in school.
We also offer intensive courses for older children aged 9 to 12 and 11 to 16, if appropriate.
For further information contact Kate Williams or Isabel O’Leary.
Download the leaflet on stammering for more details (257kb pdf, opens in a new window)
Speech and Language Therapy Services for Children main page
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