Direct work with children who are Late Talkers can support the development of their language. Suggestions and Therapy for Late Talkers focus on working with parents and education staff to identify strategies that adults can use to support the child’s communication.
Up to 30% of children who are Late Talkers will continue to have language difficulties. We can implement strategies and train education staff to support your child now and in the future as well as directly addressing specific language skills your child has difficulty with.
Speech Sound Difficulties encompasses children with delayed or disordered sound development. Therapy targets the sounds or groups of sounds your child is not be able to use consistently in their everyday talking.
Environmental strategies will be discussed to support your child to be the most confident communicator and I can provide training so adults around the child so they are able to promote the child’s fluency and create a positive communication environment.
Early intervention is key in supporting children with Down Syndrome. We can work together to create a communication profile and a plan for your child’s speech and language difficulties. I hope this will give you the confidence to make decisions about your child’s Speech, Language and Communication support during and beyond our direct work.
Speech and Language Therapy can benefit Autistic Children who are not yet speaking, using minimal spoken language or who are using language but need support with this or in other areas.
I use a total communication approach, play based sessions and strengths based therapy to create a motivating environment for children to communicate in.
There are many factors which can influence how likely a child is to experience Speech, Language and Communication Needs.
We can discuss your concerns and work together to use language development strategies at home and in your child’s education setting to best support their speech and language development.
Independent Speech and Language Therapy can supplement NHS therapy, provide information whilst on the waiting list for NHS therapy or provide support for those who do not meet the criteria for NHS intervention.
The initial assessment session will be about an hour long including formal or informal assessment activities, as appropriate. This will also involve discussing your child’s areas of strength and need with you.
A 1 page summary with next steps and signposting to resources for families and school will be provided. Any targets or goals will be chosen because they are important to the child, the family and the child’s access to the curriculum.
After an initial assessment we will discuss the potential options for therapy, if appropriate. This may look like therapy sessions, multiple sessions to train education staff working with the child or an initial block of therapy with follow up reviews.
Sessions will last between 30-45 minutes with homework given at each session to be completed with parents or other adults throughout the week. This work supports therapy sessions by giving the child opportunities to practice activities in multiple environments and daily activities.
Available after an initial assessment, a demo session is available for other adults involved with the child eg. other carers and education settings. It is really important that everyone in the child’s life uses a shared approach and feel confident in supporting them to creating the most communication friendly environment.
Activities or techniques to support the child’s speech and language will be demonstrated with appropriate resources signposted or provided. This enables strategies to be put in place to support your child.
Review assessments will be carried out when targets need to change or a review of a child’s current progress using formal assessments is required. The timing of this will be discussed and agreed with parents, likely every 6 months.
More in depth reports can be written to support you to implement strategies or to provide information for school’s use eg. in care or support plans.
I can also attend meetings at your child’s school or at their multi-disciplinary team meetings to ensure joint working is carried out as much as possible.
These services will be priced according to my hourly rate.
Education settings can request training in any areas they do not feel confident in supporting, including:
– Implementing Speech and Language Therapy Programmes
– Approaches to supporting Speech Sound Difficulties and Language Difficulties
– Creating a communication friendly environment
– What to do whilst children are on the waiting list for NHS input
Education settings can pay for weekly sessions to provide Speech and Language support within the setting.
This could include assessment sessions for children identified as having Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN), 1:1 therapy or group therapy for children with SLCN or at risk of SLCN, training or demos for staff, communication environment audits etc.
Please enquire to ask about what I can offer, as this can be tailored to your setting.
Settings can also request support for staff working with children with SLCN or 1:1 work with children in the setting.
This can include support as outlined in the section for parents above or any other tailored support.
Supporting children with Speech and Language Difficulties to be confident, happy communicators using a holistic strengths based approach.