My child has…Special Needs
Speech and Language Therapists work with children who have a wide ranging variety of special needs with associated speech, language and communication difficulties, such as global developmental delay, Cerebral Palsy, Downs Syndrome and Autistic Spectrum Conditions.
The preschool child may be initially supported by the Preschool Special Needs Team. Once a child has made the transition into school the Complex Needs Descriptors and Responses will be completed in conjunction with parents and staff and will guide Speech and Language Therapy input. Therapy may involve some or all of the following:
- training and advice, for example Makaton parent workshops;
- Working Together with other education and health professionals such as Occupational Therapy and the Visual Impairment Service Teachers.
- assessment of your child’s communication ability through observations of the child in different environments, discussions with key adults as well as standardised speech and language assessments that compare their ability to other children the same age;
- recommendations to improve the child’s communication environment, for example ensuring there is a [Total Communication] approach being used consistently across all settings;
- working directly with the child to develop their speech, language and communication skills. This may include the use of [Alternative and Augmentative Communication]
Once a child’s speech, language and communication needs can be met by school the child will be discharged from the Speech and Language Therapy service.
If you have concerns about your child’s speech and language development or their eating and drinking skills, you could discuss your concerns with your health visitor or the staff at your child’s setting/school, who may also have some helpful suggestions. You could also have a look at the Activities, Ideas and Info section on this website.
If you would like an assessment of your child’s speech and/or language development we would be happy to hear from you. See the 'How to refer' or 'Drop-In' section.