Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy

Preschool

The Preschool SLT service aims to provide support to children from birth to school transition age, based on the child’s needs to maximise their speech, language and communication skills, to promote independence, and support social relationships and learning.
Assessments are often multi-agency as we work with a number of other health, social care and education services.
Our aim is to support all adults in the child’s environment to use the Speech and Language strategies provided so that these are embedded throughout the day.

Support for the child might include:

• Advice
• Parent/Carer workshops
• Modelling sessions
• Individual intervention sessions
• Pre-school support visits with nursery staff

Our service works in an episode of care model whereby; we observe/assess the child, give advice and set targets jointly with the setting and/or parents/carers, model the suggested strategies to achieve the targets and then discharge the child to continue working towards the target and to consolidate their progress. When further support or advice is needed, the child can be re-referred back to the Speech and Language Therapy service for a review of their Speech, Language and communication skills and to update their targets.

Download our Preschool Referral Form 

School Aged – Primary and Secondary

Our school-age mainstream Speech and Language Therapy Team provides support to children and young people aged 4-19 who present with speech, language and communication difficulties.

We support children who:

• Have difficulties with their speech (difficulty pronouncing words/mixing up sounds)
• Have difficulties with their attention and listening skills
• Have difficulties understanding and following language use in the classroom (following instructions/understanding questions)
• Have difficulties expressing themselves (making sentences and using appropriate grammar)
• Have a stammer / dysfluency
• Have additional needs that affect communication and interaction (e.g. Autism, Down Syndrome, Hearing Loss)
• Have difficulties with their voice (not speaking at all/hardly at all, unusual quality e.g. hoarse, breathy, croaky or pitch too high/low)
• Have selective/situational mutism (can speak freely at times, hardly or not at all in other situations)

Our goal is to assess, identify, set goals, support and advise young people, their families/carers and schools.

We support mainstream school age children and young people who have a GP within the Harrogate and Rural District and Hambledon and Richmondshire areas. This also covers children and young people who are home educated. Parents/Carers, healthcare, social care or education professionals can refer to Speech and Language Therapy with parental consent.

Download our School Aged Referral Form

Special School/ Complex needs/ Learning Disabilities

Assessment and provision of information regarding speech, language and communication as well as safe eating, drinking and swallowing needs.

• Joint target setting with teaching staff in the Special Schools and the children’s families.
• Provision of training to support implementation of programmes and strategies.
• Provision of an Intervention Plan for school and home.

• Monitoring programmes and outcomes.
• Liaison with multi-disciplinary colleagues (Dr, Nurses, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Dietitians, Social Care, Independent SALT).
• Input to annual EHCP reviews.
• Close episode of care/discharge when outcomes are agreed and strategies are in place.

Download our School Aged Referral Form 

Eating and Drinking (Dysphagia) 

Dysphagia (Feeding and Swallowing) Referral Form

Download some Universal Level advice for hesitant, anxious and limited eaters.

Preschool – for children from birth to school transition age. Any education or healthcare professional as well as parents/carers can make a referral to the preschool service.

Download our Preschool Referral Form 

School aged – for children and young people aged 4-19. Any education or healthcare professional as well as parents/carers can make a referral to the school aged service.

Download our School Aged Referral Form 

Special School – for children and young people in a Special School setting. Any education or healthcare professional as well as parents/carers can make a referral to the special school service.

Download our School Aged Referral Form for children in a Special School setting

Dysphagia

Download our referral form

We offer training to parents, carers, education staff and other health professionals in specific areas within Speech and Language Therapy. Please contact us to enquire about available and upcoming training courses.

Telephone: 01423 553122 / 01423 542490

Email: [email protected]

Please see our resources and handouts for initial support.

Several of our Speech and Language Therapists and Speech and Language Therapy Assistants are Makaton Tutors. We are able to offer Makaton training to parents/carers and professionals. Please contact us for more information.

An episode of care means that we will:

• Assess your child’s speech and language and find out what they need to practise
• Decide what your child needs to practise first.  Most children make better progress if we only pick one or two things at a time
• Help your child do the practise
• Show you and/ or teaching staff how to practise this with your child
• Your child may need only one or two appointments in their episode of care.  Some children may need a few blocks of appointments with interim consolidation periods over a period of time.
• Once a block of therapy input has been completed, the child/young person is discharged to continue working towards the targets and to consolidate their progress. When further support or advice is needed, they can be re-referred back for a review of their speech, language and communication skills and to update their targets.