We can help with:
- Late talking or limited vocabulary (e.g. not using expected words for age)
- Unclear speech or difficulty producing sounds (e.g. difficulties being understood by others)
- Difficulty understanding language (e.g. not following instructions)
- Difficulty using language to communicate needs (e.g. relying on gestures or minimal interaction)
- Social communication difficulties (e.g. limited interaction, poor attention or engagement)
- Stammering or fluency concerns
- Underlying medical or developmental conditions affecting communication (e.g. Down syndrome, cleft palate, neurological conditions
What happens when your child is referred to us?
When your child is referred to us they will be offered a pre-school screen appointment.
These appointments are with a Speech and Language Therapist and provide an opportunity to:
- discuss your concerns
- observe your child’s speech, language and communication skills
- give you strategies to help support your child’s speech, language and communication development
- enable us to direct you and your child to the most appropriate support.
This appointment should take around 30 minutes, and you should leave knowing the next steps of support for your child.
Pre-school screen appointments are available at the following locations:
- Harrogate District Hospital
- Catterick Health Centre
- Colburn Children’s Centre
- Bedale – Glebe House Surgery
- Ripon – North House Surgery
- Thirsk Health Centre
- Northallerton- Friarage Hospital
What support do we offer?
Universal Support
Universal support is available to everyone and can be accessed without referral to Speech and Language Therapy.
Useful links and resources:
- Speech and Language UK – Progress Checker – A quick tool to track your child’s development and find tailored advice.
- Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust – Speech and Language Therapy Toolkit – Practical activities, advice, and resources to build communication skills.
- BBC Tiny Happy People – Simple videos and play ideas to support early talking at home.
- NSPCC – Look, Say, Sing, Play – Easy tips to turn everyday routines into fun brain-building moments.
- National Literacy Trust – Best Start in Life – Simple activities that support early communication through play.
- Speech and Language UK – Help for Families – Trusted advice and resources to guide your child’s development.
- Makaton Charity – Information and resources to help children and young people communicate using signs and symbols alongside speech.
Speech & Language Training for Families & Professionals
We offer specialised Speech and Language Therapy training to parents, carers, education staff, and health professionals.
Several of our Therapists and Assistants are certified Makaton Tutors and provide official training courses for both families and professionals.
For more information, please see our ‘Next steps and resources’ section.
Targeted Support
We offer targeted, small-group sessions designed to give parents and carers practical skills to support their child’s specific communication needs.
- Creating Communicators – A practical group for parents/carers of children who are not yet talking or using words, focusing on early interaction and play skills.
- Singing and Speech – A fun, music-based group using rhymes, rhythm, and repetition to encourage early talking and sound development.
- Language Leapers – A structured group focused on boosting vocabulary, building short sentences, and helping children understand spoken language.
- Happy Hands – A specialised group introducing simple signs, gestures, and visual tools to help children communicate their needs before their speech develops.
Specialist Support
Specialist support is available for parents/carers and children who need a more tailored therapy approach.
- Hanen Parent Programmes – Evidence-based, structured coaching courses that empower parents with the exact strategies needed to build their child’s language during everyday routines.
- 1:1 Therapy (Home, Clinic, or Nursery) – Individualised, direct therapy sessions delivered in the environment that best suits your child’s comfort and learning.
- Speech Sound Therapy – Targeted, one-on-one exercises and games to help children who struggle to pronounce specific sounds clearly.
- Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) Assessment – Evaluating and introducing specialized communication tools, from picture boards to high-tech voice-output devices, for children who cannot rely on speech alone.
- EHCP Assessments – Formal, comprehensive communication assessments used to contribute expert evidence toward an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP).