Who is this for?
Children and young people aged 5 to 18 who present with speech, language and communication difficulties.
We support children and young people who have:
- difficulties with their speech (difficulty pronouncing words/mixing up sounds)
- difficulties with their attention and listening skills
- difficulties understanding and following language use in the classroom (following instructions/understanding questions)
- difficulties expressing themselves (making sentences and using appropriate grammar)
- a stammer / dysfluency
- additional needs that affect communication and interaction (e.g. Autism, Down Syndrome, Hearing Loss)
- difficulties with their voice (not speaking at all/hardly at all, unusual quality e.g. hoarse, breathy, croaky or pitch too high/low)
- selective/situational mutism (can speak freely at times, hardly or not at all in other situations)
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 simple tool to check how your child’s speech, language and communication skills are developing and find advice and support if needed.
- Speech and Language UK – Help for Families – A trusted source of advice, information and simple activities to help support speech, language and communication development.
- Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust – Speech and Language Therapy Toolkit – A practical toolkit with advice, activities and resources to support children and young people’s speech, language and communication skills.
- Makaton Charity – Information and resources to help children and young people communicate using signs and symbols alongside speech.
- MindMate – Neurodiversity Information Hub – Advice and support for children and young people with autism, ADHD, communication and sensory needs.
Selective Mutism
- NHS advice on selective mutism
- Selective Mutism – Advice, information and practical resources to help children and young people with selective mutism feel confident communicating.
Stammering / dysfluency
- Michael Palin Centre for Stammering – Specialist advice and practical strategies to support children and young people who stammer.
- Airedale Stammering Centre – Helpful advice and simple ideas to support children and young people who stammer at home and in school.
- Action for Stammering Children–actionforstammeringchildren.org – Videos and resources to share with families, children and schools on supporting children who stammer.
Voice
- Great Ormond Street Hospital – Healthy Voice Advice – Tips and advice to help children and young people develop healthy voice habits and reduce strain on their voice.
- British Voice Association – Information and practical advice on keeping children and young people’s voices healthy.
Targeted Support
- advice and strategies for parents, carers, schools and settings
- assessment to better understand a child or young person’s strengths and needs
- therapy programmes or activities to be carried out at home and/or in educational settings
- group intervention where appropriate
- training and coaching for school staff and families to support carryover of strategies in everyday environments
Specialist Support
- comprehensive specialist assessment
- direct, individualised intervention
- goal-focused blocks of intervention for specific speech, language or communication targets
- specialist advice and programmes for home and school
- support for complex speech, language, communication, stammering, voice and selective mutism needs
- multi-disciplinary working with other professionals involved in the child or young person’s care
- review, monitoring and longer-term planning where needed