Children's Speech and Language Therapy (SALT)
A service for children with speech language, communication, eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties.
Contents
Overview
A specialist service for children with:
- speech, language and communication difficulties
- eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties
The service provides assessment and support for children and young people and works closely with families so the right service can be provided.
What speech, language and communication difficulties include
Speech, language and communication difficulties include:
- language difficulties - trouble understanding or using words and sentences
- speech difficulties - hard-to-understand speech
- social communication difficulties - trouble with verbal and nonverbal communication, affecting play, activities, and social interaction
- stammering ('bumpy talking') - repeating sounds, words, or phrases, or struggling to speak
- voice problems - persistent breathy or strained voice
What eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties include
Eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties include:
- choking and coughing or frequent gagging episodes when eating or drinking, especially where a child is presenting with frequent chest infections and / or poor weight gain
- limited ability to suck, chew or swallow affecting a child's growth and development
Support available
The service will do an assessment which may include telephone and clinic / school appointments.
There are different specialisms within the Speech & Language Therapy Service, and your child will be allocated to the most appropriate area for assessment.
An interpreting service can be used for all appointments.
During an assessment, the team will ask about current concerns / difficulties and the impact of them on your child / young person.
They will decide what the best course of action is to meet the best outcomes for your child.
Following the assessment, there are a range of options including:
- report and recommendations for families and schools
- visits to schools or nurseries to set targets and activities
- clinic sessions for direct intervention
- group therapy for language and social communication needs
- stammering groups for children and parents
- home or clinic visits to review a feeding care plan
- social communication assessments to help with the multi-disciplinary assessment for autism
The team can refer children and young people on to other agencies as needed.
Support for people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
Speech and Language Therapists are involved in the assessment and support of children with SEND.
This may involve:
- assessments and recommendations to help identify SEND and create an EHCP
- multi-disciplinary support during the Early Help and EHC process
- assessments and therapy visits in nurseries and schools
- providing advice for EHCPs and their reviews
- helping children achieve EHC goals for speech, language, and eating/drinking/swallowing
- training and guidance for staff/parents on specific approaches like Makaton and PECS
Speech and Language Therapists work with teaching staff to support children attending their setting.
Who can access the service
Children and young people aged 0 to 18 years.
Children aged 0 to 2 years are usually referred due to eating, drinking and swallowing concerns / complex developmental needs.
Young people with SEND requiring further SALT support at 18 years can be referred on to the Adult Learning Disability Service.
How to access the service
Children and young people can be referred for assessment by parents / carers or any health / educational professional with consent.
Young people aged 16 to 18 years can self-refer.
An assessment may include telephone and clinic appointments.
Before making a referral, you can look at our referral guidelines or contact us to get advice.