NHS vs Independent Speech and Language Therapy: what's the difference?

We are often asked about the differences between NHS and independent or private speech and language therapy. Georgina White explains more: 

Similarities:

·         Independent and NHS Speech and language therapists (SLTs) both have to be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council i.e. all SLTs have to complete registered training and are committed to ongoing professional development.
·         All SLTs follow the same standards and ethics
·         All SLTs should be committed to multi-disciplinary team working i.e. working in collaboration with teachers, other health professionals; including other SLs
·         SLT’s are committed to continuing professional development, so many are trained in specialist areas of communication difficulties.

Differences:

·         The main difference between these two services is time! Typically, independent therapists offer immediate appointments for assessment; followed by therapy if required.
·         As independent therapists have more time available, they are able to offer more flexibility; especially in terms of where and when they can see clients. Often independent therapists prefer to see their clients, especially children at home; as this is where they are typically more comfortable.
·        However, time and flexibility comes at a cost as independent therapists charge for their time and experience.

Despite any differences or similarities in the SLT services, collaboration is vital. At Small Talk Speech and Language Therapy Ltd, we take great pride and consideration in involving all other professionals in a clients care pathway. We will work closely with other NHS SLT’s involved with our clients so that we can be sure that we are aiming for the same goals, and that families and clients can get the continuity of care they deserve, when and where possible.

Georgina White

www.private-speech-therapy.co.uk   0844 704 5888

Parents, has your child got Specific Language Impairment?

Parents and families of children and young people with Specific Language Impairment (SLI)
now have access to the first comprehensive guide on SLI, officially launched today by
I CAN, the children’s communication charity, and Afasic.
Commissioned by The Communication Trust, as part of the Hello campaign, the SLI
Handbook aims to provide a clear and concise guide on SLI, to help identify and support
children with this ‘invisible’ difficulty. Endorsed by Jean Gross, the Government’s
Communication Champion, this handbook will help both parents and practitioners to better
understand the issue, find practical ways to support children and young people with SLI and
signpost to further support.
About 7% of all children and young people have SLI, and are often as intelligent, able and
healthy as other children, except they have enormous difficulty talking and understanding
language. SLI is not caused by any known neurological, sensory, intellectual or emotional
difficulty, so many children and young people across the UK have needs that may be missed
or misdiagnosed. SLI is a very broad term, with some children having mild problems that are
short-lived, with others having severe and persistent difficulties with both understanding and
talking.
The SLI Handbook uses clear language and illustrations to ensure it is accessible to parents
and professionals who will encounter children with these needs. This will include: teachers,
TAs, SENCOs, Educational Psychologists, SLTs, Paediatricians and Occupational
Therapists.
Mandy Grist, I CAN Communication Advisor and SLI Handbook author, said, “Parents and
practitioners often tell us there isn’t one place to find comprehensive information about SLI.
The Bercow Review of Services for Children and Young People with Speech, Language and
Communication Needs (SLCN) in 2008 found that 77% of parents did not get the information
and support that they needed when they needed it. SLI is often misunderstood and ‘invisible’ as children try to hide their difficulties by imitating others or their frustrations come out
through negative behaviour. Finally, families and practitioners can use this handbook to help
identify, understand and support these children and young people so they can live life to the
full and achieve their potential.”
Linda Lascelles, Afasic Chief Executive, said, “At the heart of the Hello campaign is
supporting children and families affected by speech, language and communication
difficulties, including SLI.  7% of all children struggle in school and throughout their lives with
this ‘invisible’ difficulty. The SLI Handbook is an essential resource to empower parents and
families by providing them with easy to understand information on SLI. The SLI Handbook
was written by I CAN and Afasic with parents specifically in mind, and will give them
accessible information and useful guidance from the first instance when their child’s needs
are identified, through to accessing the right services and how to support children throughout
their education.”
A parent of child with SLI, said, “The handbook explains SLI clearly and in an easy to
understand way.  We found it very difficult to get any information when our child was
diagnosed, especially a clear explanation of SLI. This is a really helpful booklet and will
definitely be very useful and informative to other parents.”

For more information, interviews and pictures, please contact Emma Selim (Press and PR Officer)

eselim@ican.org.uk or 0207 843 254

Are speaking and understanding skills located in the same part of the brain?

Thank you to Mediplacements for allowing us to use this:


A new study claims to lay to rest the debate as to whether speaking and understanding are located in the same part of the brain.

According to the research, published in journal Psychological Science, speaking and understanding are located in the same area of the brain.

Scientists at the Donders Institute at the Radboud University Nijmegen developed technology which allowed an insight into a moving brain - required to study the brains of those who are talking.

Functional MRI technology was used to measure brain activity in those who were either listening to sentences or speaking sentences.

In order to prompt the participants to say the right kind of sentences, authors designed a picture of an action with one person coloured green and the other red so their order in the sentence was clear.

Researchers were then able to work out where in the brain three different speech tasks were occurring.

Computing meaning, coming up with the words and building a grammatical sentence were all seen to take place in the same area.

Researcher Laura Menenti, of the University of Glasgow, explained that although it sometimes appears that those with comprehension issues may be able to speak well, and vice versa, this is not always true.

"Our data suggest that these problems would be expected to always at least partly coincide. On the other, our data confirm the idea that many different processes in the language system, such as understanding meaning or grammar, can at least partly, be damaged independently of each other," she said.

This follows a paper published in journal Nature Neuroscience which suggested protein harmonin, known to play a part in sensing sound in the inner ear, could also be involved in sending information to the brain.

If this is the case, it would explain why the mutation of the protein in Usher syndrome, is associated with the most severe form of the disease.

Written by Megan Smith from Speech Therapy News, Mediplacements http://mediplacements-px.rtrk.co.uk 

Related articles

• Speaking and understanding speech share the same parts of the brain (eurekalert.org)
• Speech, Understanding Share Same Brain Regions (psychcentral.com)
• Speaking and listening share large part of brain infrastructure (sciencedaily.com)

How can a speech therapist help literacy?

A post by the excellent Talking Matters team from Australia.

This week is “Speech Pathology Week” and Speech Pathology Australia have chosen the theme “Literacy for life”. This was chosen because literacy is a form of communication, there is a strong link between speech and language skills and the development of literacy and because speech pathologists have much to offer in helping develop literacy skills.  

Speech therapists/pathologists, teachers and parents can work together to develop literacy skills though the lifespan. At Talking Matters we work mainly with children, and the literacy skills developed in childhood have an impact right through the rest of peoples lives. Here are some ways speech pathologists support communication and literacy in children.    

Babies – It is never too young for children to experience books.  Babies enjoy bright colourful books with familiar pictures and things they can touch. Early speech and language skills are important for later literacy development. Babies are learning to listen to voices and understand familiar words.  They love rhymes and songs. They are developing babbling and copying adult sounds and intonation patterns.  A speech pathologist can advise parents how to best develop their babies early language skills. Speech Pathologists can also help with any feeding problems which can impact on speech development.             

• Toddlers – Toddlers continue to love books and begin to listen to the words, not just look at the pictures. They enjoy stories with simple storylines and lots of action.  They also enjoy picture books about favourite topics which help develop vocabulary. They may begin to recognise familiar signs and symbols. Their speech is developing with lots of single words and they are beginning to combine words together. A speech pathologist can help if a child is not using many words, combining words together or is not clear in their production of familiar words.

• Pre-schoolers - Children are now beginning to develop pre-literacy skills. They understand how books work, with a beginning and ending and words that tell about the pictures.  They are beginning to learn about letters and sounds and may recognise their name and the first letter in their name. They are speaking in longer sentences, most of their speech is clear and they can hold a simple conversation. Speech pathologists can help with concerns about speech and language skills. Support to develop these skills now helps with preventing reading and writing difficulties later.       

• School-aged children – At school children are developing formal literacy skills. The ability to understand and use language impacts on the ability to read and write, and speech pathologists can support parents and teachers in developing these skills in children. Children are also learning about the relationships between letters and sounds, and how sound patterns form words. Children who have difficulty hearing sounds in words,  sounding out and blending words, reading, writing and comprehending what they read can all benefit from support from a speech pathologist. As children progress with literacy, the oral and written language used in school increases in complexity.  Speech pathologists continue to help children develop these skills and can also provide strategies and supports for children with literacy difficulties.               

At Talking Matters we can provide assessment and support to develop speech, language and literacy skills.  We also have a large amount of information on our website to support parents and teachers in develop language and literacy skills.

Visit our website at talkingmatters.com.au to find out more. Download free information and activities from the “plus” section of our website.

Talking Matters Team

SL World: The global bulletin for SLT/SLPs: issue 3 out now!

As for most mothers who work, it's been very hectic trying to manage a business with the school holidays so I haven't had the time to tell people about the latest edition of the on-line magazine. It's the third publication of the magazine by and for speech and language professionals across the world.


Bea Staley who is working in Kenya sent in a lovely account of what it's like to be a volunteer in the country.  She wrote from the heart and apologised for it being too long. It was so interesting, however, I couldn't possibly cut it. If you read it you'll see what I mean. I think many of us would love to do something similar but are hindered by the restraints of family life ... for now.


There's a great article by Ben Zimmerman, for whom I have a great deal of respect for his work with feeding.  He's written about behavioural analysis of the problems. Also on the feeding theme, Jodie Corbett has written about her work with Vitalstim. I was interested to read this as Sumathi Sinnapan, a friend of mine living in Stafford is the only British therapist I know who is qualified and licensed to use the technique here. She has an uphill struggle to persuade the UK powers that be that it's a technique that works but Jodie's article makes it seem the right way forwards for many.


There are inspiring pieces by Eric Raj who likens SLT/SLP to ninjas.... (yes, it does make sense when you read it!), Stephanie Staples on team work, useful techniques from Craig Selinger, multi-cultural working in Holland, a SLaC special from Mary MountStephens and a celebration of 50 years in the profession for Franky Shepperson. Plus news from all over.


To subscribe and then be able to access the previous two issues too, it's £24 for a year or £12 for students. The price is a full 12 months from the date you fill in the form. www.slworldbulletin.com


If you have anything you would like considering for inclusion for the October magazine please let me know. Human communication is the most fascinating subject possible and how we can help when things go wrong needs to be shared as widely as possible.

Listen Up - it's not just about talking

It isn't easy to see and recognise what happens beneath the surface of children's communication. Being able to listen, pay attention, play and understand are the fundamental building blocks of communication. 

Adults play a crucial role in supporting these skills. If a child can't listen and understand, they'll struggle to talk. That's why in April our theme is 'it's not just about talking'.

We've developed 2 brand new FREE resources to encourage listening, understanding, interaction and play.

For pre-school children, Listen Up (0-5), includes a card game with fun activities and advice on how parents and early year's workers can use the resource.

Remember fortune tellers from the school playground? The folded up square pieces of paper that you control with your fingers and thumbs? Well you will when you see it!  For school aged children Listen Up (5-11)includes a fun fortune teller with the card game.  These short and simple activities can be done easily and quickly and with everyday things.

To order your free copy email hello@thecommunicationtrust.org.uk. Write 'Listen Up' in the subject header and include your name, full postal address and the age of your child or children you work with. We'll send you the resource sometime in April.

Small Talk Speech & Language Therapy and Smart Talkers Pre-School Communication Groups are supporting the Hello campaign www.private-speech-therapy.co.uk and www.smarttalkers.org.uk

Increasing motivation:putting the fun into therapy!

Guest post by Tina Babajanians, from Los Angeles 


I recently started working in the school setting with elementary students and although it has been a lot of fun, there has not been a whole lot of therapy happening. The majority of my minimal 30 minutes is spent convincing my students as to why they should participate in therapy. As I searched for different ways to motivate my students and tried different techniques and approaches nothing was working. Therapy was still not as effective as it could be. What was it that I was doing differently in graduate school that I was not doing in my professional, everyday experience that was hindering me from motivating my students?

It was during the holiday season that I was out shopping for friends and family when I stumbled upon the toys/game section and it suddenly occurred to me! I was missing the “game turn”! Even though I had been using the games that were available via the school district, those games were not on the same level as these new games were! These games were colorful, interactive and fun! These were the games that children see on television and beg their parents to buy for them! So I bought about ten games, all on sale by the way, and I went back into therapy with my new tools!

I can honestly say therapy has completely changed! The kids come into therapy and there is no need to “prep” them for what is about to happen. They sit and they know, when they see the game, that if they take their speech turn they will get the game turn!

Now I have to say, that I was using games before but it was the look and nature of these new games that really motivates the kids. They come in saying, “Oh, I saw that on T.V.” as opposed to the games that I was previously using, which were not as exciting. It is as simple as the “old Candyland board” vs. the “new Candyland board”. And  I can happily report that my therapy sessions are now effective and time efficient!

Tina Babajanians

--
www.losangelesvoicetherapy.com | Voice Therapy & Accent Modification

All Services Available via Skype Upon Request

The Year of Communication or the Year of cuts for speech therapy?

While most people are applauding the King's Speech as being pro-speech therapy and great for our cause, I came across a quote from Gill George, from Unite:

"This is the year of The King's Speech, with the attendant publicity forspeech and language therapy. It's also the year in which we speech therapists across England lose our jobs. Most of us don't work with royalty. We work with ordinary people – stammerers, stroke patients, small children, adults with learning disabilities. Speech therapy services are now being destroyed, through NHS cuts, and cuts in education and children's centre funding. George VI went private; our millionaire politicians presumably do the same. Most of us don't have that luxury".

What do you feel about this? Let me know.......

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All good things must come to an end

We keep hearing about the demise of the Children's Centres but the truth is we don't really know what is going to happen yet. One thing is for certain, the needs that they addressed have not gone away and will still need massive input. Unfortunately, it is certain that the Community and Learning partnerships will cease to exist from the end of March. They are attempting to put action plans in place to keep the core services for another 12 months which I think it's a tall order for people who are not going to be around to see the outcome of their plans.


It was with great respect & admiration that I listened to Amanda Newbold, the C& LP co-ordinator from Lichfield on Monday afternoon. Instead of moaning about the end, regretting she couldn't do more or worrying about what she was going to do after April 1st, she has embraced the situation and wanted to celebrate the successes that they achieved. As she pointed out, they have 'had a ball', giving over a  million pounds to causes which have helped families and young children in the Lichfield area alone.


There have been great successes with the International Womens Groups, Bounce and Rhyme from the library services, a mobile skate park, young people's groups, family support.... and of course the projects that they have funded from Small Talk Speech and Language Therapy. We have done training with the child-minders, long-term Teeny Talker and Small Talker sessions, extra support for children with identified needs and signing sessions.


There was a lovely lunch and a surprise award ceremony. I was both gob smacked and delighted that we had one for 'outstanding' in the innovation category. I was going to show you a photograph of the award but as beautiful as it is, it's not a patch on this photo of the babies from my Baby Talk & Sign group!!

Aren't they gorgeous and aren't I lucky to have been able to work with lots of fantastic children and parents and then have an award as well!!!! I have really appreciated the opportunity to work in the Children's Centres and I know we have helped to make a difference.

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