Been busy

We've not posted in a while as we've been so busy this month that we haven't had time to write about it! What have we been doing? Well........

• Weekly Targeted sessions in nurseries and children's centres in Stafford, South Staffs, Lichfield, Burntwood, East Staffs and Tamworth areas
• Universal sessions in Children's Centres in Lichfield, Burntwood, East Staffs and Tamworth including Chatter Tots, Stories and Songs and Baby Talkers
• Bookstart in Stafford for families of toddlers 12m to 3 years
• Early Words Together in South Staffs, Lichfield and Burntwood. This is a new project from the National Literacy Trust for families of children aged 2 -5 years
• The Transition project in Tamworth: a really exciting initiative to help children and families plus network with nurseries and schools
• Various specialist assessments and reports for second opinions and tribunals
• Assessing children for a new channel 4 programme by Maverick TV called 'Born this way?'
• Specialist assessment and therapy in a secure mental health unit
• Individual and group therapy sessions in schools, children's homes and nurseries
• Therapy sessions for the LEA
• Training including Elklan 'working with under 3s' ideal for think two staff. It's accredited at level 2 or 3. We've also been running signing workshops and practical sessions on developing language through play in local nurseries.
• Plus taken on 20 new referrals in March

Erm... I think that's all!

Thank you very much to the team for all their hard work and dedication

We'll update progress on each shortly!

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

Small Talk Speech and Language Therapy comes to Derbyshire

Georgina White, speech and language therapist is very excited to be leading Small Talk Speech and Language Therapy in Derbyshire; as she lives in the area. ‘I am particularly excited as I know what great results Small Talk Speech and Language Therapy can achieve as I have been working for Small Talk in the South Staffs area for nearly 12 months; and they have been achieving great results there since 2007.’

Small Talk Speech and Language Therapy are a team of speech and language therapists and assistants who work independently with children, from babies to teenagers. They can deal with a wide variety of speech, language and communication problems including, speech sounds, autism, problems with understanding and expressive language difficulties. They specialise in complex communication and ASD but can see any child about whom a parent is worried. The waiting list is usually less than 2 weeks from initial enquiry.

Small Talk Speech and Language Therapy visit children where they are most comfortable, either in nursery or at home. Georgina believes that this is far better for little ones who may be intimidated by a clinic setting, ‘Sitting with a child on the floor playing with their own toys makes them feel more relaxed so we can establish a rapport much more quickly. This means I can assess the situation more easily.’

Georgina White says, ‘We give parents a choice but, can also support the work of NHS Speech and language therapists.’ This is very important as 40,000 children start school each year without the necessary levels of spoken language (Wright, J., 2008); and a Government report in 2008 showed that this can be as high as 50% of children in some areas (Bercow, J.). But, there is so much that can be done to prevent this and to help when things go wrong.

It is these sorts of concerns and evidence that led Libby Hill to set up the Smart Talkers pre-school communication groups which are for all children to encourage confidence and the best communication possible. Libby Hill says, ‘We can give advice and support to parents of little ones who are not developing their speech and language as expected’. Georgina will be starting Smart Talkers pre-school communication groups soon in Derbyshire; she will also be offering training opportunities for parents and early years practitioners.

To find out more please visit www.private-speech-therapy.co.uk , and http://www.smarttalkers.org.uk/ for current pre-school communication groups; or please ring 0844 704 5888.