Specific language impairment: new series of AFASIC videos

AFASIC are working on a series of videos to look at speech, language and communication impairments. I look forwards to a day when everyone understands these issues!

Thank you to Damien and AFASIC for sharing this:

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.

How to help in the classroom by those who really know

See how pupils at Hetton School have provided their own training film and compiled a leaflet of how teachers, therapists and parents can help children with speech and language difficulties in the classroom

Parents! What would you like to see included?

We are developing a  new website with our friends at Devmac especially for parents. We are told so often that parents want to help their children but don't know where to look. The internet is a fantastic place to source information, in fact, we reported recently that this is exactly where parents are looking BUT how do they know what they find is any good?

We will have lots of free downloads for information and simple games as well as resource packs, books and games that we have either written/devised or have reviewed and recommend.

There will be videos showing parents exactly how to use them. We have lots planned!

What would you like to see included? Please let us know, as we would welcome your ideas

info@smalltalk-ltd.co.uk

What do I do if I am worried about my child's talking?

Sometimes you just know that your little one isn't developing their spoken language as they should. Other times you compare them to their little friends and see a difference. Sometimes it's a grandparent or friend who mentions something.  However  you come to the tentative or definite conclusion, you need to know what to do about it.


If your child is pre-school, then the health visitor is a good source of information and she can refer to the NHS speech therapy department for you with your permission. In some areas (it used to be all ) you can make a call to the department yourself. If your child is at school, talk to the classteacher about referring your child to speech therapy.


If you want to make  referral to a private therapist, you can contact them yourself. The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists recommend a website called www.helpwithtalking.com. On this you can put in your postcode and the age of your child and it will come up with a list of therapists in your local area. These are all members of the Association speech and language therapists in independent practice (ASLTIP). You can be sure that they are fully qualified and experienced, members of the Health professionals Council and members of the Royal College of Speech and language therapists. If you google private speech therapy, then make sure they are members of the HPC. Prices are usually pretty similiar from therapist to therapist. You can ring up and talk to the therapist before you make a decision as to who you choose.


You can have an NHS Speech and language therapist (SLT) as well as an NHS one. There is a protocol which they follow to work together.  


What happens then?
The therapist will need to see your child to assess the level he is at and what he needs to achieve more. This is usually in a clinic but independent ones will more than likely do a home visit. We prefer to do a home visit at Small Talk as they are more comfortable there and more likely to give a true representative of what they can do. In the sterile atmosphere of a health clinic, none of us is at out best! If not at home, we will visit nursery or playgroup.


What is the assessment?
This may be informal observation, play and by talking to you. They will ask about such things as pregnancy and birth and family background in order to complete a case history. Therapists use formal assessments too which will involve looking at pictures or books. It should be stress-free and fun for the child. The SLT will look for the child's level of attention, listening, play, understanding and how they express themselves. They will also listen to speech sounds but this might not be a priority.


The SLT might decide to review progress in a short while or offer therapy.


What is therapy?
A lot of the time we will be working through the parent or nursery staff as it is important for generalising skills. It is a bit like a music lesson, you wouldn't expect that the only time you do it to be the lesson. The lesson is to show you what to do and then you would need to practise all week before the next lesson. We try to make sure that any suggested 'work' fits into your daily routine wherever possible.



Questions?
1. Is my child too young for therapy?
No child is too young if you work with the parents. Parents are the most important part of the Speech therapy process. Small Talk are licensed Hanen practitioners and offer 'It takes two to talk' for parents.


2. How long will therapy take?
That is impossible to say but the SLT will set targets/aims and discuss these before they start. 


3. I am worried but nursery aren't, should I still see a SLT?
Yes because you can discuss your concerns. She will be able to allay your fears or suggest a course of action.  There might be problems at home that haven't shown themselves at nursery or vice versa.


4. I can't get time off to have therapy, what can I do?
Depending on the problem, many private SLTs offer saturday sessions or via skype.


Have a look at www.private-speech-therapy.co.uk for more information.  You can see stages and ages at http://smarttalkers.org.uk/stages_of_language_development.php

Don't worry in silence, get help!

Related articles

• Great sites for therapy ideas for kids with special needs (lovethatmax.com)
• Parents as Therapist! (downsyndromenwfl.wordpress.com)

Keep your speech therapy/pathology CPD up to date: Sign up today to receive the second edition of S & L World: the global bulletin for Speech Therapy/Pathology

We have just finished the April issue of the quarterly on-line magazine and it is jam packed with interesting news, articles, reports and information. We could call it the 'technology issue' as several of the entries are to do with ipads, social media and use of the internet. Never has speech and language therapy been so involved with the world of technology or had to keep up with its advances as today.

Rebecca Bright gives an overview of available apps while Barbara Fernandez looks at using apps for articulation therapy. Regarding social media, we have an article by Deb Taylor Tomarakos about the use of Facebook by SLT/SLP, an interesting piece about using Twitter as essential to CPD: the key to continued professional success by Tanya Coyle and Shareka Bentham and I have written a short insert about blogging.

Moving away from the techno advancements are contributions by Vladan Plecevic and Igor Buzganovic   about verbal memory deficiencies of children with speech - language disorders, coping with difficult patients or co-workers by Stephanie Staples,  a telepractic model By Kimberly Murphy and Cued Articulation by Adrienne Bamberger.

We also have an interview with Helen Barrett, currently working in Uganda and a thought provoking quote from Chad Turingan  in a new section called  ‘Have your say....’

We’ve also got book reviews this month including Caroline Bowen’s latest and Frances 
Evesham’s new kindle book.

To read the April edition you have to subscribe http://www.slworldbulletin.com/order.php 

You can still read issue 1 free from the website.

We welcome contributions for the July edition, guidelines are available to registered users on the website. Closing date is June 15^th. All advertising and reviews must be in by then. News items will be accepted until July 1^st.

I hope you enjoy reading about our exciting and fascinating international world of speech &  language! I’d appreciate any feedback you may have.

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