Speech & Language Therapy
Tunbridge wells, Kent
Our in-house, fully qualified Speech and Language Therapy team is highly experienced in supporting children and families in overcoming language and communication barriers and provides On Track Communication Screeners, Formal Assessments and one-to-one Therapy sessions for children and adolescents.
All sessions are run from our fully equipped, bright and welcoming therapy rooms and caters for children for children and young people aged 18 months – 19 years.
What can Speech & Language Therapy help with?
Academic difficulty and poor literacy skills can be associated with untreated speech and language disorders and by screening young children for both speech and language disorders and delays, not only is it possible to prevent lifelong learning difficulties, but can help improve overall wellbeing and reduce frustrations.
Our Therapist can support with a range of Speech and Language concerns, ranging from mild speech sound or articulation difficulties, to severe communication needs and complex diagnoses. Speech and Language Therapy can help with the following:
• Attention and listening concerns and/or learning difficulties
• Possible language delays and/or impairment
• Play skills and/or social and emotional difficulties
• Speech sound difficulties, struggles with pronunciation / Lisps
• Hearing impairments and/or auditory processing
• Down syndrome
• Cerebral palsy
• Autism
• Phonological awareness and pre-literacy skills
• EAL (English as an additional language)
Our therapy rooms are designed to help children and young people feel at ease. So it is not initially too distracting, different resources and equipment will be set up depending on your child’s age and needs – our cupboards are full of hidden activities!
How does Speech and Language Therapy work at The Children's Wellness Centre?
Before we can begin Speech and Language Therapy sessions, in order to tailor these to the exact needs of your child, our therapists will need to either carry out a “Screener” or a more in-depth, formal initial “Assessment“. More details about these and what option may be best for your child can be found below.
If your child has previously been assessed in the last three months by a Speech and Language Therapist (either privately or on the NHS) we may be able to use this report and begin initial therapy sessions straight away, without the need for us to complete a Screener or Assessment in our clinic.
Before your initial session, there will be a pre-assessment questionnaire and case history taken from parents/carers, where any concerns, strengths or needs can be shared. This will enable our therapist to prepare for the first meeting, allowing them to focus on your child, rather than needing to go through all the background information with you.
If therapy is recommended, our Therapists will agree on a set number of sessions that they feel would be appropriate to target the goals. This is usually a 6-8 week block. A few weeks of sessions may be enough for minor concerns, but it is important to note that in some cases, continued sessions for many months may be necessary.
Services
Speech & Language
'On Track Communication Screener'
(18 months - 4 yrs)
A Screener would be carried out for minor speech and language concerns, or where there are speech sound or articulation difficulties. The Screener is used to determine if a child is 'on track' for their age and children are assessed according to developmental stages for their age group.
30 minute Screener session + results/recommendations sent within 7 days
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Basic screening for age appropriate articulation and the ability to produce speech sounds
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Basic screening of receptive and expressive language (a child's ability to understand and use language)
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Basic screening for age appropriate social skills and play skills
Speech & Language "Assessment"
(18 months - 19 yrs)
The Assessment is longer and more in-depth than the Screener and will assess a multitude of areas, including a thorough examination of speech sounds, communication, play, and social skills. If your concerns stem beyond mild difficulties, an Assessment would be needed, in place of the Screener
Our 60 minute session + written report sent within 14 days (£300) is suitable for all children aged 18 months - 4 years who are not yet at primary school.
Our 90-minute session + written report sent within 14 days (£390) is suitable for all children who are of primary or secondary school age
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Informal and Formal Assessment of age appropriate articulation and the ability to produce speech sounds (if deemed necessary)
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Informal and Formal Assessment of receptive and expressive language (a child's ability to understand and use language)
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Informal Assessment of age appropriate social skills and play skills
Therapy sessions
After the Screener or Assessment has been carried out, our therapist will advise if regular therapy sessions are required. If sessions are suggested, these will be once a week for a block of 8 weeks. On week 6 a review will take place to determine if it is advised the child end at week 8, or whether another block of sessions is suggested. Please note the majority of children do need more than one block of sessions, but this is completely at your discretion.
For children aged 18 months – 4 years, not yet at primary school, the one-to-one session is 30-minutes, charged at £70
For children aged 4+years, and attending primary or secondary school, the one-to-one session is 45-minutes – £95
Unlike many clinics, our sessions are never run by a ‘Speech and Language Assistant’ – they are always run by a fully qualified Speech and Language Therapist.
We will also take into account how long your child will be able to focus during a session for, so for some older children, a 30-minute session may still be advised. Therapy sessions include direct time completing therapy activities and time providing verbal feedback to parents and caregivers. The feedback includes ideas for home practise which are designed to reinforce the focus of Therapy and help your child progress more rapidly.
Please note, for many children, successful speech and language intervention requires follow up work at home. This assists the child to generalise their new skills in their everyday environments.
Speech and Language Assessment for EHCP Applications
If you are looking for an assessment in order to support your child’s EHCP application, we offer assessments, with a tailored report option which can support with these applications. In order to apply for an EHCP for your child, you will need to gather evidence to submit. These reports are more detailed than the standard report and can be used as evidence to support your application. Please note, this is not an ‘EHCP Needs Assessment’ so not would include exact prescriptive quantifiable outcomes, as this would involve a school visit.
These assessments are 90 minutes long and charged at £595.
If you have any questions, or if you would like to book one of the above services, please make contact via the form below and we will be in touch as soon as possible.
When you arrive for your assessment, you will initially be asked to sit in our waiting room area. We have lots of books and some toys that your child can look at. We do suggest not coming too early, as some children can get anxious waiting.
We do please ask to ensure that you are there for the start of your appointment, as it is likely there are other children booked after, so we may not be able to extend your session time if you arrive late.
When it is time for your session, your therapist will come to the waiting area and say hello and together you and your child will go into the therapy room. Two adults are welcome to attend, but we kindly ask no siblings so the focus can be on the child having the assessment.
The therapist will chat to your child and will ask them some questions to get to know them a little more and help them relax into the session. Our team are very used to working with children who may feel unsure in new surroundings. The exact process does vary according to each child and their age, but usually your child and the therapist will do some work together using a big picture book, where your child will be asked to look at some pictures and answer some questions. Younger children won’t be asked to write anything, it will be a talking and listening exercise. Your child can have as many breaks as they need and can even leave the room if they need a walk down the corridor or some water. We will have a box of fidget toys that they are welcome to use if this helps them to concentrate. After this, there will be an opportunity for your child to play with some toys. These toys, games and puzzles will have been carefully selected and put in the room ahead of your appointment, in line with what you shared on your paperwork and what the therapist feels would be helpful to use in the assessment.
The therapist may also chat to you, as parents about your child’s school, what they like and don’t like and how the therapist might be able to offer support.
After the assessment the therapist will take you and your child back to the waiting area and say goodbye.
A formal written report will then be shared with you, detailing the assessment results, and personal recommendations for your child. The report may suggest that therapy sessions are advised. This will be sent to you within 14 days of your child’s assessment, although we always aim to get this to you much sooner, as we appreciate families can feel anxious waiting for this.
When you arrive for your assessment, you will initially be asked to sit in our waiting room area. We have lots of books and some toys that your child can look at. We do suggest not coming too early, as some children can get anxious waiting.
We do please ask to ensure that you are there for the start of your appointment, as it is likely there are other children booked after, so we may not be able to extend your session time if you arrive late.
When it is time for your session, your therapist will come to the waiting area and say hello and together you and your child will go into the therapy room. Two adults are welcome to attend, but we kindly ask no siblings so the focus can be on the child having the assessment.
In the room there will be a selection of toys which will be laid out. These toys, games and puzzles will have been carefully selected and put in the room ahead of your appointment, in line with what you shared on your paperwork and what the therapist feels would be helpful to use during the screener.
You child will be invited to select what they would like to play with and the therapist will join them in their play. During this time, the therapist will also talk to you as parents about your child’s nursery or school, and what they like and do not like. The exact process differs according to each child, but usually the therapist will ask your child to look at some pictures in a big book and may ask them some questions.
After the screener, the therapist will take you and your child back to the waiting area and say goodbye.
A short report will then be shared with you, detailing the screener results, and personal recommendations for your child. The report may suggest that therapy sessions are advised. This will be sent to you within 7 days of your child’s assessment, although we always aim to get this to you much sooner, as we appreciate families can feel anxious waiting for this.
Please note, a screener report is shorter in length, and less detailed that a formal Speech and Language Assessment report.
After the assessment the therapist will take you and your child back to the waiting area and say goodbye.
A formal written report will then be shared with you, detailing the assessment results, and personal recommendations for your child. The report may suggest that therapy sessions are advised. This will be sent to you within 14 days of your child’s assessment, although we always aim to get this to you much sooner, as we appreciate families can feel anxious waiting for this.
Our Speech and Language Services are provided by our HCPC Registered Therapist Hannah Smith, registration SL37655