Speech & Language Therapy
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.
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 first appointment 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.
Our therapy rooms are designed to help children and young people feel at ease. To avoid too many distractions, different resources and equipment will be set up depending on your child’s age and needs – our cupboards are full of hidden activities!
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)
Services
Option
Speech & Language On Track Communication "Screener" (18 months - 4 yrs)
£140 30 minute Screener session + results/recommendations sent within 7 days
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. It is also useful for those just wanting some reasurrance about their child’s development.
- Basic screening for age appropriate articulation and the ability to produce speech sounds
- Basic screening of receptive and expressive language (a child's ability to understand and use language)
- Basic screening for age appropriate social skills and play skills
Option
Speech & Language "Assessment" (18 months - 19 yrs)
£300 – £390 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.
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.
- Informal and Formal Assessment of age appropriate articulation and the ability to produce speech sounds (if deemed necessary)
- Informal and Formal Assessment of receptive and expressive language (a child's ability to understand and use language)
- Informal Assessment of age appropriate social skills and play skills
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 may 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.
Therapy sessions
After the Screener or Assessment has been completed, our therapist will advise whether regular therapy sessions are recommended. If therapy is suggested, sessions will usually take place once a week, in a set block of 4, 6 or 8 sessions.
Throughout the block, your child’s progress will be reviewed regularly. Towards the end of the block, the therapist will advise whether your child is ready to finish therapy or whether a further block of sessions would be beneficial. Please be aware that many children benefit from more than one block of therapy. However, any decision to continue with further sessions is entirely 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
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.
Unlike many clinics, all of our therapy sessions are delivered by a fully qualified Speech and Language Therapist. We do not use Speech and Language Assistants to deliver therapy, so you can be confident that your child will always receive support directly from a qualified therapist.
Our Speech and Language Therapy Services are provided by our HCPC Registered Clinician, Elise McMellin: Registration SL038856.