SPEECH & LANGUAGE THERAPY
What is Speech & Language therapy?
- Assessment of communication skills
- Devising individual communication programmes for children
- Setting communication targets with teachers
- Advice on how to support language or speech difficulties in class
- Provision of support to children within class
- Demonstration of strategies to help children’s communication skills develop in the classroom
- Training the teachers and assistants
- Provision of individual / group therapy sessions with targets to follow up in class
- Attendance at parent consultation days
- Provision of feedback to teachers and parents about children’s progress
- Provision of reports as required
- Assessment of eating and drinking skills with programmes where appropriate
The Speech & Language therapists will decide on the most appropriate types of support from the list for each child.
All children’s needs are different and change over time. The type of support provided will be reviewed regularly to ensure it continues to meet each child’s needs.
Experience has shown that most improvement occurs when Speech and Language therapists, teachers and parents work closely together to develop children’s speech, language and communication through their schoolwork and play.
Who needs speech and language therapy?
Speech and Language therapists will work with teachers to assess the following areas of a child’s communication skills: -
1. Attention and listening – the ability to listen, pay attention to and respond
to spoken language
2. Comprehension – the ability to understand spoken language with no visual /
context cues
3. Expressive language – the ability to speak fluently sentences
4. Speech – the ability to pronounce words
5. Social skills – the ability to take part in conversations and understand /
use the subtle aspects of language – e.g. facial expression, jokes.
The results are then compared to the child’s overall learning ability. If the child’s communication skills are at a lower level, then they require one of the therapy options described before, to push their communication skills up to the same level as their learning ability.
A child also requires therapy if they have one or more areas of communication that is weaker than the others. E.g. comprehension may not be as good as expressive skills. The ultimate aim of SLT is for all the child’s areas of communication to be as close to their level of learning as possible.
Almost every child with a learning difficulty or mental handicap is likely to have some difficulties in the area of communication. However, if their language skills are at the same level as their overall learning ability, they do not require SL therapy. Instead, they need the language of the classroom simplified to the appropriate level, small t to be set and may need the extra support of visual cues (i.e. signing / gesture / picture) such as provided by the teachers at Acorn.
A SLT can assist teachers in planning appropriate language targets and support for these children if required.
What if my child needs SLT?
Any child at Acorn can be referred for a SL assessment, by teachers or parents. If SL therapy is required, then the appropriate input will be selected from the list according to each child’s needs.
Once the communication programme has been set up, you will be advised of any activities you can do at home to help your child’s progress. We will always try to keep you informed about what is happening with your child’s speech and language therapy in school.
Residential Programme at Acorn Special Tutorials
At Acorn we believe that there is no better place than home. However due to the fact that we offer such a unique service there has been great need for us to temporary adopt some of our students for various reasons. There are some enrichening experiences lined up for the boarders in the evenings and over the weekends.