Speech & Language Therapy in Schools
2 to 3 children in each UK classroom have communication difficulties that require specialist help.
Up to 7% of these children have long-term issues which affect their learning over the years.
Speech and language problems seem to affect key learning areas such as literacy development.
Supporting Children in Schools
Medelit’s speech and language therapists (SLTs) can help recognise and explain the nature and severity of the problem and, together with teachers and parents, assess its effects on both school progress and everyday life. Therapy programmes are then organised based on the individual pupil’s needs. Programmes are carried out by school staff and parents and they are supported by the SLT. Each pupil’s program is then evaluated, developed and modified over time.
Where can we help?
In schools our Speech and Language Therapists work with pupils who have a range of Special Educational Needs such as speech & Language delays and/or disorders, stammering, Semantic Pragmatic Disorder, Autistism Spectrum Disorders ,learning disabilities and Selective Mutism .
How we work
Medelit can offer schools very flexible programs, varying from a 1 hour session for a single student to half or full day presence and tailored packages of assessments; therapy and groups depending on your school’s needs.
All of our therapists are Enhanced CRB checked, trained in Safeguarding Child Protection procedures and undergo continued professional development.
We have an integrated approach and therefore work on Speech, Language and Communication in collaboration with teachers, parents, learning support assistants and, where needed, with psychologists.
The Benefits of Medelit’s School Speech Therapy Service:
- Early identification of problems
- Tailored intervention with specialist support recommendations
- Development of skills essential to raise attainment and literacy
- Training and support for teachers and TAs
- Engagement of parents with information and specific programmes
- Less time away from lessons for children needing speech therapy, than they would need to attend a clinic session.
Our services for schools
We offer therapy based on each individual child’s needs, and this includes:
Screening and detailed standardised assessments
These are particularly focused on the classroom language, and are used to examine key areas of understanding. The results are given as standard scores, enabling staff to compare a pupil’s level of understanding to a standard for that age and therefore to identify children requiring support.
The assessment, with slight changes according to the age of the child, evaluates the understanding of areas such as Concepts, Questions, Following Instructions, Verb Tenses, Pronouns, etc.
After the assessment, a support plan is generated identifying the appropriate level of support needed for the pupil who might be recommended for classroom support, small group intervention or individual support.
Parents will be asked to complete a referral questionnaire and consent form before their child sees a therapist.
One-to-one individual speech and language therapy
Usually our speech and language therapist (SLT) will visit a school on a specific day of the week and carry out individual therapy sessions to children in that school on the same day. This is normally done in a designated room, away from the classroom.
Small group and classroom therapy
Some children will benefit from an approach that involves a small group or the whole classroom, with the involvement of all their teaching staff. Our Speech therapists can create a tailored plan and train a teaching assistant to deliver therapy within the classroom which specifically targets speech, language, play and social interaction skills.
In other cases the speech & language therapist works closely with the teachers to set up a more ‘communication-friendly’ classroom or differentiated curriculums which help teachers facilitate learning in these children.
Teaching team training
Our speech therapists can provide specialist training for teaching staff on how to support children with speech and language difficulties in the classroom.
Parent support
Effective Speech & Language Therapy also requires parents to support their child’s Speech and Language development at home. For this reason we provide activities/advice for follow up work at home and generally arrange joint sessions for parents in the schools where we provide our services.
Upon request, we can also provide fortified home therapy programmes, where the therapist writes a tailor-made programme for parent and child to practice at home in tandem with school sessions, potentially reducing the number of lessons skipped by the child.
Speech therapists often work closely with Psychologists as well as with teachers. This is where Medelit’s integrated multidisciplinary team comes to provide the best form of support, where school child psychology and speech therapy services work together for the best outcomes.
If you are a parent or teacher and would like to discuss ways in which we can support your school, please contact us.
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