Speech and language therapists (SLTs) play an important role in supporting and promoting children’s language development in the early years (age 0-5). SLTs assess, diagnose and develop programmes of care, including training of the wider workforce and parents and carers to improve outcomes for children with speech, language and communication needs. They provide advice and deliver a range of support to parents, children and practitioners throughout the early years in a variety of settings.
How Do Speech And Language Therapists Help?
Speech and language therapists:
• Provide speech and language therapy support in children’s centers and other early education settings. SLTs who work
in children’s centers:
• Assess and support babies and children up to the age of five who need help with their speech and language skills
• Work with families to put communication skills in place early to try and prevent problems from developing as the
child grows older.
• Work directly with children to support them in their speech, language and communication development. This can
include working with them and their family in their homes.
• May work indirectly by advising or supporting a setting to meet a child’s individual needs, providing training and giving
advice on how to provide a language rich environment to support language development.
Who Do Speech And Language Therapists Help?
Speech and language therapists support:
• Children who have, or at risk of, early language delay (not achieving expected levels of progress in the development of
their communication skills).
• Children with speech, language and communication needs. These may include difficulties with understanding verbal
language, attention and listening skills, expressive language, vocabulary and word finding, speech sounds, fluency,
and voice. These can be associated with other medical conditions (such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, cerebral palsy,
learning disability, hearing impairment, and Down’s syndrome). Speech, language and communication needs can also
exist without being associated with other medical conditions (developmental language disorder).
• Infants and children with feeding and swallowing difficulties (dysphagia). Infants and children with neuro disability and
those born prematurely are most likely to be at risk of dysphagia, but feeding difficulties can also occur in typically
developing children. Speech and language therapists support safe eating and drinking, including through direct
intervention with those with more complex needs, and supporting parents and carers to help infants and children to
manage their mealtimes as safely as possible.