
Children's Speech and Language Therapy helps children with a range of Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) to achieve and maintain their potential. It also provides support and advice to families and those working with children.
Children may present with:
A Speech & Language Therapist:
Our Speech and Language Therapists will help you become more confident in supporting your child’s speech, language, communication or feeding and swallowing needs.
1. Turn the TV off when your child is playing.
2. Reduce dummy use as much as possible - keeping for sleep time only.
3. Don’t ask your child to copy what you say.
4. Make short comments / labels
describing what your child is doing.
5. Sing action songs and rhymes.
6. Model back clearly what your child is trying to tell you.
Special Times last for five minutes only!
If you have other children, it’s a good idea to give them their own regular special times on an individual basis as well.
Children learn important speech and language skills through play. You are the main language model for your child. The best toys are traditional ones rather than those operated with a battery. Do not try and lead their play, always follow the child’s interest and what they show you. Have only 2/3 toys out at once to avoid flitting .
Follow your child’s interests during play. These ideas will help to develop language
and remember to have FUN!
Hungry Little minds - Simple, fun activities for kids, from newborn to five
Tiny Happy People - Helps you develop your child's communication skills. Explore their simple activities and play ideas and find out about your child's amazing early development.
Words for life - provides parents, children and young people with activities and support to improve their language, literacy and communication skills from home.
I Can's Talking Point - Information to help you understand and support children and young people’s speech, language and communication.
Afasic voice for life - Afasic seeks to raise awareness and to create better services and provision for children and young people with speech and language impairments.
Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust - A suite of useful resources and information for speech and language therapy.
Stamma - Support and inflrmatino for parents whose children have devloped a stamma.
Making a referral to the Children's SALT team
If you would like to consider making a referral without attending a Drop-in session, please use find the Referral Form below. All referrals are reviewed to ensure they are appropriate. Forms which do not have parental consent, or have insufficient information, will be returned.
CSLT Referral form.docx [docx] 660KB
Referral Criteria
To ensure we are reaching the children who will benefit most from our support, we use specific referral criteria. Referral Criteria can be accessed here:
If you are concerned about your child’s speech, language or communication development you are advised to book into one of our regular ‘Walk-in for Talking’ drop-in sessions. These sessions can be telephone or face to face appointments.
We will be able to offer you advice and, if needed, refer your child into the service for a more in-depth assessment at one of our ‘Initial Assessment Clinics’.
Please contact Children’s Speech and Language Therapy on 01977 465417 to book an appointment.
Please attach “Walk-in for Talking leaflets.