Services

Children’s Speech and Language Therapy

Our Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service is a countywide specialist service for children and young people aged 0 – 18 and their families and carers. We work within a variety of locations including mainstream schools, community clinics, preschool settings, special schools and client’s homes.

About this service

Our speech and language therapists are qualified professionals with an in-depth knowledge of difficulties with communication and eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties (dysphagia). This includes the following areas:

  • language delay and disorder
  • speech sound difficulties
  • profound hearing impairment
  • cleft palate
  • stammering
  • Social communication difficulties with associated language difficulties
  • voice disorders
  • selective mutism

We provide assessment, advice and treatment planned around the individual needs of the child and family. Advice, training and support may also be provided to teaching and support staff or other professionals where appropriate, to help facilitate the development of communication skills.

Eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties (dysphagia)

Speech and Language Therapists are trained to support children who have eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties (dysphagia) to eat and drink safely.  We can work with children from birth to 18 years of age. 

We can support children where there are concerns about:

  • Feeding, eating and/or drinking safety
  • When there is a physical difficulty causing problems with eating and drinking.
  • For example: We often see children who have the following: genetic syndromes, cerebral palsy, brain injury, developmental delay, heard defects, cleft palate or other issues with the structures involved.

We are not able to help children with:

  • Sensory difficulties with  eating and drinking e.g. rejecting foods of certain colour or flavour, refusing to eat
  • Difficulties with weaning with no physical cause
  • ARFID(Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder)

Click her to request support for children with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties (dysphagia).

Please see below for useful links and information

Children’s Occupational Therapy > CYPS Glos Health & Care NHS (ghc.nhs.uk)

CAMHS Parent Support Team > CYPS Glos Health & Care NHS (ghc.nhs.uk)

Weaning – Start for Life – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Fussy eaters – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Drop-in sessions

Our drop in service is currently unavailable. Please look at the advice on this page to support your child and if you are still concerned about their speech and language, please see our Request for Support section below.

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Requesting support

Before you request further support from the service, take a look at our resources section. We would recommend trying some of these ideas consistently for 3 – 6 months ahead of making a referral.
We accept requests for support from anyone supporting the child, however, informed parental consent must have been given before completing these forms:

Useful information

For more information and ideas on how to work on a range of speech and language difficulties, click here.

The following sites provide information, advice and support from a range of regional and national organisations:

Training for professionals

We offer a range of training courses for professionals working with primary aged children including:

Understanding Language Training

Learn how to support children who have difficulties understanding language in school in this online training package which focuses on:

  • When children typically learn to understand concepts, instructions and questions
  • The factors that may affect a child’s understanding of language
  • Strategies and activities for developing children’s understanding of language.

The next available date is Thursday 25 January 2024, 1-4pm at Dowty’s Sports & Social Club, Gloucester

Each place is £50 per person. To find out more about this course and to book your place, email: childrensSLTtraining@ghc.nhs.uk or call 0300 421 6722

Expressive language

Learn how to support children who have difficulties with their expressive language in school. This online training package is £50 per person and focuses on:

  • when children typically learn vocabulary, grammar and narrative skills
  • the factors that may affect a child’s expressive language development
  • strategies and activities for developing children’s expressive language.

The next available date is Thursday 25 January 2024, 9.30am – 12pm at Dowty’s Sports & Social Club, Gloucester

For more information or to book, email: childrensSLTtraining@ghc.nhs.uk before 30 May 2023 or call 0300 421 6722

Speech Sound Development

Learn how to support children who have speech difficulties in school. This online training package is £50 per person and covers:

  • typical development of speech sounds
  • when to refer
  • different types of speech difficulties
  • supporting children with speech difficulties
  • delivering Speech and Language Therapy programmes.

The next available date is Friday 26 January 2024, 9.30am-12pm at Dowty’s Sports & Social Club, Gloucester

To find out more about dates for this course and book your place, email: childrensSLTtraining@ghc.nhs.uk or call 0300 421 6722

Vocabulary Development

This online training package is £50 per person and focuses on:

  • The importance of vocabulary
  • Practical strategies that staff can use in the classroom
  • Strategies that can be implemented with immediate effect.

To find out more about dates for this course and book your place, email: childrensSLTtraining@ghc.nhs.uk or call 0300 421 6722

Developing Narrative Skills

Learn how to support children who have difficulties retelling stories and events.

This online training package is £50 per person and focuses on:

  • When children typically learn narrative skills
  • The factors that may affect a child’s development of narrative skills
  • Strategies and activities for developing children’s narrative skills

The session will consist of some theory as well as practical activities.

The next available date is Wednesday 6 December 2023, 9.30-11am.

To find out more about dates for this course and book your place, email: childrensSLTtraining@ghc.nhs.uk or call 0300 421 6722

Vocabulary in the Classroom

Learn how to support children who have difficulties retelling stories and events.

This online training package is £50 per person and focuses on:

  • The importance of vocabulary
  • Practical strategies that staff can use in the classroom
  • Strategies that can be implemented with immediate effect

The session will consist of some theory as well as practical activities.

The next available date is Tuesday 28 November 2023, 9.30-11am

To find out more about dates for this course and book your place, email: childrensSLTtraining@ghc.nhs.uk or call 0300 421 6722

Contact us

Telephone:

0300 421 8937

E-mail:

SLTchild@ghc.nhs.uk
9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
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