The role of the speech and language therapist

The role of the speech and language therapist is to:

• assess, monitor and develop your child’s speech perception, production and language skills.
• encourage and support parent and child interaction.
• work closely with teachers of the deaf as there is some overlap in the following areas, particularly when working with very young children, including:

1. information giving
2. developing communication skills
3. discussion about communication modes
4. developing use of hearing
5. parental support.

What happens at the first appointment?

Normally, your child’s first appointment with their speech and language therapist will be at home. Depending on your child’s needs and age, it may be appropriate to arrange the first or subsequent visits at their nursery or pre-school setting. The initial visit may be done jointly with their teacher.

The therapist will want to spend time getting to know you and your child. The information you give us about your child’s early development and hearing loss is very important. They will observe your child and do some simple assessments using toys, pictures and checklists.

Afterwards they will discuss any communication difficulties your child may have and what therapy is appropriate with you. Communication mode options, such as sign support, may also be discussed.

What happens next?

A report will be completed after the initial assessment and sent to you and all relevant professionals involved in your child’s care.

The frequency of further visits will be determined by your child’s progress rate, hearing status, general development and times of transition, for example starting nursery or school.

If therapy is needed the speech and language therapist will recommend one or more of the following options. This may change while your child develops:

• Working with you and your child on a regular basis.
• Working jointly with the teacher of the deaf and giving advice for activities to do at home. The speech and language therapist will review progress at set times.
• Giving advice, strategies and activities for the nursery or pre-school team to do. The speech and language therapist will review progress at set times.

How can I help?

As parents you have an essential part to play in promoting your child’s communication development and it is important that you carry out regular additional home practice as advised and demonstrated by the speech and language therapist. We can guide you and offer advice, but to have the most impact, language input needs to be an integral part of your child’s everyday life. This is what can make a real difference.

At home with your baby

Spend time face-to-face:

• Use facial expressions and gestures to hold your baby’s interest and attention.
• Play games such as peek-a-boo.
• Follow your baby’s attention. If they point to something, point to it too and say the word or make the sign.

Think about how your baby is communicating:

• Look out for gestures, eye gaze, cries, smiling, reaching, watching, touching, or anticipation of something they know is about to happen.

Think about how you respond:

• Maintain eye contact.
• Smile and nod.
• Speak and sing to your baby.
• Match your baby’s facial expressions.
• Imitate the noises your baby makes.

Make the most of routines:

• Use everyday routines, such as bath time, meals, nappy changing and bedtime to communicate and share experiences with your baby.

At home with your child

Spend time face-to-face:

• Face your child at the same level.
• Get your child’s attention before starting a conversation and encourage them to look at you when you are talking.
• Speak clearly and normally. Don’t shout or over-articulate as this distorts lip patterns.
• Don’t cover your mouth while you are speaking.

Develop your child’s understanding and talking:

• Encourage the use of pointing, gestures and signs to help your child get their message across. Reinforce your own language with these cues to help your child understand.
• Encourage your child to join in with action songs and rhymes.
• Repeat attempts your child makes to communicate with you and expand on what
  they say, for example, “Yes, it’s a bus, it’s a big bus.”
• Comment on your child’s play and keep your language simple, for example, “You’ve got the car, you’re pushing the car.”
• Offer choices to help your child use new words, for example, “Do you want milk or juice.”
• Don’t worry if your child doesn’t say the word correctly just repeat it back the right way, for example, if they say “Ta don”, reply “Yes, the car’s gone.”

Develop play skills:

• Regularly sit and play with your child for short periods of time. Share toys and picture books. Follow their lead and join in with what they are interested in.

Help your child listen:

• Draw their attention to every day sounds, such as the phone ringing or door bell. Speak to your visiting teacher about the sounds your child should be able to hear.