What does a Speech and Language Therapist actually do?

Speech and language therapy is about much more than helping children to say sounds clearly.

Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) support children who communicate in many different ways. We look at how a child understands language, expresses themselves, connects and communicates what they need, think and feel.

Sometimes communication differences are obvious. At other times, they can be harder to spot: particularly when a child is bright, has developed ways of coping, or when their difficulties are being understood as behaviour rather than communication.

What might an SLT help with?

Communication is much broader than talking. A child may benefit from SLT support for many different reasons.

Understanding language
Following conversations and instructions, understanding questions, concepts and what other people mean.

Expressing thoughts and ideas
Finding words, putting sentences together, telling stories and explaining thoughts, experiences or feelings.

Speech
Producing speech sounds and being understood by others.

Social communication
Understanding and navigating communication with different people and in different situations, while respecting each child’s individual communication style.

Using different ways to communicate
Supporting communication through speech, gesture, signs, symbols or Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).

Communication in everyday life
Understanding why communication may become harder in particular environments, situations or when a child is overwhelmed.

Communication doesn’t happen in isolation

A child’s communication can look very different depending on where they are, who they are with and what is happening around them.

Sensory experiences, emotional regulation, attention, predictability and the demands of an environment can all affect how available a child is for communication.

This is why it can be helpful to look beyond what a child is doing and consider what might be making communication easier or harder in that moment.

Understanding the whole picture can help us find supports that work for the individual child, rather than simply expecting the child to communicate differently.

How do I know if my child might benefit from seeing an SLT?

There isn’t one particular sign that means a child needs speech and language therapy. Sometimes parents or teachers have a clear concern; at other times, there may simply be a feeling that communication is harder than it should be for the child.

It may be helpful to speak to an SLT if you have questions about how your child:

• understands spoken language
• expresses their thoughts, ideas or needs
• develops or uses speech sounds
• communicates with other people
• manages communication in different situations or environments
• uses, or could benefit from, other ways to communicate

You don’t need to know exactly what the difficulty is before getting in touch.

An initial conversation can help us think about what you are noticing and whether speech and language therapy may be helpful.

for parents