The speech and language therapist’s role is to assess the child. If a child is identified at the assessment appointment as requiring our input, we would open an episode of care. An episode of care will vary in length depending on the outcome of your child’s assessment and the clinical decision that intervention will affect change.

An episode of care may involve attending parent workshops/training sessions, small group therapy and/or where appropriate, a block of individual sessions where specific strategies can be demonstrated. The completion of an episode of care is often referred to as discharge. However, the child may be re-referred to the speech and language therapy service when new targets have been identified.

The speech and language therapist works closely with parents to enable them to develop their child’s communication skills through working on specific targets that can be incorporated into their daily life. The speech and language therapist may provide advice to the child’s nursery/school. The therapist may also work with other professionals including occupational therapists and physiotherapists to provide joint assessments or interventions.

The speech and language therapist also works with children who have eating, drinking and swallowing problems. The therapist, in liaison with the multi-disciplinary team, will assess the child’s eating and drinking difficulties and plan appropriate intervention. The therapist needs to ensure that the child’s eating and drinking skills are safe and effective.