Speech And Language Therapy department
At St. Gerard's School there are two speech and language therapists and a speech and language therapy assistant.
The Speech and Language Therapy team is responsible for
assessing, diagnosing and managing children with a wide range of communication difficulties and eating/drinking difficulties.
Following assessment, a period of intervention may be recommended.
The therapy each child receives will depend on their individual needs and the impact of their difficulties on their communication skills.
It can include:
class based therapy, a home programme, individual therapy, group therapy,
advice and support to parents and teachers, parent training workshops or training workshops for teaching staff.
The team works closely with parents, carers, education staff and other professionals
to facilitate each child's development and maximise their communicative potential. This includes joint goal setting and modifying aspects of their environment.
Parents are encouraged to take an active role in supporting their child by carrying out speech and language/communication activities at home
and helping to generalise new skills into their everyday environment.
Research has shown that parental involvement has a significant and positive impact on children's communication skills.
Children will be discharged following liason with parents and teachers after a period of assessment or intervention.
For example, when progress has been made or goals have been achieved
or when children, parents and teachers have the skills and strategies in place to support the child's communication needs.
Children can be referred in the future if they experience further difficulties.