A day in the life of a Speech and Language Therapist (SLT)
- Have you ever heard that SLT’s work on elocution?
- Have you been told speech and language therapy is solely about talking?
- Did you know that speech and language therapists do not only treat lisps and stammering?
I’m here to give you an insight into the role and how we help children and young people with a range of communication difficulties.
Let’s start with our role and who we see?
The role of a SLT is divided into three main roles to include assessment, therapy and coaching or training others. Part of our role as a SLT involves education, explaining and modelling what we do or what speech and language therapy involves. We may observe play or communication with a parent or significant other, assess using questionnaires alongside formal/informal assessment to get a true picture of a child’s communication skills on a daily basis.
Here at Small Talk we work with children and young people from 18months through to young adulthood.
What conditions do we work with?
We work with a range of communication difficulties including speech and language delays, developmental language disorder, stammering, autism, ADHD and co-existing conditions to include learning disabilities or those who present with a communication delay associated with a genetic syndrome. It’s a varied role and this is what I love about it, every day is different!
So we’ve covered who we see and what conditions we may come across, let’s move on…
What are the main areas we see in SLT?
We base our explanation on five areas of the communication pyramid, and whilst there are limitations to this, it is a useful way to describe the development of speech and language. The skills at the bottom of the pyramid are in place first, so that the higher skills have a solid foundation to sit on.
Why is it important to access therapy?
We know that early intervention is vital and improves outcomes for children and their families supporting speech and language development. It has also been shown to be a predictor for reading, so having age appropriate communication when entering school is beneficial. It is key to have the foundation skills in place to build on these skills during school years.
Contact SMALL TALK SALT today to find out how we can help you.