FAQ’s

It isn’t always easy to tell if a child has a speech, language and communication need (SLCN). It depends on lots of things such as their age, the types of difficulties they have and how severe their difficulties are. Some children are very young when their needs are identified, others can be well into school years where the curriculum has become more complicated and language demands are higher, before problems become apparent.

Children develop at very different rates and some are later to talk than others. However as a parent it can be worrying when your child isn’t saying as much as other children of the same age.

In young children the following are possible signs that something is wrong:

• they aren’t responding to sounds
• they appear to be regressing
• they appear uninterested in communication
• they have difficulty following simple instructions
• they find it difficult to learn and remember vocabulary
• they aren’t putting words together to form sentences like their peers
• people have difficulty understanding them
• they find it difficult to pay attention to things
• they find it difficult to make and keep friends
• they are struggling with reading, spelling or maths
• they have difficulty with fluency of speech(stammer/stutter)

In older children, as well as the above, the following are signs of a possible SLCN:

• they are slow to answer questions or follow instructions
• they appear to switch off when people are talking
• their sentences sound jumbled, words are in the wrong order and they have difficulty organising their thoughts into words
• they struggle telling you about their day
• they don’t understand jokes or language that is more complicated, e.g. idioms, abstract concepts and find it difficult to make inferences, draw conclusions, explain reasoning and express opinions
• they find it difficlut to understand irony and sarcasm
• they find it difficult to join in or keep up with conversation

If you are worried about any aspect of your child’s speech, language and communication development you can seek advice from your GP, Health Visitor, nursery staff, school nurse, teacher or NHS Speech and Language Therapist. Milestone information is also available from Talking point, The Communication Trust and I CAN.

Alternatively you can contact me for a free telephone consultation where I will be happy to listen to your specific concerns and give you advice.

Children have SLCN for all sorts of different reasons and we don’t always know what is causing them.

SLCN sometimes occur secondary to another disability. For example, a hearing or visual impairment, a cognitive impairment or learning difficulty, structural abnormalities such as cleft lip/palate, autism spectrum disorder, emotional/behavioural disorders and motor planning difficulties such as dyspraxia. Environmental factors, social circumstances and additional languages can all affect language development also.

Other factors appear to increase the risk of SLCN occurring such as family history, low birth weight or premature birth, being a boy and delayed motor skills.

It is often impossible to know for certain why some children develop SLCN. They simply do not develop speech and language skills in the normal way

You can pay for speech therapy services by cash or bank transfer. Payment for an initial assessment is due on receipt of the report and payment for regular treatment is usually made on a monthly basis.

I believe that every child with speech, language and communication difficulties should be able to access high quality treatment and am therefore committed to  keeping my therapy rates as affordable as possible while maintaining the highest quality care.

Yes, you can receive private therapy in addition to NHS services. I will always strive to work with any other professionals involved in order to provide your child with the most effective and co ordinated treatment.

Following the initial evaluation, if speech or language therapy services are recommended, I will then make a recommendation regarding how often and how long your child’s sessions should be. Every child is unique; however I typically recommend speech therapy, once a week for 45 or 60 minutes.

No, animal assisted therapy is not a separate type of therapy or service, but a tool or approach used during a therapy session. Therefore, it will never be billed for as an ‘extra’ service. Similarly, if one week your child does not receive animal assisted therapy but rather a therapy session without animal involvement, this will still be charged at the standard rate.

It is our responsibility that all animals that are involved in therapy sessions are both safe and content during every interaction. Rachel Galvez continues to take part in continuing professional development to ensure safe and effective practices are being used and each animals health and welfare is continuously considered throughout every session.