For ideas on how to support your child's development you can visit The POD - https://www.kentcht.nhs.uk/childrens-therapies-the-pod/ and look under the Speech and Language Therapy section.

You can find support for the following areas:

• Augumentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
• Auditory Processing Disorder
• Bilingualism
• Cleft Lip and Palate
• Early Language and Communication
• Feeding/Swallowing
• Hearing Impairment
• School Aged Language
• Selective Mutism 
• Speech Sounds
• Stammering
• Voice

Link Therapist

Ashford Kent follow the balance system for speech and language support. This means that schools have a NHS Speech and Language Therapist who is linked to their school and who they can contact for further advice. If you have concerns about your child's speech and language development then please speak to your child's class teacher or SENCo, as further support can be accessed if needed. 

Speech Sounds

There are many ways to support speech development.  These include:

• Phase out dummies and bottles as soon as possible
• Be face to face when you talk
• Encourage the child to look at you
• Slow down your own speech
• Focus on what your child says rather than how it’s said
• Model back the correct sounds but don’t expect your child to repeat it, e.g. If your child says “tat” you could say “that’s right, it’s a cat”
• Confirm what you DO understand
• Acknowledge your child’s feeling e.g. if they are frustrated
• Avoid overcorrecting
• Ensure your child is face watching when an adult says a word as this will ensure they  can see how the  sound and words are formed
• Ensure your child is face watching when an adult says a word as this will ensure he can see how the  sound and words are formed.

More information can be found on The Pod by clicking here: The Pod - Speech Sounds.

Language

The schools' speech and language therapy (SLT) service support children and young people (CYP) within mainstream schools and specialist provisions in close liaison with families and key agencies. This includes working with CYP with a range of identified Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN), for example:

• difficulty understanding language in instructions, questions and conversations
• difficulty understanding the meaning of words
• difficulty finding the words to express their ideas
• difficulty formulating sentences
• difficulty with speech production.

More information can be found by clicking here: The Pod - School Aged Language.

Stammering

More information can be found by clicking here: The Pod - Stammering.

Selective Mutism

Selective mutism (SM) is used as a term to describe children and young people (CYP) who are able to talk comfortably to some people, such as family members and close friends, but are silent or unable to talk freely when other people are present.

There is no guarantee that CYP who have SM will overcome it. But with the right support from home and school, they can work through it. Without this support and a united, consistent approach, CYP with SM will experience unnecessarily high levels of anxiety on a daily basis.

More information can be found by clicking here: The Pod - Selective Mutism.