Author: ataylor11

Children’s Therapy Services

Children’s Therapy Services

What is an Episode of Care?

Speech and Language Therapists work in “episodes of care” . An “episode of care” starts with:
A request from School or parents that a child is seen. This may be because the child is not making progress or his/her needs have changed or the child is new to school. The “episode of care” may then include:
An assessment of the child’s current needs.
Discussion with school staff and parents about current needs.
Planning targets and strategies.
Signpost to specific interventions if appropriate.
Once staff and parents are able to successfully implement strategies, the Speech and Language Therapist will close the “episode of care”.
The child can be seen for further “episodes of care” when a new request is made by school or parents.
Via home school diary—teacher to pass on message
? Drop-in / workshops / training

Where to contact us?

Contact us via:
A note in your child’s home-school diary, in which case the teacher will pass on the message
Children’s Therapy Services
Princess Royal Health Centre
Greenhead Road
Huddersfield
HD1 4EW
Tel: 01484 344299
Fax: 01484 344299
E-mail:
childrenstherapy2@cht.nhs.uk
Children’s Therapy Services Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust Broad Street Plaza Northgate Halifax HX1 1UB
Tel: 01422 261340
Fax: 01422 261350
E-mail:
childrenstherapy2@cht.nhs.uk
Website:www.cht.nhs.uk/childrens-therapy-services/
The therapist for…………………
School is …………………………

Children’s Speech & Language Therapy Team

Children’s Therapy Services

Speech and Language Therapy and Special Schools

A guide for parents, carers and other agencies

Children’s Therapy Services

Children’s Therapy Services

Children’s Therapy Services

Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust’s Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Team is one of the teams that make up Children’s Therapy Services.
Children’s Therapy Services include:
Occupational Therapists
Physiotherapists
Speech and Language Therapists
Assistants
The Speech and Language Therapy Team is one of the many teams that work within your child’s school.
Best practice indicates that the most effective way to develop a child’s skills in Special School is to support the team around the child to use general good practice strategies in school and at home on a daily basis (RCSLT 2006)
The Speech and Language Therapist therefore works as part of the school team, facilitating and supporting the work of teachers to help your child to develop communication skills that enable him/her to access the curriculum.

Children’s Speech and Language Therapy

What do we do?

Speech and Language Therapists usually work in episodes of care
(see overleaf for the definition of an “episode of care”)
We support staff to work with your child in the classroom to develop your child’s communication skills.
We support staff to develop their skills through demonstrating strategies, training, and advising about resources.
Joint assessment and case discussion with teachers and/or other professionals to discuss your child’s ongoing needs, as part of an ‘episode of care’.
Joint planning and goal setting. Advice on how speech, language, communication targets can be integrated into the child’s daily life activities in school and at home.
Offer advice, support and training to develop and maintain “communication friendly” practices and environments.

Examples of our Work

Increasing awareness and use of objects, signs, symbols, talking/speech, gesture and body movements, eye-gaze, communication technology to enable communication, as appropriate.
Input into school communication groups.
Advising on specific strategies to enable teaching staff to help a child to understand.
Advising on a child’s next steps in making themselves understood.
Joint planning of opportunities for development of communication skills in the activities of everyday situations e.g. toileting, choosing a snack, taking a message, communication with friends, ordering food in a café, using public transport.
To encourage opportunities for fun, enjoyable communication.
Offer training in:
Communication friendly places
Use of signs/symbols
Specific assessments used by some schools e.g. APEC, Routes for Learning (in collaboration with lead teaching staff).