Speech and Language Therapy Department
Thornfield House School
The Speech and Language Therapy Team working in Thornfield House School are all employed by the Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NHSCT).
The Team presently consists of six Speech and Language Therapists and Speech and Language Therapy Assistants who work on a full and part time basis.
The staff are supervised by the Clinical Lead for Developmental Language Disorder who is based in the school.
The Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) are all registered members of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
The Speech and Language Therapy Team in Thornfield must also adhere to standards and policies laid down by the NHSCT.
Speech and Language Therapy Provision in Thornfield
Speech and language therapy provision in Thornfield can take several different forms.
The type and amount of therapy required by each child will be decided following detailed assessment of a child’s speech and language/communication skills.
The factors which are taken into consideration when making this decision will be:
The Speech and Language Therapy staff carry out therapy in close collaboration with the education staff and regular liaison sessions between the teacher and the therapist take place to allow for discussion and planning around the needs of the children.
Assessment
Initial assessment of a child’s speech and language skills takes place on a child’s entry to the school and then subsequently on an annual basis.
During assessment periods therapists and teachers work together to share and exchange information.
This leads to joint planning and the setting up of common goals.
Therapy goals are generally revised in tandem with the child’s Individual Education Plan.
Therapy Options
Speech and Language Therapy sessions can take one or more of the following forms. A child can receive one or more types of intervention according to need.
The teacher and therapist plan these sessions together and decide on the priority areas for each class. These are usually focused around curricular topics.
These groups generally take place in the Speech and Language Therapist’s room.
Children with a similar level and type of difficulty are grouped together and taken for sessions in small groups.
Individual therapy sessions are allocated on the basis of need by the Speech and Language Therapist following a full Speech and Language Assessment.
These individual sessions allow for more targeted child specific work to be carried out.
N.B. A Speech and Language Therapy Assistant may also take group and/or individual sessions under the supervision of a Speech and Language Therapist.
Home Support
Parents are asked to support their child in their therapy programme in the following ways ….
Speech and Language Therapy Programmes
The following are examples of some of the speech and language therapy programmes used by the therapy staff in Thornfield.
Further Information
Should you require any further information on the Speech and Language Therapy Department please contact 02890 863749.