Speech & Language Therapy (SALT)
What is SALT?
SALT stands for Speech & Language Therapy.
What does the SALT Team do?
Speech and Language Therapy is mainly a consultancy service with particular emphasis on:
- Assessment and Diagnosis of communication, speech and language difficulties.
- Giving advice to help manage communication difficulties and give ideas on how to help within everyday life. During this process we may demonstrate therapy techniques and strategies which can be used by parents and staff in a natural environment and throughout the waking day.
- Training in Total Communication approaches or helping to put therapy ideas in place.
- Liaison with teachers, support staff and parents/carers to help generalise new skills in to the child’s environment.
- Provide reports for other medical, professional and education services.
How does the SALT team work?
The team aims to help all adults working with your child to create a Total Communication Environment. This means that everyone is encouraged to communicate through a variety of means such as: spoken language, signing, symbols, photos, gesture and high/low tech communication aids.
It is important to remember that:
- communication happens all day long
- child’s communication skills are most effectively worked on in their natural environment by adults who are familiar with them and their routine.
- It is essential that therapy becomes a part of everyday life naturally.
- The team uses this approach to decide on the goals for each child.
- These goals are then discussed with the staff who are skilled and experienced at integrating therapy into the daily routine.
Occasionally the Speech and Language Therapist may feel it is appropriate to provide a block of individual or group therapy, directly, in order to establish a new skill or to demonstrate a technique to a member of staff.
Many children, whose needs are met by strategies used by classroom staff, will be seen on an ‘Advice on Request’ basis.
Who will be implementing the SALT programme?
The class teacher will decide which member of staff will work directly with your child, if they have a specific programme provided by the SALT team.
If the goals are more general and involve a whole day approach to encouraging language development then the whole classroom team will implement the strategies and techniques in order to reach the goals.
Will I get an opportunity to meet the Therapists?
Parents/carers are welcome to ask to speak to the Therapist and can request a telephone call/appointment via the Home/School diary.
At Linwood Main School campus we also hold regular ‘Communication Clinics‘ when parents/carers can make an appointment to come into school and meet with the Therapist and/or other members of the Total Communication Team.
How do I refer/re-refer?
Ask your teacher, GP or Paediatrician to fill out a referral form and send it to the address on the front of this leaflet. Alternatively phone the SALT Department on 01202 443209.
When will my child be discharged?
- When a child’s speech and language skills have reached a level where they are in line with their general cognitive skills.
- When it is felt that the child has reached his/her communication potential and it is felt that they will no longer make further progress through SALT input. This does not mean that they will not make any further progress but that SALT type input is no longer making a difference.
- When techniques and strategies have been put in place and are working well and effectively without SALT input.
How can I support my child?
Speech and Language Therapy needs to be carried out all day and everyday in the child’s natural environment in order to be most effective.
The best type of therapy is done by parents and staff integrating the SALT aims into the way they talk to the child, the way the environment is organised to maximise communication and in the level of response expected from the child.
Please ask the SALT team if you need help with implementing therapy ideas at home.