Children's Speech and Language Therapy Service

Our Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service provide services to children and young people across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Due to the increased demand for our speech and language therapy service, which has risen rapidly since the COVID-19 pandemic, children and young people may experience longer than usual waiting times. We are doing all we can to reach children on our waiting lists as quickly as possible while maintaining a good standard of care. We recognise that having to wait longer is frustrating but please bear with us while we manage this busy period. Our website has a range of resources that can help parents and settings to support children and young people with speech and language needs or eating and drinking difficulties. If you have significant concerns and would like to speak to someone from the speech and language therapy team, please contact the speech and language therapy office on 0116 2955256.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

We are a team of speech and language therapists and support workers who provide episodes of care to children and young people across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

We support children and young people who have difficulties with:

  • Speech, language and communication skills
  • Eating, drinking and swallowing skills

We work in episodes of care. At the end of an episode of care, parents and carers may be given strategies to support their child.  Children and young people can be re-referred to the service if they need further specialist support from a speech and language therapist.

We work in partnership with a range of other agencies and colleagues including schools, Early Years settings, children’s centres, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, medical teams and the voluntary sector.

How are we currently working?

Click here to find out what our service can offer.

Click here to watch a video about our response to Covid-19.

Referral criteria

Providing speech and language therapy across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland

For children and young people aged 0-19 years we offer support with the following:

Communication Difficulties

Communication difficulties, for example:

  • Speech sound difficulties, e.g. children whose speech is unclear/difficult to understand
  • Difficulties understanding spoken language
  • Difficulties using words and sentences
  • Voice difficulties
  • Stammering - a difficulty speaking fluently
  • Social interaction difficulties associated with other speech, language and communication needs.

The service is not commissioned to provide a service for children or young people who:

  • Have speech, language and communication needs which could be met effectively within early year’s settings/school and/or by other agencies. The Speech & Language Therapy service will signpost other appropriate agencies and resources both within and external to LPT.
  • Have difficulties which lie in acquiring English as an additional language and are not present in their home language.
  • Have difficulties purely with attention/listening, memory, literacy, phonological awareness or has selective mutism but these are not associated with an underlying speech, language or communication difficulty.
  • Have been discharged within the last 6 months because no therapy was required and there has been no change in the child/young person’s circumstances/ no additional difficulties.

Eating, Drinking and Swallowing Difficulties

The Dysphagia Team are made up of Speech and Language Therapists who are specially trained in working with infants, children and young people with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties.

We work in a variety of settings – in the community (in clinic or within a child’s home), mainstream nurseries and schools, specialist nurseries and schools, and we have a team who see children in the hospital setting, including the Neonatal Unit.

We work closely with a variety of professionals who may also be involved with your child e.g. Dieticians, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Paediatricians and other medical and education staff.

We offer support for the following eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties, for example:

  • Evidence of regular coughing, spluttering, gagging or choking during meals
  • Sensory difficulties or feeding aversion with associated faltering growth

The service is not commissioned to provide a service for children or young people who;

  • Have limited food preferences but are otherwise healthy and growing well.
  • Have difficulties using utensils and feeding themselves.
  • Require general weaning advice – please speak to your public health nurse/health visitor or see useful links in resources section (health for under 5’s link)
  • Have been discharged within the last 6 months because no therapy was required and there has been no change in the child/young person’s circumstances/ no additional difficulties.

Please see our resource section for a range of useful information and links to helpful websites

Research

The children’s speech and language therapy service is committed to delivering high quality, evidence-based care for children’s speech, language, communication and eating and drinking needs. Research activity includes:

  • Taking part in a feasibility research study in association with the Michael Palin Centre, London and other UK sites regarding stammering therapy for school aged children.
  • Small individually designed research projects undertaken by staff completing Masters’ Degree studies.
  • The service has an appointed Research Envoy. This provides opportunities for staff and families to be informed of and to participate in research activities when available.
  • There is now an established monthly journal club for staff to read and discuss current research articles.

Criteria exclusion

Please see referral guidelines for more information.

How to access this service

If your child meets any of the above criteria then they can be referred to our service by –

What conditions do you cover

Please see above in ‘Referral Criteria’.

Contact info

0116 295 5256

Referrals

  • education/teaching staff
  • healthcare professional
  • parent/carer
Close search menu

Search

Refreshing...
      Refreshing...