How we work for families

We can set up a personalised service at home and in the environments the individual functions in to gain maximum impact of input. This may be direct modelling, video feedback, training, and information sharing across disciplines and environments.

A family case study (Epping Forest, Essex)

• Step 1: We were desperately worried about our 2-year olds communication development and contacted Speech Therapy Life. They suggested we self-refer to the NHS, which we had done, but there was a long waiting list. Vicky booked us in for an initial assessment at our home.
• Step 2: Vicky came and took a case history whilst our little boy played with his Aunty. Vicky gave us verbal feedback and talked through all the questions we had. Vicky then emailed us a report with recommendations for us to follow. She put us in touch with a private paediatrician as well as helping us access the local NHS services she recommended.
• Step 3: We decided to book in with Vicky every other week as we wanted some guidance in carrying out the suggestions. Vicky worked in collaboration with us until we felt confident enough to reduce direct SLT involvement. Vicky was very clear that she didn’t want us to keep having to buy her, or her team in, but that she wanted us skilled up to deliver and monitor input ourselves.
• Step 4: We received some NHS input and Vicky worked in collaboration with the NHS to achieve consistency of input.
• Step 5: As our confidence grew as a family we funded Vicky to go in and meet with nursery. Vicky delivered whole nursery training for us and modelled strategies to the nursery team. We finally felt like we were getting consistent strategies across all of our son’s settings.
• Step 6: Vicky has helped us share information with potential schools for our son. She has guided us in the very overwhelming process of getting an EHCP (Education and Health Care Plan) and helped us make sure that it is a document that truly reflects his profile and required supports.
• Step 7: We continue to have some top up sessions both at home and at nursery with Christina one of Vicky’s SLT assistants. This has proved a very cost-effective way of keeping on top of the delivery of the SLT program. Christina has worked with occupational therapists, physios and music therapists as well as SLT. She has been an invaluable source of information and also helped the OT reinforce the importance of getting our son’s sensory needs meet.

Overall: We feel we have been able to give our son fantastic foundations for his transition into school. Speech Therapy Life has given us a service that has improved both our sons, and our own, quality of life. The service worked hand in hand with other services and we hope to continue to use Vicky to build on the fantastic results we have achieved as we go forward on this journey with our son.

How we work for whole services

Services can be tailor made for your settings requirements. This often involves joint target setting, modelling, review, training and information sharing.

A school case study (North East London)

• Step 1: As a school students with EHCP’s were receiving NHS SLT support. We wanted to extend SLT support in the school and an ex-colleague of Vicky’s put us in touch with her service.
• Step 2: As SENCO I, and the head teacher, met with Vicky to discuss what the options were. She talked through her service level framework and the evidence base behind how the company works.
• Step 3: We now buy in a day a week of SLT from Speech Therapy Life. They continue to liaise with the NHS SLT and other school based services. They observe students in class and provide practical strategies that can be integrated for the whole classroom. They have also helped us to screen students for SLCN and set up evidenced based approaches throughout the school e.g. Talkboost by ICAN.
• Step 4: We buy in additional slots for staff and parent training which has really helped embed good practise throughout the school. Due to this we have been nominated for a communication award and are considering, with Speech Therapy Life’s help, applying for National Autistic Society accreditation.
• Step 5: We plan to continue working with Speech Therapy Life as it has been one of the most cost effective and well received services we have accessed so watch this space!

A post 19 provision (North London)

When the funding changed for older students we were able to access SLT. The SLT in our partner school did not have capacity to meet our needs. We approached Speech Therapy Life due to their expertise in Autism and experience of SCERTS. Together we have looked at embedding SLT into our functional and vocational curriculum. Speech Therapy Life has really increased our specialist knowledge regarding SLT for us as a service and for families. We have recently gone through the due diligence process to become an independent service and one of the area’s identified as being a strength was the way we have interwoven speech and language therapy into our service. The progress we have been able to show through using the outcome measures set with Speech Therapy Life has been fantastic and we plan to continue working with them in the next chapter of our service development.

A College (North London)

We knew the needs of our students were developing and with the increased provision for older students we suddenly became able to buy in SLT. We approached Speech Therapy Life due to the complex cohort of students within educational settings the service has worked with. We have a mixed cohort from early learners through to high functioning students with autism and significant mental health needs. The approach offered by Speech Therapy Life was a revelation. It was no longer endless formal assessments and pull out therapy but functional evaluation of students seeking their hopes and aspirations as well as collating feedback from those supporting them.

A program of training was devised for staff and environmental screenings took place to create optimum learning environments for the students. Speech Therapy Life taught us that we need to develop both our own, and our students, tool box of strategies to aid their SLCN. We had no idea that SLT could support us in very high level social skills work and quickly collaborated to formulate ‘an understanding your diagnosis program’. Working together we have devised an ‘emotional wellbeing program’ which has proven outcomes that organised and confident communicators not only do better academically but have reduced episodes of self-harm and emergency psychiatric support.

We are delighted to have collaborated with Speech Therapy Life and are currently securing funding to buy them into our other educational provisions

How we work for commissioners

Speech Therapy Life has a proven track record of delivering services across London, Essex and Hertfordshire that are outcome-driven and cost-effective. Often working alongside existing providers we aim to deliver a seamless integration of input. We can take on whole service level agreements using our service framework based on the latest research-driven practice.

Augmentative & Alternative Communication Systems

1. PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System)
2. CS Boards/Books (Colourful Semantics)
3. Talking Mats

Aiding Comprehension

1. Cue Cards (small)
2. Cue Cards (large) & Wait Card
3. Now Next Board
4. Task Plan

Sequencing

1. Nursery Rhymes - Hickorey Dickorey, Hey Diddle Diddle, Jack and Jill, Row your Boat, Twinkle Twinkle, Little Miss Muffet, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Humpty Dumpty, Mary Had a Little Lamb
2. Events - 3 step and 4 step e.g. building a snowman, baking cakes

Narrative

1. ‘Wh-‘ Wheel
2. Hooray for Fish (matching)
3. Fill the gap sheets
4. Magnetic scenes

Narrative using Colourful Semantics

1. My Animal Story
2. Mixed up Stories (He/She)
3. Peppa Pig - General Peppa, My Peppa Story, A very Hot Day for Peppa
4. Thomas the Tank Engine
5. My Disney Story (Princess)
6. Classics - The Tiger Who Came To Tea, The Hungry Caterpillar, Bear Hunt (2 levels), The Gruffalo

Emotional Regulation

1. Zones of Regulation Board

Fine Motor

1. Playdough Mats - various e.g. shark teeth, octopus legs