Speech & Language Therapy
Speech and language therapy supports how a child understands language, expresses themselves, is understood by others, and connects with the people around them.
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Speech & language session
Speech & language session
What speech and language therapy is
Communication is more than talking. It covers understanding what others say, finding the words to reply, forming sounds clearly enough to be understood, and knowing how conversations work with different people in different situations.
A speech and language therapist looks at which parts of that are working well for your child and which parts are harder, then works with you on the areas that would make the most difference to their daily life at home, at nursery or school, and with friends.
Some children need a period of therapy. Some need a few sessions of advice and a plan to try at home. Some need nothing at all beyond reassurance that they are developing in their own time. All three are legitimate outcomes, and we will tell you honestly which one we think applies.
How we help
What speech and language therapy can help with.
Every child is different. These are some of the things families often notice at home, at nursery or at school.
Understanding
- Instructions seem to go in one ear and out the other
- They answer a different question to the one you asked
- They rely on watching what everyone else does
- Following a story or a sequence of steps is hard
Talking and putting words together
- Fewer words than other children of a similar age
- Sentences stay short, or words come in the wrong order
- They know what they mean but cannot find the word
- They gesture, lead you by the hand, or give up trying
Being understood
- People outside the family struggle to understand them
- Certain sounds are left out, swapped or hard to make
- They repeat themselves, or become frustrated when they are not understood
- Their teacher or nursery has mentioned speech clarity
Connecting and communicating with others
- Joining in with other children is difficult
- Conversations are one-sided, or hard to keep going
- Taking turns, or reading how someone else is feeling, is tricky
- They manage at home but not in a group
Children develop at different rates, and noticing something does not mean your child needs therapy. If you are unsure, a short conversation with a therapist is often enough to tell you whether anything further would help.
Who we work with
We work with children from toddlerhood, through the primary years and into adolescence. If you are not sure whether your child is the right age for support, please ask us.
Our speech and language therapy service is for children and young people.
What to expect
What therapy may look like.
No two therapy plans are the same, because no two children arrive with the same profile. In broad terms, this is what tends to be involved.
Individual sessions
Most therapy happens one-to-one with a therapist, usually in 45-minute sessions. How often your child is seen is recommended individually. It depends on what we are working on and what fits your family, rather than on a standard package.
You are part of it
Progress happens between appointments as much as during them. We will show you what we are working on and give you practical things to try in everyday moments such as mealtimes, car journeys and bedtime stories, rather than asking you to run formal practice sessions at home.
Groups, where they suit
Some goals are easier to practise with other children than with an adult. Where a group would genuinely help, we may suggest one alongside or instead of individual sessions. See groups & programmes
Reviewed as you go
Goals are revisited as your child changes. That can mean adjusting what we are working on, reducing how often we meet, or agreeing that therapy has run its course.
Working with the people around your child
With your agreement, we can liaise with your child's nursery or school so that everyone is pulling in the same direction. This is optional and led by you.
Where therapy happens
At our clinic
Our clinic on Sheikh Zayed Road, set up for therapy with children and young people.
Find usIn partner schools and nurseries
Where we work in partnership with a setting, therapy can take place during the school or nursery day.
Schools & nurseriesOnline
Speech and language therapy is also available online, for families where attending the clinic is not practical.
How teletherapy works Fluency & stuttering
Support with stuttering.
We work with children, teenagers and adults on stuttering and fluency, both at our clinic and online. You can read more about how we support each age group on our fluency and stuttering page.
Getting started
Ways to get started.
Where you start depends on what you already know and what you need. If you are not sure which option suits you, request a callback and we will help you decide.
Request a callback
Tell us what you are noticing and we will call you back to talk it through and suggest what might help.
Request a callbackFree Advice Session
A 20-minute online conversation with a speech and language therapist about your child. The therapist does not meet or assess your child during the session.
Book a Free Advice SessionAssessment
For families who need or have been recommended a fuller picture. How we assess is chosen to suit each child, so it does not always mean formal testing.
About assessmentsAn assessment does not automatically mean your child will need therapy. Depending on what we find, we may recommend therapy, monitoring and advice, or that therapy is not currently needed.
Parent resources
Reading that may help.
Written by our therapists, free to read, no enquiry needed.
Next step
Not sure whether therapy is the right call?
That is a normal place to start. Tell us what you are noticing and we will help you work out what, if anything, would help.