Introduction
We offer a package of speech and language therapy support for children of pre-school and primary-school age who have:
- Speech, language and communication difficulties.
- Autistic-spectrum disorders.
- Hearing impairment.
- Disorders of fluency, such as stammering and stuttering.
- Disorders of feeding, eating or drinking.
- Cleft palate and velopharyngeal abnormalities.
- Speech and language difficulties of neurological origin.
- Difficulties with voice.
Our Speech and Language Therapists can:
- Assess speech, language and communication development, skills and difficulties.
- Assess eating and drinking difficulties.
- Make a diagnosis.
- Develop an intervention plan and work with families and carers to implement it.
- Decide when treatment is complete and the child can be discharged.
- Support onward referrals as necessary
Our team
Our team includes qualified Speech and Language Therapists, Speech and Language Therapy Assistants, specialist nursery nurses and volunteers.
If you’re considering a career as a Speech and Language Therapist, explore the role and the necessary steps here.
Where you can Find Us
We provide our service at these locations:
- Burnham Clinic
- Livewell Hub, Braintree
- Stapleford House
- Crouch Vale Medical Centre
- St Peter’s Hospital, Main Building, Maldon
- Witham Health Centre
- Halstead Hospital
Plus:
- Three special schools
- Five speech and language centres/enhanced provisions
- Three enhanced provisions for children with hearing impairment
- Mainstream schools and numerous mainstream early years settings, such as pre-schools and nurseries.
How to refer to the Children’s Speech and Language team
- If your child is above the age of 1 and have eating and/or drinking difficulties you can phone the Care Coordination Centre or they can be referred by their school, nursery, health visitor, social care or GP.
- All school aged children are referred by their school, please see the information below for the referral form and Information pack.
- Children with an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) whose specified therapy is over and above the core provision commissioned by health are seen by the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) team – for more information click here.
- We do not currently provide a service for secondary aged children, unless they attend a special school.
- For children aged 2 years 6 months until they start their reception year at school (until the August, before a child starts school in the September) with a mid-Essex GP, you can book a Communication Station appointment without needing to complete a referral. Please call 0300 303 9960 between 8-8:30 on the day of the Communication Station to get a booked appointment for the same day, until the slots are filled. Details of dates and locations can be found below.
- If your child is younger than 2 years 6 months, we recommend starting with our parent training video:
‘Supporting Language Development in Babies and Toddlers’. This video will offer practical tips, strategies, and activities you can use at home to support your child’s communication skills while you wait until they reach the referral age. - Please also see the downloads on our website, including this resource Universally Speaking – ‘The ages and stages of children’s communication development from birth to 5’.
- If translation services are required, there are safeguarding concerns or you are unable to attend a Communication Station and you require a pre-booked appointment, please complete a referral form. Click the writing to download a form. Please state on the form that you require a pre-booked appointment. There is an up to 18 week wait for pre-booked appointments.
