Speech and language therapists are registered allied health professionals (a trained health professional who is not a doctor or nurse). Our service works with children and young people aged 0 to 18 with speech, language and communication needs in clinics, homes, and educational settings across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. We work directly with children and young people alongside their key communication partners such as parents, carers, and educational staff.
We help children and young people communicate to the best of their ability. We help them and their communication partners understand their strengths and needs, and to feel confident supporting their speech and language differences and difficulties. We want all children and young people, and their families to have timely and easily accessible support that is neurodiversity affirming and compassionate.
Children and young people with speech, language and communication needs may have difficulties with:
Speech and language therapists also provide support for children and young people with eating and drinking difficulties. These may include difficulties with:
The service follows an episodes of care model. This means we see children and young people when they need us the most and have a specific goal they need the support of a speech and language therapist to work towards. We then step back when communication partners have the confidence and skills to meet that goal and communication is well supported.
The best way to support communication is through joint working and having communication support in the child's everyday environment. This means we require active participation when working with us.
If you are unsure whether your child needs to be supported by the service, read the information below.
Anyone can ask for support from our service. This includes:
You will need to fill in our request for help form. Make sure you have parental consent before completing it.
For young people aged 16 and over, you must have their consent if they are able to give it.
You will need to complete the whole form in one go.
If you are worried about how clearly a child or young person speaks, you must fill in the speech sound screening checklist with them first.
You will then add this information to the request for help form.
The child or young person will go onto our waiting list.
We will contact you with an appointment for an initial screening assessment with a speech and language therapist.
Parents and carers will be invited to a community assessment day. You can read more about this in our frequently asked questions (PDF, 128 KB).
Parents and carers will be offered a video appointment.
The child or young person does not need to attend unless they would like to.
Parents and carers can also invite the child's school or education setting to join the appointment if they wish.
Depending on what the child or young person needs, we may offer:
If you have concerns about a child or young person's eating and drinking skills, fill in a referral form.
We support children with eating and/or drinking difficulties. The medical term for difficulties related to eating and/or drinking is dysphagia.
Signs of eating and/or drinking difficulties include:
Signs of swallowing difficulties include:
Your child will be seen at either your home, a clinic, or their educational setting by a speech and language therapist. Inpatients will be seen in hospital. The therapist will take a case history and observe your child eating and/or drinking.
Following the assessment, your therapist will write a report with recommendations and will discuss sharing this report with any other professionals who may be involved in your child's care. You and the education or care setting may also receive a mealtime plan to describe your child's feeding recommendations in detail, such as positioning and textures to be offered or avoided.
Depending on your child's needs, they may be offered a follow-up appointment to monitor progress with the recommendations. The case may also be closed with the option to re-refer if required.
If your child has longer term difficulties with eating and/or drinking, they will be closed when they have the appropriate personalised mealtime plan to ensure that they are able to eat and drink safely, with the option to re-refer if required.
We aim to offer an initial screening appointment within 18 weeks of receiving your request for help form. Right now, because our service is very busy, this first appointment can take up to 40 weeks.
Some children are offered priority appointments. These are usually within 8 weeks and include children who:
We understand these waiting times are very long, and we are truly sorry. We are working hard to make improvements and reduce the wait.
Below are some things for you to try before you contact the specialist children’s speech and language therapy team.
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is any form of communication which helps (augmentative) or replaces (alternative) speech.
It includes:
The Speech and Language Therapy Team can support a young person with all types of augmentative and alternative communication systems.
We are a multi-agency team based in Cornwall and can provide an assessment up until the young person is 18-years-old. The team is made up of a speech and language therapist from this Trust and AAC technical officers from Cornwall Council.
Referrals to the team are through the young person's speech and language therapist only. More information can be found in the assessments tab of the Cornwall Council AAC Team website page.
The team can make an onwards referral for a young person to AAC West. AAC West are a specialist NHS hub for voice-output communication aid assessments. The team can then support the assessment process.
Communication boards are a great way to get started with paper-based AAC. Take a look at our communication boards with advice below.
Useful phrases that support communication in any settings, during any activities and with anyone. Simply print and use whilst chatting in whatever situation you find yourself.
Useful phrases to support communication during specific activities. Helpful to support those who are just starting to explore symbol communication. Simply print and use whilst chatting in activities they enjoy.
PCS boards:
Widgit boards:
Language involves using words (spoken, signed, symbols) and sentences to understand, think about and use information. We use language to share in interactions and engage with others.
Comprehension of language is also known as receptive language (this is input). This is the ability to understand meaning, instructions, concepts and make sense of the information we receive. This includes understanding of abstract language, such as being able to answer questions and the ability to infer what may happen and why.
Expressive language involves how we communicate using words, phrases and sentences (this is output). This can include spoken words, signs such as British Sign Language and Makaton, written words and picture symbols.
Children and young people may also use non-verbal communication and behaviour to express themselves.
Our service supports language development through assessment, advice and when needed intervention. Our language support offer compliments the support the council SEND services offer.
Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder that stems from a phobia of speaking. It effects around 1 in 140 children. It is more common between the ages of 2 to 4-years-old and there is no single known cause.
A child with selective mutism will talk comfortably to some people, often their close family. The child will then remain mute in situations where these people are not present, or when there are other people present to whom they cannot speak.
Some children are better described as quiet children. Until a formal assessment and diagnosis has happened, this is the best way to refer to a child who is known to have verbal communication but is remaining silent in some situations.
Early intervention is supportive, and selective mutism can be overcome with the right intervention.
Between the ages of 2 to 6 years old it is common for children to have speech sound errors as their communication skills are still developing. Some children speak very clearly from the moment they talk. Others have lots of sound errors that gradually resolve as they get older.
If your concern is around a child or young person's speech sound development you will need to complete the speech sound screening checklist (PDF, 192 KB) with the child or young person before completing the form. You will need to enter this information in the form to be able to submit it.
If you have concerns around a child's speech sounds and their language skills (understanding and/or use of language), select speech sound difficulties (articulation) as the main communication need from the drop-down, to populate the speech sound screening checklist.
We are unable to give any advice or support around a child's speech sounds unless this information has been received which may delay your telephone consultation.
You will need to complete the speech sound screening checklist in full and submit it. You will be able to save a copy of the form for your own records once submitted.
Down's syndrome is a genetic condition which is caused by extra copies of chromosome 21. Every individual who has Down's syndrome is unique, but most will experience a predictable pattern of strengths and challenges with their communication skills and a specific learning profile.
Children who have Down's syndrome will usually develop at a slower rate than their peers, and the level of delay may increase with age. However, all individuals who have Down's syndrome can continue to learn and make progress throughout their lives, with the appropriate support. It is important that early support is in place for children who have Down's syndrome for key areas of need such as speech sounds, phonological awareness skills, non-verbal communication, Makaton signing and vocabulary skills from the first year of life.
Our service supports children's language and communication development through assessment, advice and, when needed, intervention. As a service, we anticipate that children or young people who have Down's syndrome will regularly access our support as they progress with their communication skills throughout their childhood.
