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Speech and Language Therapy

Checked: 15-12-2023 by Vicky Ryan Next Review: 14-12-2025

Overview

The Early Years Speech and Language Therapy service offers support for families of children aged 0-4 years (up to preschool age), across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG).

They provide an assessment, diagnosis and intervention service to children and young people with speech, language and communication needs and/or with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties.

The School Age Speech and Language Therapy service offers support with speech, language, communication, feeding and swallowing for children and young people aged 4 years to 19 years who are in full time education or are being educated out of school.

Who to refer

Services are open to children and young people who have a GP and live within the BNSSG area.

The Speech and Language Therapy Service supports children and young people with:

Developmental Language Disorder
Speech sound disorders
Dysphagia (swallowing disorders)
Alternative and augmentative communication needs (using technology, such as an ipad, as a communication system)
Stammering
Communication needs associated with complex medical conditions/acquired brain injury

Before referral

Families can access telephone advice, school and nursery drop-in clinics, parent information sessions and online support in advance of an assessment.

If a full assessment is also required, the child or young person will then be referred to the team after receiving this initial support.

Referral

Early Years Speech and Language Therapy Service

To make a direct referral please check the Referral Criteria and if you feel the child meets the level of need required, complete the Single Point of Entry Form and Supporting Questionnaires which can be found here.

Parents are also able to refer directly to the service if they complete the relevant age-related questionnaire and Single Point of Entry form. This should also be available as an EMIS template.

School aged Speech and Language Therapy Service

Some children and young people may require more specialist support from our service. Where possible, we encourage schools to refer into the service through discussion with their Link speech and language therapist. This enables all the relevant information to be collected prior to a referral making it more likely to be accepted.

Where this is not possible, schools, families and professionals can refer directly into the service.

To make a referral we require the following; an SPE form, a consent form, and evidence of the child/young person’s current communication skills and the impact this has on daily functioning. See below:

Single Point of Entry form:

Single Point of Entry form. This should also be available as an EMIS template.

Consent form, correct for child or young person’s age and setting:

Consent form home educated primary and parent questionnaire:

Consent form home educated secondary and parent questionnaire

Consent form primary and parent questionnaire

Consent form post 16 and questionnaire

Consent form secondary and parent questionnaire

Evidence of the child/young person’s current communication skills.

Language concerns :

We would encourage schools to purchase and use the Speech and Language UK Progression Tool to use as a screener for language.

Primary progression tools

Secondary progression tools

Where this is not possible, please use the Sirona screeners below:

Language concerns:

Language Screener for KS1

Language Screener for KS2

Language Screen for Reception (PowerPoint)

Language Screener for Reception (record form)

Secondary age identification of need checklist

Speech sound concerns:

Speech screener for KS2+ (pictures)

Speech screener for KS2+ (record form)

Speech screen for KS1 (pictures)

Speech screener for reception and KS1 (record form)

Please also write about the impact that this has on daily functioning and why referral now is needed.

Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

Information provided through Remedy is continually updated so please be aware any printed copies may quickly become out of date.