Children`s Speech and Language Therapy (SLT/ SALT) Services: 

Telephone: 0161 204 4152/4153/4154/4155

For general enquiries / referrals: CTSAdmin@stockport.nhs.uk

For Training: CTSTrainining@stockport.nhs.uk

Our service runs between normal working hours Monday to Friday.

For more information on supporting your child’s speech and language development or more general support available in the local area please visit :

Language, learning and play – Start Well (startwellstockport.co.uk)

Speech language and communication needs (SLCN)

Stockport NHS Speech and language therapy service also provides a dysphagia service. This is a service for children with feeding difficulties which are physical in nature, i.e. chewing and swallowing difficulties. These children should be referred to Stockport NHS Foundation Trust children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service by contacting our services on the details above.

The level of service and support will depend upon the specific needs of your child’s speech, language, communication and / or feeding / swallowing difficulties.

Parents/carers may be asked to carry out speech and language activities with their own child at home, as most language development occurs during the natural every day activities.

Pre-school

Your local Startwell Team (health visitors, portage services and early years workers) can provide you with advice about how to support speech, language and communication needs.  Tips and information on milestones can be found here https://www.startwellstockport.co.uk/

Local “Stay and Play” groups are available, which you can drop into with your child. These are a great place to meet other parents/carers and get support for your child’s development.

Your child will receive healthy child programme mandated ASQ 3 development assessments between 9 and 12 months and at 2 years of age with the Start Well team. This will be an opportunity to discuss any concerns you may have and your child’s development will be discussed with you.

Speech and language therapists are available to offer support and advice in these groups and if more help is needed, more specialist support specific to your child’s needs can be arranged through the Startwell team/Family Hub.

School Age Children: 

Speech and language therapy is usually considered an educational need under the special educational needs code of practice. If you are concerned about your school aged child, ask your child’s class teacher / special educational needs co-ordinator to discuss your child with their link speech and language therapist (SLT).  They can agree the appropriate support and liaise with the link SLT to ensure your child’s needs are met.

If your child is educated at home or in a private educational setting please contact the service for a discussion about their needs/ available support.

What does the SLT actually do?

The SLT will work with the local area / setting / school to:

• Share top tips for talking / speech language and communication Development
• Develop speech language and communication strategies and language rich environments in groups / settings / schools.
• Offer training in local areas to support development of speech/ language / communication
• Provide advice to ensure appropriate interventions are available to support specific speech / language and communication skills by setting / school staff
• Provide advice to support individualised programmes to develop speech / language and communication skills which setting staff / schools will follow

The SLT may provide direct support / intervention / local training sessions for children if more help is needed. This could be:

• In a group
• Individual Therapy, including parent / child interaction therapy
• Parents may be invited to training sessions / online training to help them support their child’s needs. This could include:
  • Makaton Training – use of signs and symbols to support language and speech development
  • Visual Approaches to support Autism
  • SLT strategies for children with speech language and communication needs.

For any queries or more information about opportunities offered by the service to empower parents / carers through training email as above.

When would a child need more help with their speech / language / communication?

Please discuss children with the link SLT to ensure the right early help is in place as follows:

• Screening tools indicate the child should follow the Greater Manchester pre-school speech and language pathway
• Children with severe speech or language delay, where outcomes in speaking and listening are not being achieved.  Severe usually means children with a delay in their language of over 12 months.
• If a child is stammering and parents / carers / setting need help to support this
• Child is not able to speak in certain situations
• Children whose language has regressed, i.e. they have lost language they previously had

School age children who are very unclear with their speech and mixing up sounds well beyond the age expected. (NB Schools can use a computer tool ‘Speechlink’ to support children and then request more help from their link SLT as indicated by this tool.

For More Information:

If you have more general questions about supporting your child’s speech language and communication, in the first instance where possible, please talk to your child’s health visitor, early years setting or school.

If you have specific questions about specialist support for your school age child please contact your child’s link therapist via the school.