Speech and Language Pathology at POTS
Information for Parents and Carers
Contents What is Speech and Language Pathology (SLP)?......................................... 3 Speech and Language Pathology at POTS................................................ 4 How we work with your child.............................................................. 6 Want to find out more? .................................................................... 8
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What is Speech and Language Pathology (SLP)? Speech and Language Pathology, also known as Speech and Language Therapy, is a service which works with a variety of individuals with difficulties in areas of speech, language, social skills, communication and feeding. A Speech and Language Pathologist will assess and identify the difficulty in the above areas in service users, in order to design, implement, monitor and evaluate intervention plans. Intervention aims to be evidence-based, timely and realistic, and focused upon goals which are important to the individual and/or their family. Speech and language pathologists work with people of all ages, but always strive to ensure their care is holistic and age appropriate.
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Speech and Language Pathology at POTS Speech and Language Pathology and Occupational Therapy at POTS aim to work towards achieving an integrated and multi-disciplinary service at POTS. Speech and Language Pathology at POTS welcomes a diverse range of children, from the age of 1 to 16, including those with: •
Speech difficulties such as speech dysfluency and unclear speech
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Language difficulties such as difficulties learning words and grammar
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Oral motor difficulties
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Feeding and Swallowing difficulties
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Social skills difficulties
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Children with developmental disorders such as Autism
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Children with syndromes such as Down’s Syndrome
The service at POTS aims to work with children to improve areas which the child or parent/carer would like to target. These may include: •
Speech – Including unclear speech or non-fluent speech.
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Language – Including late talkers, difficulties learning or remembering
words, and difficulties with learning proper grammar •
Social skills – Including skills such as eye contact, taking turns,
understanding emotions, understanding other people’s perspectives and play skills.
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•
Oral motor and Feeding skills – Including safe chewing and swallowing,
blowing, the movement of the tongue and lips, and children with a limited food repertoire Speech and Language Pathology at POTS is offered in group or individual sessions depending on the needs of the child, the goals of the parents and guardians and the speech-language pathologist’s recommendations. Slots are available morning to evening, Monday- Saturday.
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How we work with your child? 1.
Following a referral, an assessment will be conducted to gather the required information on your child’s communication skills. An appointment will then be arranged to discuss our recommendations and
answer
any
questions
you
may
have.
An
intervention programme will then be suggested which is individualized for your child and the difficulties that they are facing. 2.
Sessions are conducted once a week and last for approximately one hour. After each session you will be provided feedback on the progress of your child. A suitable weekly day and time for sessions will be discussed between the parents and the therapist.
You will be provided with a set of therapy goals for the next 3 or 4 months. Once this programme period comes to an end, a progress report will be provided summarizing the results of the intervention, and the final session will involve a parent-therapist discussion of this report. The child may either be discharged from the service or the therapist will propose further intervention and new goals to target. Assessment We accept self-referrals from parents and external referrals from teachers, healthcare professionals and other services. Once the referral has been received the assessment process will take place. The assessments will take place over a range of sessions to ensure the right information is gathered to develop a client-centered plan, tailored to each individual.
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Intervention The length of each programme varies and works on a case by case basis. However, most programmes last between 12 - 15 weeks. We combine the developmental needs of the child and the goals of the parents. Interventions include programmes that work on language development, oral motor development, social skills, and feeding difficulties.
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Want to find out more? Here’s how to contact us: Email: appointments@potsmalta.com Phone: (+356) 7769 1442 Address: 200, Triq San Bastjan, Qormi QRM 2339
Interested? For more information and updates, visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/POTSMalta/ Or visit our website: https://www.potsmalta.com/
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