To think speech and language therapy should be part of the curriculumin in special needs settings where there is speech delay?

[Letitsnooow]

My 3 year old with a dx of ASD attends a special needs nursery, he's also on a (long) waiting list for SALT via the NHS, I'm told 6-8 months. He'll be almost 4 by the time he is seen and is already significantly speech delayed despite my continued efforts at home to implement the strategies suggested. I can't afford the £50+ per session privately as I'm only able to work part time at the moment due to the severity of his needs.

AIBU to think SALT should come hand in hand with specialist early years settings?

I'm just thinking out loud really (and feeling a bit fed up and overwhelmed by LO's aggressive outbursts that stem from his frustration at not being able to communicate his needs)

I agree it's terrible, the lack of support available and within reach considering early years intervention is vital.

I thought him being dx so young would open up doors to support that would make his life easier, that hasn't been the case.

Would PECS cards help you get communication going? We still revert to them before Makaton now and my ASD DC is 9 now and verbal. We introduced them around 3 and DC were more receptive to them than makaton initially (card got them quicker results 😁)

PECs and now and then boards have been more useful than makaton. It's so frustrating to watch them struggle. My DS is now 7. He can write the alphabet backwards without pause but can't tell me what he wants for tea or that he's cold / tired / ill. We keep on keeping on but it's so hard for him.

Makaton for us I should say. My son uses some signs but looks at me like I'm nuts if I sign to him

DD1 is verbal. When she was young she had word retrieval issues, so would say "I want bowl-eat" (hungry) or "it pink and it go weee" (slide) or "chicken with handle" (satay stick!). Now, she's 15 and still uses words incorrectly, but communicates fairly well. Interestingly, though, she's much better when she's volunteering information than when she's asked information.

We did Makaton with her and she still reverts to it if she's stressed, or wants to tell us something private (such as needing the toilet, or wanting to go home).

My DD is now 13 and has been having SALT since she was 3.

In mainstream primary she’d see a speech therapist once a term with a programme delivered by an LSA, overseen by her teacher. In year 2 we got an EHCP, moving into a speech & language SSC attached to a mainstream school. They had a speech therapist attached to the unit so she had much more frequent contact and specialist staff to deliver the entire curriculum.

Now in mainstream secondary, she has direct speech therapy weekly (which I had to fight tooth and nail to get into her EHCP) and a keyworker LSA who has done some extra training to deliver the rest of the SALT programme.

The early diagnosis didn’t help my DD a huge amount, SALT was really hit and miss due to staff shortages and other issues with being in mainstream. The best thing for her was a neuropsychologist assessment which gave real insight into how her brain was working and which targeted schemes would be best for her.

The iCan website has lots of good information.

My ASD child had SALT and other early interventions and honestly, I don't think they made the slightest difference. Unlike Makaton and visual symbols which were lifesavers.

I learnt a lot of my Makaton via Something Special and ds still has his spotty bag!

What really helped my son was maturing. He was able to explain to me today that he doesn't like having his hair cut because he is terrified of the hair going in his eyes. It has taken 8 years for him to be able to communicate this to me (he's nearly 11).

My advice would be to get a really regular routine in place and where possible take the words out of the equation.

I strongly recommend teaching sign language. My dd learned American Sign Language at her sn school (in USA) and the non verbal kids also had communication boards (no iPads then so it was Velcro on pictures). She also had aba therapy which you might want to investigate. She was still almost non verbal at 4, by 5 she was speaking almost at age, she's now at university. She very much has asd but language is not her problem now

My DS attended a special needs nursery, and the staff there taught maketon and visuals (PECS). The SALT visited him there about once a term to do assessments and set his new targets.

He now goes to a school for children with ASD, and it's a similar set up - NHS SALT for occassional asessments and target setting, but all the SALT therapy delivered by staff in school, it's a large part of their curriculum throughout the school.

DS also received some extra sessions from NHS SALT for pronounication issues. He's verbal but at 7 he's still difficult to understand.

I think a lot of the issue is the way that therapies are commissioned. They have to come out of school budgets so specific therapy tends to be tied into a individual child's ehcp fundi g

Don't underestimate the expertise of nurswrystaff, though. Ds2 went through Mainstream primary with regular salt intervention, never really taking to Pecs. Onto a special secondary placement and he has learned to use it in school, largely from observing his peers. They don't have constant OT presence, but they have taken and are following advice regarding some anxiety based behaviours he has been exhibiting, recently.

Also bear in mind that bought in direct therapy won't really be happening, at the moment, particular considering that a high proportion of children in specialist settings will be medically vulnerable.

I know that every LA is different, and that every provision is different, but anywhere advertising themselves as specialist provision would almost certainly be using SaLT techniques throughout the curriculum throughout the day.
As Lougle said at bottom of page one.
If they aren't, then what specialist provision are they offering, exactly ?

I mean, YA totally NBU to think that there should be about 10 the number of SaLTs there are, and that the waiting lists are appalling, etc etc, but all Nurseries supporting children with SLCN should be supporting them with strategies advised by SaLTs, but a specialist provision should, without any excuse at all.

Hi, my son has weekly slt direct with a highly specialist slt (private/independent) paid for via his ehcp (Provision specified in f, need in b and budget in j). Likewise ot and various other bits with his 1:1 trained in various things as detailed by the independents. We were under nhs but they were unreliable and he didnt get enough to make any real progress. I appreciate this is to do with funding.

Apply for thr ehcp yourself asap. If the assessment is denied go to tribunal. Check if you qualify for legal aid this will pay for some independent reports. You need to get ones which are detailed, specified and quantified. Make sure the therapists know it is required for tribunal and make sure they have experience in this area. If your near the Midlands Libby Hill is amazing.

If they agree to assess make it clear you want slt and ot assessments, if they come back unspecified etc ask the la to get them detailed. If no reports, you have to wait outside statutory timeframes etc go to tribunal and as above.

If you dont qualify for legal aid commissioning reports can be expensive but worth it if you get them into the plan if the child needs them.

Sossen have some fantastic guides for around £5 and ipsea are great too.