SALT recommendation - 2 yo with speech delay

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(reposted from SEN)

Hi all,

My 2.4 yo DS has been diagnosed with a significant language delay.
There are no other concerns but he is very behind with his speech sounds.

He has had some SALT on the NHS but this has now stopped while we await further therapy and I am eager to move things on and pursue private therapy alongside his NHS. He is starting nursery in September and is getting increasingly frustrated with his inability to communicate.

Can anyone recommend someone in London? We are in SW London but willing to travel for the right person.

TIA

Well, I can again recommend Jackie Harland from the London Children Practice- she's excellent.

Thanks - will give them a ring

I agree with Kennyp. Avoid Valerie Savage. Only had one session with her - one too many!

Can anyone recommend someone in Bucks/Berks? Same issues as above - thanks.

Also anyone in East Sussex

We see Debbie Smart at London children's practice and she's great. I think she is based in Sussex when not in London. Try googling.

I had a bad experience with Valerie Savage. Took my child to see her more for a hearing test than anything, as I was referred by our paediatrician. My child is under the age of 2, and all she did was say very negative things, such as "he's very scatty", very behind, told me he should be able to ride a bicycle, that he should be able to walk up and down stairs without holding onto a rail or anybody's hand. As he's teething at the moment he had a tiny little bit of dribble coming out of his mouth, she told me that a child his age should not dribble. At the end when we were leaving, he pulled a couple of things off her toy shelf, and she asked if I would mind stopping him from "wrecking" the place because it takes her a long time to clean it up. Avoid avoid avoid her! Turns out he has fluid in one of his ears, precisely what I thought he might have, and does not require speech therapy at his age! It was the wrong place to go, and she unnecessarily made me very worried about his development.

I am sorry to resurrect this thread but I have just been to see VS and I am heartbroken! She made everything about my DD's future seem very bleak

Countrymummy1 - I'm sorry you went and saw her, what a waste of your time. I made a complaint about her to the speach and language therapy board. We ended up taking our son to Jackie Harland at the London children's practice who was amazing! She set the clinic up but isn't seeing children anymore for SALT so we transferred over to her colleague Alison who was great. And very positive. Ignore absolutely everything that Valerie savage told you! She did the exact same thing to us!