Speech, language and communication needs

About speech, language and communication needs (SLCN)

Children and young people with SLCN find it difficult to communicate with others. This may be because they:

• find it hard to talk and say what they want to
• do not understand what people are saying to them
• find it hard to listen to others in a conversation

SLCN can be a result of another condition such as:

• Specific Language Impairment (SLI)
• learning difficulties
• Down Syndrome
• Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Cerebral Palsy
• stammer
• hearing impairment
• cleft lip and palate

If you are worried your child might have SLCN

If you think your child might have SLCN, there are professionals you can talk to.

Children aged 5 and under

Call the Early Years Speech and Language enquiries line to speak to a Speech and Language Therapist about your concerns.

Phone: 0118 904 3700, Tuesday and Thursday, 9am to 3:30pm

Children aged 5 and over

Speak to your child’s teacher or the school's Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) about your concerns.

If you think your child needs help with speech and language, you can speak to your health visitor or GP and ask them to refer your child for a hearing test.

Get speech and language support

If your child is aged 5 years and under, you can attend an early years online language development workshop. Speech and Language Therapists can give you advice on strategies to support your child's early speech and language development.

Find out more about the workshop on the NHS Berkshire Healthcare website.

If your child is aged 5 years and over, the school’s SENCO can speak with a member of NHS Berkshire Healthcare’s school age Speech and Language Therapy Team to decide the next steps.

If you are teaching your child at home or they attend an independent school, you can refer them for a speech and language assessment.

Find out how you can make a referral on the NHS Berkshire Healthcare website.

More speech and language support

Talking Point provides an online progress checker to track your child’s language development.

Speech and Language UK provides free advice and services to help your child’s speech and language development.

Words for Life, a National Literacy Trust charity, provides support to improve children’s language, literacy and communication skills.

The British Stammering Association has more information and support for people who stammer and parents of stammering children.

Private therapy

You can choose to see a speech and language therapist privately instead of accessing free services. This means you'll have to pay for your child's treatment.

You can look for accredited providers included in directories such as the Association of Speech and Language Therapists website.