Speech and Language Therapy

‘Communication lies at the very core of human dignity’
(Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists)

What do Speech and Language Therapists do?

Speech and Language Therapists help people of all ages with speech, language and communication problems. They can also help people with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties. These problems can be caused by physical or learning disabilities, mental health issues, developmental delays or disorders, illnesses and injuries.

Speech and Language Therapists typically work with parents, teachers, care staff, nurses and doctors in a variety of settings including:

• Education
• Justice
• Children’s services
• Hospitals and clinics

What is Speech, Language and Communication?

The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists defines the terms speech, language and communication as follows:

Speech refers to:

• saying sounds accurately and in the right places in words;
• speaking fluently, without hesitation, prolonging or repeating words or sounds;
• speaking with expression in a clear voice, using pitch, volume and intonation to add meaning to what is said.

Language refers to:

• understanding and making sense of what people say;
• using words to build up sentences which are used in longer stretches of spoken language and to build conversations;
• putting information in the right order to make sense.

Communication refers to:

• being able to communicate to people and take turns as well as change language/communication to suit the situation i.e. how we socially interact with others;
• non-verbal communication e.g. eye contact, gestures and facial expressions;
• being able to consider another person’s perspective, intentions and the wider context of the communication.