At NI Speech Therapy Tots 2 Teens, we prioritise understanding the unique communication needs of every child who walks through our doors. With a speech therapy assessment, we can evaluate the needs of your child and better understand how we can help them.
What is a speech and language assessment?
It’s a detailed assessment and observation of your child’s speech, language and communication needs. It helps us identify any challenges your child may be having in their speech and language development.
How is my child assessed?
At your first appointment, a detailed assessment and observation of your child’s speech, language and communication needs will be carried out. Information will be gathered through formal or informal/play-based assessment depending on your child’s individual age and needs.
The approach we choose is always tailored to your child’s comfort and suitability, ensuring that we capture an accurate representation of their speech and language abilities. You can trust in our expertise to provide a thorough and child-centred assessment experience.
What is play-based assessment?
Play-based assessment in speech therapy is a child-centred approach that utilises play as the primary medium for evaluating a child’s speech and language skills.
Instead of traditional formal testing, where a child might be asked to respond to specific prompts or tasks, play-based assessment involves observing and interacting with the child in a more naturalistic play setting.
This method can be particularly beneficial for younger children or those who might feel overwhelmed or anxious in more structured testing environments. Through play, therapists can gain insights into a child’s vocabulary, sentence structure, articulation, comprehension, social communication, and other critical language skills.
The relaxed and engaging nature of play allows the child to demonstrate their abilities in an authentic manner, providing us with a holistic view of their speech and language development.
How long does the speech and language assessment last?
The speech and language assessment will generally last around 1 hour. This allows us to gain a full picture of your child’s language and communication needs.
What happens after the assessment?
Following the assessment, time will be dedicated to discussing with you, your child’s assessment findings and, if a course of speech and language therapy is required. The goal is to find the most effective way to meet your child’s needs.
Each case is taken on an individual basis. My goal is to support parents in developing a solution that involves them. The recommended therapy will be tailored to your child’s age, ability, speech and linguistic needs.
Get in Touch
If you think your child may benefit from an initial speech and language assessment, get in touch with us to book. We can usually arrange to meet your child within 1-2 weeks of initial contact.
