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Young girl practicing 'o' sound with her mouth and fingers. Speech bubble on the right 'Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy'

Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust offers a comprehensive service in Speech and Language Therapy as part of an integrated therapy service. It is split across three localities: Ashford, Shepway and Dover/Deal. We provide services within clinics, sure start centres, nurseries, primary schools, secondary schools, special schools and specialist provisions across all three localities. 

Speech and language therapy services offered

  • Assessment and therapy for children and young people (0-19) with speech, language, social communication and feeding difficulties, and children with complex needs 
  • Work takes place within a multi-disciplinary team e.g. Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Paediatricians, Dieticians and Education 
  • Work with and within Sure Start Centres to promote speech and language development 
  • Therapy can be clinic based, within primary and secondary schools, within nursery, at home or through parent training courses. 

We work with:

Children and young people with:

  • Feeding Difficulties 
  • Complex Needs e.g. Down Syndrome, Fragile X, global developmental delay 
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Language and Communication Needs
  • Developmental Language Disorder
  • Speech sound difficulties or verbal Dyspraxia 
  • Dysfluency (stammer/stutter) 
  • Cleft lip and/or palate 
  • Selective communicators/Reluctant Talkers 
  • Voice disorders
  • Hearing impaired

Please see the pages on the left for information and resources to support children and young people with communication difficulties, and for information about how to refer.