Professional_Working_with_Children

Four detailed Health professionals Speech and Language Therapists Speech and Language Therapists work with parents/carers and others to see if a child has speech and language difficulties or eating and drinking difficulties. They will think about the difficulties the child has and the how these will affect their development. If needed they will decide how the child can be helped to improve their communication. Anyone including parents can see a Speech and Language Therapist. If a setting refers the child, the setting must have the parents/carers permission to do so. As communication skills are very important for the child's development, it could affect social and emotional development, learning new skills etc. Speech and Language Therapists work with children and young people who have problems with understanding, expressing themselves and using communication to make new friends and get across what they want to do. They also work with children and young people who have difficulty with eating, drinking and/or swallowing. Speech and Language Therapists work closely with the child and their parents/carers, and the setting if the child has been referred, and other healthcare professionals. Together they have a shared responsibility for meeting child’s needs. Speech and Language Therapists work in a variety of settings such as nurseries, schools and other locations in the across the country. When a referral is received additional information may be gathered and a decision will be made as to the appropriateness and urgency of the referral. The parent and the referrer will be informed of the decision and given further advice as appropriate. Assessments may be done information gathering from parents, families and others involved in the child's life and building on what is already known about the child from other agencies such as education. They help the child in many ways such as understanding of spoken language and body language, expression through speaking and body language, production and use of sounds, ability to use language in a social environments, play skills, eating, drinking and swallowing. Psychologists Paediatrician General Practitioner (GP)