What happens during an SLT appointment? Initial Consultation Guide.

If you haven't seen a speech therapist before, you might be wondering what happens during an SLT appointment? We'll start with the Initial Consultation. Before the appointment, we'll have a chat on the phone so I'll know ahead of time what your main concerns are. I'll also send you a link to a case history form that you can fill out before our session - this will give me some background information.

Every appointment is different, and I will always do my best to cater to your child's individual needs and interests. Working with children in their everyday environments makes things so much easier. I will bring along a few toys and games, but I love the opportunity to get to know children however they feel most comfortable - playing with their toys, and looking at their books. For kids who feel a little shy, there is no pressure. I might start by chatting with caregivers, and slowly introducing myself through play.

In terms of assessment, there is a lot of information that I can gather while playing and chatting.

SPEECH ASSESSMENT:

For speech, I will usually start with an informal assessment of speech sounds while we play - listening out for what sounds your child is using, both in words and in conversation. I will often transcibe these words as we go, until I have a big enough sample of words that I can get a sense of any patterns in your child's speech.

Sometimes we might look at pictures together. I have a few different assessments that I might use to get a more comprehensive idea of the sounds your child is using. Generally, speech assessments will use a variety of pictures to elicit speech sounds at the beginning, middle and end of words. Other children prefer objects - sometimes I'll use mini objects to elicit the sounds that I'm looking for.

Sometimes children have trouble with specific sounds, or may not have all the sounds that we would expect for their age (there's a handout for speech sound acquisition on my Resources page). Other times, children present with speech sound processes - this is where groups of sounds are all impacted by a phonological rule. Once I've completed the assessment, we'll go through the results together, and I'll give you options for next steps. Sometimes this will be a specific type of program, and other times I will recommend strategies to support your child's sound development. We'll work through this together and find the intervention plan that suits you and your child.

LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT:

Language assessment can also be completed through play - looking at things like following directions and understanding instructions, as well as vocabulary (understanding and expression) and sentence structures.

I will follow your child's lead and play alongside them, and at the same time, I'll be observing how they respond to different types of verbal information, how many information carrying words they can follow, what kinds of words they use, and how they get their message across.

Sometimes we'll look at books together, or I might ask them to follow specific types of instructions.

If your child is shy, or quiet, I may get some of this information from you - asking you questions about how your child responds to instructions at home, or how they share information and tell you what they need.

OTHER AREAS:

There are lots of other areas that I can assess in an initial consult, including:

• Social language/interaction

• Phonological awareness and literacy

• Narratives

The main thing to know about the Initial Consultation is that it is a flexible starting point. I will use a child-centred, play-based approach to get the information that we need, and then I'll work with you to find the approach that works best for you and your family. I'm here to help, so if you have any questions about the process, please feel free to get in touch.