If you are in the Waikato, have a child with Down syndrome and are looking for speech and language support, I would love to help. Don’t hesitate to get in touch.
The following is republished from UpsideDowns Education Trust with permission. See their great work here.
WHAT IS SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY (SLT)?
- SLT is the assessment and treatment of communication and speech difficulties.
- In the US and some other countries, it is referred to as speech pathology.
- Speech therapists can help with feeding problems, articulation, word acquisition and retention, and other challenges extremely common in children with Down syndrome.
- SLTs who work with children are skilled at using play-based techniques and stimulating the child’s existing interests to develop communication skills.
- An SLT may encourage and develop the use of Makaton (a form of simplified sign language used as a bridge to verbal communication), core boards (a colourful board with symbols fixed in place to represent key words and phrases), and other assistive technology so that children can communicate their wants and needs, reducing frustration while verbal communication skills are being developed.
- SLT is recommended regularly and consistently throughout childhood for children with Down syndrome. Intellectual disability in addition to physiological factors such as lower muscle tone and smaller mouths leading to relative macroglossia (a tongue that appears large in contrast to the size of the oral cavity), as well as other conditions that can be associated with Down syndrome, mean that SLT is almost always essential for the development and well-being of an individual with Down syndrome.
- Public SLT provisions are able to assist with early feeding challenges and to provide some support and suggestions for education providers, but the regular, indivdualised sessions recommended by experts and researchers worldwide is only available through private practitioners. That’s why UpsideDowns exists – so that all whānau in Aotearoa can access this crucial intervention therapy, despite the cost.
SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY FOR CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME: WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
- “Pupils who have Down syndrome face complicated challenges in mastering and using speech language and communication skills. With the right opportunities and support, [children with Down syndrome] can develop communication skills that help them to make relationships and socialise, communicate wishes, needs and aspirations, and use sign language effectively as a tool in all sorts of situations. It’s vital that pupils who have Down syndrome, and school staff who support them, have access to specialist input from speech and language therapy services throughout their school careers.” – Leela Baksi, Langdon Down Centre UK, 2006.
- “optimal communication skills development in children with Down’s syndrome require that they receive early and continuing instruction”- Miller, Leddy, and Leavitt, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1999.
- “Since speech and language skills are central to the development of mental abilities such as thinking, reasoning, and remembering as well as to social inclusion, it is essential that speech and language is a focus for parents, teachers, and therapists from infancy through to adult life.” – Sue Buckley, University of Portsmouth, 2000.
- “children with Down’s syndrome should be seen at least monthly in school, targets reviewed and activities set for parents, teachers, and assistants to include in their daily routines… Some children with Down’s syndrome of school age may need weekly or individual group sessions of speech and language therapy with a therapist who has the specialist knowledge and skills to address their profile of difficulties, particularly for speech and intelligibility work.” – Buckely and Le Provost, University of Portsmouth, 2002.
- “Speech and language are complex, and present many challenges to the child with Down’s syndrome that need to be addressed through a comprehensive approach to speech and language treatment… an individually designed program that meets all of the communication needs for a specific child.” – Libby Kumin, Loyola College, 1998.