What is Speech and Language Therapy?

Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) is a field dedicated to helping people of all ages communicate as effectively and confidently as possible. It supports individuals who experience difficulties with speech, language, voice, fluency, or swallowing. But it’s more than just practising sounds or words: it’s about understanding each person’s unique communication profile and empowering them to express themselves authentically.

What does Speech and Language Therapy involve?

SLTs work with people across the lifespan: from infants with feeding difficulties, to children who may have speech delays and adults recovering from stroke or living with neurological conditions. Therapy might include:

• Helping someone pronounce sounds more clearly.

• Supporting understanding and use of language (vocabulary, grammar, storytelling).

• Working on voice quality or fluency (such as in stammering).

• Supporting dysphasia

• Using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), like communication boards or speech-generating devices, for those who cannot rely on speech alone.

• Supporting social communication skills and confidence in conversations.

All Speech therapy is tailored to the person’s goals, wishes and environment, recognising that communication happens in real-life contexts like school, work, and home.

How can it help?

Communication is central to connection, learning, independence, and wellbeing. SLT can help by:

• Building clearer speech and stronger language skills.

• Reducing frustration and anxiety linked to communication barriers.

• Fostering social participation and friendships.

• Supporting academic and employment opportunities.

• Empowering people to advocate for their own needs.

By working with families, educators, and employers, SLTs help create supportive environments where communication differences are understood and respected.

Neurodiversity and affirming care

At All Things Therapy Centre we offer neurodivrsity affirming SLT. This embraces the idea that differences like autism, ADHD, and developmental language disorder are natural variations, not deficits to be “fixed.” Neurodiversity-affirming practice focuses on:

• Valuing each person’s preferred communication style.

• Supporting functional communication goals meaningful to the person, rather than enforcing conformity to neurotypical norms.

• Challenging stigma and promoting self-advocacy.

• Collaborating with the individual to co-create therapy plans, rather than imposing external expectations.

This approach shifts the focus from “normalising” communication to empowering people to communicate authentically, confidently, and comfortably in ways that work for them.

The Process:

1. Once you have sent an initial enquiry, we will ask for further information and book you in for a consultation. This last 45 minutes.

2. From then we work together to create a plan for you and decide on the frequency of visits (fortnightly or monthly). For younger children we can also offer shorter, 30 minute sessions

3. You will work together in sessions with the SLT and also have activities to work on at home between sessions

4. We can collaborate with external agencies and healthcare provision and work alongisde other SLT to create a more in-depth, wrap around care approach.