School-age children

Every school has a link therapist who works together with them to support your child with speech, language and communication. If you have any concerns, please talk to your school.

Paediatricians and other health professionals may also refer children for assessment and support for problems associated with hearing impairment, cleft palate, velopharyngeal impairment, swallowing difficulties and where a diagnosis of autism is being considered.

Under-5s - Ready STEADI Chat

If your child has not yet started school and you are worried about their speech, language or communication, you can book an advice session with one of our therapists called Ready STEADI Chat. 

Call our team on 01202 443200 to book a session. This may be by video call or face to face depending on what we have available.

Lines are open 10am-2pm Monday to Friday. We run the sessions regularly in Christchurch, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Poole, Verwood, Wimborne, Ferndown, Dorchester, Blandford, Shaftesbury, Sherborne, Swanage, Portland, Bridport Weymouth.

We will confirm the date, time of your session, and any other details in a handy email.

Things to remember

We love seeing all children – but we will need to focus on the child booked in. To help us do this, please don’t bring any other children to the session..

Please be on time for the session. We have lots of families to help so sessions need to finish when planned. If you are late, we may not have time to see you and will ask you to rebook for another session.

I want to come – what next?

The virtual sessions take place on various days. A speech and language therapist will talk to you about your concerns, watch your child play and communicate, and will provide you with advice and ideas for supporting your child’s speech, language and communication skills.

We also have some face to face sessions across the county. Once you have chosen which session suits you and your child, please call the booking team to reserve your place. Please be aware that you will not be seen without booking beforehand.

The child must be brought to the session by someone who has parental responsibility, and the child must be registered with a Dorset GP.

Do I need to have anything prepared or bring anything with me?

Please have to hand any information you have from your early years setting about what they have been doing to support your child’s communication, and any professional reports you think would be useful.

To ensure your child gains maximum benefit from a session, we request that if at all possible, other children are not brought along to any sessions.

What do I need to know about a virtual session?

You will receive an email when booking your place which contains a link you need.

10 minutes before your booked session, click on the link  and you will enter the Attend Anywhere Waiting Room, where you will be able to follow simple instructions and enter your details. Please enter your child’s name rather than your own as it ensures the therapist can quickly identify you in the online waiting area. 

The therapist will start the call for you, and they will listen to the concerns you may have, and if needed will interact with your child over the video call in a fun and interactive way.

What do I need to know about a face-to-face session?

It is really important to turn up on time to the session. You will have been allocated a specific time slot and unfortunately this cannot be extended due to lateness as the next family will be waiting to be seen. 

We will listen to the concerns you may have, and the therapist will spend some time with your child to find out more about their speech and language skills using age-appropriate methods, such as playing with toys and games.

What will happen next?

You will be provided with some activities and strategies to do at home and to share with your nursery, preschool or childminder, which will be sent to you by email.

You may be advised that your child's speech language and communication is age appropriate, or we may recommend local groups, activities for your child’s setting, therapy sessions, or further assessment. The next steps planned for your child will be discussed with you during the session. 

To reduce waiting times, the face to face sessions can only be booked up to a maximum of two weeks in advance.

If you have been asked to provide more information about your child before an appointment which we have sent you in the post, please do so by clicking on one of the links below. Once completed, this information will be securely submitted to our administration team and added to your child’s health record.   This is the important first step in the assessment of your child, and the speech and language therapist will review this information prior to your appointment.

Please note this is NOT required before a Ready STEADI Chat session, fill this out only if you have been asked to.

  • Your Child's Development History - Questionnaire for speech and language assessment

  • Your Child's Development History - Questionnaire for developmental disorder assessment