Supportive professionals that I might suggest you visit.
Communication is multi-faceted, and difficulties with communication can be influenced by a number of factors. Similarly, communication can cause other issues that need support from other professionals. I try to link families to services that will explain difficulties (and therefore support improvement), complement speech & language therapy, or are a step before speech & language therapy starts.
Audiologist – This is number one for me by a longshot, particularly for children with speech and/or language difficulties… making sure your child can hear well with a full hearing assessment. A full assessment will show if there are difficulties hearing sounds, and reveal why (e.g. fluid behind the middle ear, hearing loss). There are also Audiology services privately looking into Auditory Processing Disorder and I sometimes suggest this be considered.
Ear, Nose, Throat Specialist (Otolaryngologist) – If your child has a voice quality that is nasal or husky, if they have large tonsils and snore, these are a few of the types of symptoms that will alert me to suggest a referral for assessment from an ENT. There’s not much point in trying to give therapy when there’s a physical cause for a symptom and it’s better to know what you’re dealing with, even if it’s only to rule out a possible problem.
Paediatrician – A Paediatrician is a medical doctor who specialises in looking after children. Paediatricians cover a range of areas so if there are concerns raised that would benefit from the help of someone who can assess the big picture of a child’s development (e.g. learning, general development, identify conditions and syndromes that might be causing communication difficulties), and/or the finer details of development (e.g. behavior, feeding, allergies), I might suggest a referral via your family GP.
Local public Speech-Language Therapy services e.g. McKenzie Centre/Ministry of Education/Child Development Team – This may seem bad for my business to be suggesting you refer to a public sector J however, I want the best for your child’s development and when I think a child should meet the criteria for a free service I will tell you. There is usually a wait, sometimes a very long wait for service, and I can support you while you wait, and after your child has been discharged (but may still need ongoing support).
Occupational Therapist (OT)– If I hadn’t become a Speech-Language Therapist, I probably would have trained as an OT! Occupational Therapy can help children with various needs improve their cognitive, physical, sensory, and motor skills. It is complementary to speech & language therapy and can support outcomes in all areas of a child’s learning and development. For more on what Occupational Therapists working with children do, have a look here: https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/treatments-approaches/therapies/occupational-therapy-what-you-need-to-know
Dentist/Orthodontist/Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist/Oral Surgeon – it probably comes as no surprise that structural issues with the mouth and teeth can impact a child’s speech. When I see a child with bite differences (e.g. underbite or overbite), mouth breathing, thumb sucking (with adult teeth), lip and/or tongue tie, one or more of these professionals will best be consulted to make a plan.
Social skills program/social emotional resilience program – I can support a child’s social skills by developing speech and language abilities, though there are many social skills that are needed for children to get on with others: giving eye contact, listening well, the ability to initiate, maintain and end a conversation, greetings/farewells, empathizing, and resolving conflict. Usually these are best developed socially – with other children at a similar stage. That is why I often suggest joining a social skills program. Similarly, sometimes I see children whose parents are worried about their child’s anxious feelings. These children also can benefit from a social skills program, particularly one like ‘Fun Friends’ or ‘Friends for Life’ where emotional resilience is a focus for coaching.
Parenting Place – Parenting can be hard, and sometimes a bit of general guidance on supporting our child’s development and behaviour is all we need. The Parenting Place website has fantastic tips, books, seminars, and coaches to help with those common, and not so common parenting questions.