ËØÈËÉ«ÇéƬ

To mark Learning Disability Week, we are proud to highlight the powerful and creative work of our Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT) team. Their dedication ensures that every person we support at ËØÈËÉ«ÇéƬ has the opportunity to connect, communicate, and celebrate their unique voice.

Innovation is central to the SaLT team’s approach to ensuring everyone has the tools they need to express themselves, as well as access practical teaching opportunities and gain life skills. That could be through fun and engaging Makaton sing-alongs, expressive sensory storybook sessions, or tailored social stories that help navigate new experiences.

One of the latest innovations is the ‘Move It, Say It’ sessions – an interactive vocabulary-building disco experience that combines music, movement and communication in a joyful and accessible way. These sessions, currently being implemented at Acacia Hall school, help young people to explore and develop their expressive language skills in a fun and sensory-rich environment. Similarly, ‘Verb Circuits’ provide energetic but structured learning opportunities that build both motor and language skills, focussing on pairing functional verbs such as “go, stop, walk, run, jump, catch, climb, help” with exercise and activity.

Elsewhere, Swinderby school’s intensive interaction cafés provide an opportunity for young people to play, take turns, explore and build on the foundations of social interactions and peer relationships over a biscuit and a cup of tea. Messy play is a popular choice of activity in these sessions, the sensory aspect prompting curiosity and giving opportunities to understand cause and effect.

The team also continues to champion the use of Makaton across ËØÈËÉ«ÇéƬ. Through training workshops, classroom modelling, and social media content, the SaLT team promotes inclusive communication not only during this special week, but all year round.

Learning Disability Week is not just about activities – it’s about amplifying voices and celebrating identities. The Speech and Language Therapy team facilitates Circle of Support and EHCP review meetings with thoughtfulness and care, ensuring the people we support’s communication needs are not only understood but are at the centre of planning and decision-making. This is enhanced by tools such as Talking Mats, in which an individual is supported to move pictures of items, places, people or choices into like or dislike piles so that their preferences can be considered in their future planning or timetables.

The SaLT team also builds communication-rich environments for the colleagues who support our young people and residents, ensuring they feel confident and equipped to meet their diverse communication needs. Through interactive workshops, in-the-moment coaching, dysphagia awareness, and accessible resources, the team supports colleagues in using strategies such as Makaton, social stories, and visual aids. Working alongside colleagues in the classroom, care settings, and during transitions, the therapists offer practical guidance that helps embed consistent, person-centred communication approaches across all areas of support.

All of which makes communication more accessible and meaningful for the people we support at ËØÈËÉ«ÇéƬ.