Tell us about the help you get to speak or move

Overview

If you are supporting a child or young person to fill in this survey, please see the supporting information (PDF 0.14MB). This helps explain the questions.

We are looking to help more people who work with you, to be able to see if you might need more help with how you speak or move.

We also want to help them to see if you need help because you don’t like certain places (like where there are loud noises or bright lights) or certain feelings (like how some textures might make you feel funny).

We also want to help more people who work with you to be able to give you, and your parents or your carers, information on ways that might help you.

This might mean that your teacher provides this information and help at school rather than a special teacher called a speech and language therapist, occupational therapist or physiotherapist. This would also mean that this help could carry on at home.

This would mean that people who work with you would be able to see if you needed help and provide some or all of the help you need quickly. This would also mean that if you needed more help from a therapist, you would be able to get this more quickly.

We have made up some stories that will show how our plans might mean children get help differently. The ‘before’ stories have used information from parents to describe how some people are getting help now.

Jessica’s story

Last year, Jessica started primary school. Her family had moved from another area and she didn’t know any of the teachers or other adults at her new school.

Jessica was struggling to understand her teachers and would often get answers wrong because she couldn’t understand the questions she was being asked.

Her class teacher invited her mum and dad into school and they talked about what had been happening. The adults decided to refer Jessica to a speech and language therapist, to help Jessica learn how to understand questions.

There are not enough speech and language therapists to help all children and so Jessica and her family wait a long time before they are seen for the first time.

Jessica can’t take part easily at school while she is waiting. When she meets the speech and language therapist, they know exactly how to help. They give her and her family ways that they can try to help Jessica understand questions.

New way of working (This is what could happen if we made the changes talked about in our Therapies Strategy)

Last year, Jessica started primary school. Her family had moved from another area and she didn’t know any of the teachers or other adults at her new school.

Jessica was struggling to understand her teachers and would often get answers wrong because she couldn’t understand the questions she was being asked.

Her class teacher used some questions to see if anyone in her class might need help to understand what people are saying more easily.

After this, the teacher invited her mum and dad into school and they talked about what had been happening.

The teacher explained that they wanted to help Jessica in school. They said they would try some activities with the whole class to help Jessica to understand things when people are talking to her.

The teacher was happy to help because they knew this would help Jessica’s friends learn too. The teacher and Jessica’s parents decided to try the activities for 2 terms and then meet up again.

When they meet again, things are better for Jessica. She is finding it easier to understand what is being asked of her and she is now enjoying taking part in class activities.

Her teacher and parents agree that she doesn’t need to be sent to see a Speech and Language Therapist.

Jake’s story

Jake is 12. He attends school but doesn’t like it very much. He finds it too loud and bright. This can distract him from concentrating on his work in class.

At home, Jake will go to a quieter or darker spot in the house or use fidget toys to help him focus. He doesn’t feel he can do this at school, and he has been told off for clicking a pen or tapping on the desk.

He and his parents have talked about going to see a doctor because they think that Jake may have Autism.

Because Jake doesn’t seem to be doing well at school, the teacher talks to Jake’s parents about how he is struggling in class. Jakes parents explain that they think Jake might have Autism.

The teacher explains that they could make adjustments at school if a doctor has said that he has Autism.

Jake’s parents explain that the waiting list for this is very long and they are still waiting.

New way of working (This is what could happen if we made the changes talked about in our Therapies Strategy)

Jake is 12. Last year at school, his teacher spotted that he was feeling uncomfortable in class and talked to him about it.

Jake explained to the teacher that the bright lights in the classroom and the amount of noise sometimes make it hard for him to do his work.

The teacher asks Jake what he does at home to help him focus. Jake explains that he can go to a quieter or darker spot in the house and use fidget toys to help him focus on what he is doing.

The teacher arranges for Jake to sit in a less bright area of the classroom.

The teacher talks to Jake’s parents who explain that they think Jake might have Autism. The teacher explains that they can make adjustments at school to help Jake.

The teacher contacts an expert, called an Occupational Therapist, for more ideas about how they could help Jake and others who have similar challenges.

The Occupational Therapist helps the teacher understand how they can help Jake focus in the classroom. Jake is also allowed to use a fidget toy in class, so long as it doesn’t make a noise that distracts his classmates.

Other ways to tell us about the help you get

You can also tell us about the help you get to speak or move, and your ideas, by:

• Joining a group talk with us and other young people
• Talking just to us

If you would like to join our group talk or talk just to us, please contact us at preventioncommissioning@buckinghamshire.gov.uk.

We will then tell you more about how to talk to us.

Picture survey

You can also complete a picture survey. We have used pictures to help explain the questions we ask:

• Picture survey (PDF 0.21MB)
• Picture survey, large font (PDF 0.23MB)

Once completed:

• Email it to preventioncommissioning@buckinghamshire.gov.uk
• Post it to Therapies Strategy consultation, Integrated Commissioning, Buckinghamshire Council, 5th Floor, County Hall, Walton Street, Aylesbury, HP20 1UA

Privacy

We will use the information you provide here only for this activity. We will store the information securely in line with data protection laws and will not share or publish any personal details. For more information about data and privacy, please see our Privacy Policy.

If you have questions about data and privacy, please email us on dataprotection@buckinghamshire.gov.uk. Or write to our Data Protection Officer at Buckinghamshire Council, The Gateway, Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, HP19 8FF.