Now – without delay
Promptness
The child who cannot be understood by other children is isolated and not learning what can only be learnt from peers. This can have lifelong consequences. If the situation persists, it needs to be dealt with promptly.
Ever since I started work in the NHS, I have sought to keep waiting times down to the minimum. So rather than treating all children once a week indefinitely until their problems were resolved, I developed a practice of fixed terms of therapy, allowing me to see new referrals as soon as possible, in the order of need and the severity of the disorder. That practice has now become more general, although there are still long waits for assessment and treatment in many areas. There is a great need for more Speech and Language Therapists.
Now working privately, I follow the same general approach as I did in the NHS.