Midlothian

The Toddle-In Clinic is an informal, drop in service run by the Health Visiting Team, offering parents advice and support on their child’s eating, toileting and behaviour as well as height and weight checks. The clinics run on the last Wednesday of the month.
A speech and language therapist also attends the group every other month, offering parents advice and strategies on how to support their child’s speech and language development at home. Parents also have the opportunity to discuss referring their child to speech and language therapy by making a ‘Request for Assistance’.

For more information please contact the Health Visiting Team, on 0131 663 2551.

For information on local Drop-in and information sessions for parents/carers please see info from your local SLT team

For details of the next  Parent  Session to share strategies on how to support children’s talking and listening skills please see info from your local SLT team.

Signalong

Signalong is a system of hand signs which support the understanding of spoken language and expressive communication.  Signalong can be used alongside other visual communication strategies eg objects, photographs, Boardmaker symbols, to provide an inclusive communication learning environment for children and young people.

The Speech and Language Therapy Departments in Midlothian and East Lothian are offering a varied programme of workshops, short introductory courses and foundation level courses for staff and parents/carers throughout the year.

Watch out for information about Signalong training for professionals and parents coming to you via flyers and email. You can also contact the Speech and Language Therapy department on 0131 454 9544 for further information.

Universal

Big Bedtime Read

The Big Bedtime Read is an innovative project set up in Midlothian by Chris Saddler, as part of the Early Years Collaborative. The Big Bedtime Read aims to encourage parents to read bedtime stories to their children and has won a silver award in a national celebration of public sector excellence.

Learn More

To find out if your nursery is involved in the Big Bedtime Read ask your child’s Headteacher or enquire at your local sure start centre. Click here to find your local sure start centre.

Visual Support Project

The Visual Support Project originated as a joint venture between the City of Edinburgh Council ASL services and NHS Lothian SLT Department. The Visual Support Project is now being delivered across schools and nurseries in Midlothian in conjunction with Midlothian Council. It is a programme delivered in early years centres, nurseries, mainstream primaries and special school establishments to raise awareness, change practice and improve access to visual symbol supports, e.g. whole class visual timetables and environmental visual labelling.

The Visual Support Project aims to:

• Enhance staff confidence, knowledge and practice in the use of visual symbol supports.
• Ensure equal and consistent access to high quality visual symbol supports for all children to meet their communication and educational needs.

Once an establishment has enrolled to participate, a member of the Visual Supports Project Team: runs a 1.5 hour whole school professional learning session on visual symbol supports; provides a ready made pack of visual symbol resources; and arranges follow-up visits to each school to support and guide the implementation and use of the resources.

For further information, please contact Lindsay Lambert, Speech and Language Therapist, on 0131 454 9544.

Targeted

Support for Eating, Drinking and Swallowing

Speech and Language Therapists can assess and offer advice to help young children progress in their feeding skills, most often working together with parents/carers, health visitors and other early years staff.  When there are concerns about safe feeding and significant barriers to feeding development, children are referred to our specialist team.

If you, or a parent, have concerns about a child’s eating, drinking or swallowing, you can contact the ‘Request for Assistance’ service on 0131 454 9544 on Tuesday afternoons between 2 and 4 pm.

Woodburn Family Learning Centre

The first Family Learning Centre to support families from before their children are born right up until they start school has opened in Woodburn, Dalkeith. The centre will work in partnership with local parents to design a range of group and adult learning courses. There will be a strong emphasis on encouraging parents’ involvement in their children’s learning and development. Parents and carers will have access to advice and information from a speech and language therapist to support their children if necessary.  By taking an integrated approach to a child’s learning and development from before they are born right up until they go into Primary One, the council can support families under one roof in their local communities to make sure their child gets the best start in life

For more information on Midlothian’s Family Learning Centres please click here.