An Aberdeenshire father has opened up about the effect council cuts will have on his Down’s syndrome son.
Aberdeenshire Council will decide whether to cut all funding for speech and language therapists in schools and nurseries at tomorrow’s (Thursday) budget meeting.
This would mean children with speech and language needs would need to go through the NHS to see a therapist.
More than 6,000 kids set to be impacted by speech therapist cuts
Should the council decide to go ahead with the termination of speech and language therapy in schools, 6,282 children across Aberdeenshire will be affected.
One of those is 11-year-old Harry Davie from Alford.
Harry has Down’s syndrome, and having speech and language therapists at Alford Primary has been a godsend to him and parents Paul and Fiona.
“Harry has what’s called cathedral palate,” explained Paul.
“Where the roof of our mouth is flat, Harry’s is arched, which makes speech difficult for him.
“We all take speech for granted but it’s really quite difficult for Harry to pick up. He also has learning delay so really anything takes longer for him.”
P7 pupil Harry has benefitted from the speech and language therapists at his school for most of his life.
His mum and dad have tried various ways of helping their son, but by far the most effective has been simply to let the therapists work their magic in school.
‘Parents get stuck. That’s where speech and language therapists come in’
“We’ve tried lots of things, and spent a lot of our own money.
“But we get to the point where we’re just stuck and don’t know where to go.
“That’s where the speech and language therapists come in.
“They’re the experts, they know what to do.
“The therapists are also there to guide the teachers and give them the tools to help the kids.
“Harry gets a specialist iPad to help him communicate, and it’s the speech and language therapists who show the teachers how to use it appropriately.
“They know Harry and Harry knows them, they’ve got a great rapport both with him and myself and my wife Fiona. They’ve always been so good with him.”
Proposed speech therapist cuts causing worry across Aberdeenshire
Aberdeen-based charity Autism and Neurodiversity North Scotland (A-ND) told The P&J it was “deeply troubled” by the proposed cuts, which will have “far-reaching consequences”.
Paul agrees.
“We’ve had the speech and language therapists since Harry was a little boy.
“We now feel really quite fortunate – it’s the parents of kids who have not yet been born who are really going to be affected by this.
“But we do worry about Harry’s future now.
“Our worry is that, without speech and language therapists, he just gets stuck and his progression slows down.
“We want Harry to be as independent as he can, and a big part of that is him being able to communicate effectively.
“Without that, it’s going to have a negative impact on not just his education but his life.
“Children with Down’s syndrome do take a step back in their development from time to time. That’s where the therapists come in – they just know what to do to get him back on track again.”
He added: “For autistic children as well, we know that a lot of their behavioural problems are linked to frustration at not being able to communicate. Is that now going to get worse?”
‘Councillors have no idea how crucial speech therapists are’
The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) has written an open letter to Aberdeenshire councillors, urging them to reject the cuts.
It said they would “undo decades of progress”.
I asked Paul what his message would be to councillors, who meet tomorrow to determine the fate of the speech and language therapy service in schools.
“Leave your office, go to the schools, sit down with the speech and language therapists, and watch what they do.
“Speak to the parents, speak to the teachers. See the difference they make.
“I think they genuinely have no idea how crucial they are.
“You can’t make such a sweeping decision without that knowledge, and without knowing the ramifications it’s going to have.
“For parents like ourselves, it’s going to be a real added stress.
“Harry is generally a happy boy, but that’s linked to his ability to communicate.
“Is that going to get worse now?
“I do worry about the future, and for new parents it’s going to be really difficult.
“Who are they going to turn to?”
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