Speech and language therapy assistant

Speech and language therapy assistants (SLTAs) help and support speech and language therapists. They work directly with clients, helping them to overcome speech, voice and swallowing difficulties. Assistants work with clients both one-to-one and in groups, prepare rooms and look after equipment, and have clerical and administrative tasks.

Work activities

Speech and language therapy assistants (SLTAs) are part of a team, helping clients overcome speech, language and swallowing problems. They support the work of qualified speech and language therapists. Assistants work directly with clients, who could be of any age. For example, they might work with children who have been slow to develop their language and speech skills, or adults who have difficulty communicating after a stroke. However, most of the work is likely to be with children.

It is the speech and language therapist who makes a diagnosis. They assess the client and, together with the assistant, plan a series of therapy exercises. The SLTA will explain the assessment and treatment aims to the client and their family or carer. They explain the part they will play in the treatment. They then work with the client over a number of weeks to deliver the therapy. With experience, assistants can help with assessments by gathering relevant information and talking to healthcare professionals and the client’s family/carer. They can contribute their information and observations during meetings with the therapist and other professionals.

Work with children involves a lot of playing. SLTAs observe how the child plays and interacts with adults and other children in different settings, for example, community clinics, schools and nurseries. Assistants have to manage and prioritise their own workload, working with clients either one-to-one or in groups. They monitor clients’ progress, record and update information and have regular meetings with the therapist to discuss individual cases. Assistants also contact and work with other healthcare professionals, for example, to get their advice. Together with the therapist, assistants make changes to the therapy programme to suit the client’s individual needs, taking into account their progress so far. They must also report to the therapist any feelings they have that progress is not being made, for example, that the therapy aims are not being met. It is the assistant’s job to prepare the room before a therapy session and get any equipment that will be used. They might have to put out or tidy away toys. Assistants have to meet each client’s needs to access therapy sessions, so they might have to rearrange furniture and help with buggies and wheelchairs. Assistants are responsible for clients’ safety, so they have to know safe moving and handling techniques. When working with adults in particular, SLTAs have to be sensitive to clients’ emotional states. For example, a client might be feeling frustrated or depressed. The assistant will need to listen and talk to the client but discuss any issues with the therapist or another healthcare professional. The equipment assistants might work with includes a range of toys and play materials, and communication aids - which include pictures and symbols as well as electronic devices. SLTAs also develop and prepare therapy materials such as picture books, vocabulary books, games and sound clips.

Assistants might be responsible for keeping a stock of equipment and ordering new items when they are required. They have clerical and administrative duties, including using computers to access and maintain confidential records. SLTAs work in a variety of places, including community health centres, hospitals, schools (mainstream and special schools), education services and charities. Staff at a more senior level, with increased responsibility, will usually be working as assistant practitioners.

Personal qualities and skills

To be a speech and language therapy assistant, you’ll need:

To be caring, and able to get on well with people from all backgrounds.
Patience, tact and sensitivity.
The ability to reassure and encourage clients.
Spoken and written communication skills.
The ability to develop knowledge of language therapy, including verbal and non-verbal communication methods.
Accurate record-keeping skills, including on a computer.
Teamwork skills to support the therapist and work with other assistants, parents/carers, teachers and medical staff.
Initiative.

Pay and opportunities

NHS employees are paid on a rising scale within defined pay bands, according to their skills and responsibilities. In 2023, speech and language therapy assistants typically begin on band 3, starting on a salary of £22,383 full time.

Full-time posts are 37.5 hours a week, Monday to Friday. However, many SLTAs work part-time.

Most employment is in the NHS, in community health centres, hospitals, mainstream and special schools, assessment units and day centres. Other SLTAs are employed by private healthcare companies, education services and charities. Opportunities for speech and language therapy assistants occur with employers in towns and cities throughout the UK. Pay and conditions may be different in the private sector.

Where are vacancies advertised?

Vacancies are advertised in local/national newspapers, on the Government’s Find a Job service, on the NHS Jobs website and on job boards.

Entry routes and training

Some entrants have experience and qualifications gained in related areas. This can include working with some of the types of client you’d meet in speech and language therapy, for example, children and people with physical or learning disabilities. Some entrants have knowledge of other languages and cultures. Almost all undergraduate degrees in speech and language therapy require full time attendance.

Usually, most of your training will be on-the-job, working with qualified and experienced therapists and assistants.

Promotion could be to an assistant practitioner position. The experience and qualifications you can gain as an assistant might be valuable when applying for a place on a BSc degree course to become a speech and language therapist.

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act: This career is an exception to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. This means that you must supply information to an employer about any spent or unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings, if they ask you to. This is different from other careers, where you only have to reveal information on unspent convictions if you are asked to.

Qualifications

For a degree, you will typically need two relevant A-levels and GCSEs in maths and English.

Adult opportunities

Age limits: It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Some entrants have experience in a related care post, such as working as a healthcare assistant.

Related careers

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Speech and language therapist