Age 5+ Clinical sales pitch AAC & physical/learning disability

AAC - Alternative and Augmentative Communication

Prevalence The amount of people aged years needing AAC has increased 70% from % (6,200) children/young people need high tech AAC in the UK.

Current policy Service provision is variable Funding is split jointly between the health and education services. Service pathway - spoke and hub model of service delivery

Current Issues 85-90% of SLT teams have no SLT with AAC competence There is no statutory body governing the provision of AAC devices 30% of AAC devices go unused 73% reported AAC devices breaking down with 14% waiting over a month for a replacement

Why we need funding Bercow report (2008) found that the needs of children requiring AAC devices were not consistently being met. The cost of a full assessment for a high-tech AAC device is £2,500. AAC devices have a 5 year lifespan before needing to be replaced Managing an AAC device (including purchasing it) costs approximately £4,000 per system

Funding part 2 More money is currently spent on loan banks than provision. The NHS is required to set aside £14,000,000 for AAC services from its yearly budget (OCC, 2011). - However, progression of technology has outstripped current NHS budgets AAC commissioning needs improve to meet needs and be more sustainable

AAC - Key documents/Websites Scope and the ‘no voice, no choice’ campaign Communication Matters/ISSAC rs_sept_2011.pdf Office of the Communciation Champion - _champion_oct_2011.pdf nov_2011.pdf Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Services Standards (Version 1.2) August 2012 British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine (2000) ‘Electronic Assistive Technology’:

SLCN resulting from physical & learning disabilities

Definitions ●Learning Disabilities ●Physical disabilities ●Co-morbidities ●Severity

Needs 89% of people with learning difficulties need speech and language therapy intervention (Bradshaw, 2007) Variable SLT intervention. However there are some common areas of difficulty within this client group Potential risks of not intervening Needs not currently met by mainstream NHS services (Mencap, 2007)

Current provision- health Raising awareness Identifying key priority areas Good practise guidance

Current Provision - Education “Speech and Language therapy should be treated as a special educational provision if it ‘educates or trains’ children.” Children and families bill, ●Statement of Special Educational Needs ○ Soon to be called Education Health Care (EHC) plans).

The Need For Funding There will be negative implications if communication support is not available to these individuals - CQ3(2006) Funding will support SLT developments which can help individuals with these difficulties: Training High quality personalised therapy. Research

●Responsible bodies should ensure that disabled students are not substantially disadvantaged compared to non-disadvantaged peers Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (2001) ●LEAs in England and Wales must provide an accessibility plan for people with SEN needs to ensure participation considering the child’s preferences Equality Act, 2010 Communication is vital to participation in life International Communication Project 2014

Key Documents Di sability discrimination act (1995) Special Educational Needs and Disability act 2001 Come on in - CDC, 2004 Childrens act 1989 Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (1989). Conventions on the rights of the child (1989). Human rights act (1998) Parent Participation improving services for disabled children (2004) Every child Matters (2003)

Useful links remain-an-educational-provision/ remain-an-educational-provision/ Goswami, U (2008) Mental Capital and Wellbeing: Making the most of ourselves in the 21st century Learning difficulties: Future challenges. Government office for science. Retrieved 19/3/14 from capital/learning_difficulties.pdfhttp:// capital/learning_difficulties.pdf %20Policy.pdf %20Policy.pdf abilities_plus_intro abilities_plus_intro