We are a group of speech and language therapists and assistants working in Doncaster. We are walking the Yorkshire Three Peaks on Saturday 6th October 2018 to raise money to buy IPADs and speech and language therapy apps. Apps on Ipads can significantly help children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) but the current NHS financial climate makes it difficult to provide this kind of resource.

More than 10% of children have speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). In areas of social deprivation, upwards of 50% of children can start school with communication difficulties. If left unidentified and unsupported, communication needs can have long-term impact on education, employment, social mobility, mental health and involvement with the justice system.

Speech and language therapists and assistants (SLTs) provide treatment, support and care for children and young people who have communication difficulties. We see children in schools, nurseries, clinics and at home. We work with children directly and with those around them - teachers, parent/s, health visitors and other medical professionals.

In order to provide the best possible care, we regularly review our ways of working. In a society that revolves around technology, increasing numbers of children are accessing IPADs and tablets, both at home and in schools. The use of technology in speech and language therapy has rapidly increased in recent years and there are now a variety of available apps covering a wide range of speech and language difficulties. The benefits of using apps include:

* They are motivating for children, because they are visually appealing.
* They offer the opportunity to carry out practice at home and in school, greatly enhancing the therapy provided.
* Apps are relatively cheap, compared to other resources.
* We travel a lot. Tablets give us more resources with less to carry.
* Apps allows us to make the information we provide more accessible to parents.