Communication Therapy aims to underpin learning, independence and quality of life and respect that everyone has the right to communicate their needs and choices.  Students are encouraged to use a variety of means to express themselves and to develop their preferred modes of communication.

At St John’s the Speech and Language Therapy Department is committed to promoting a Total Communication Environment to maximise each student’s potential to:

Welcome Group - getting to know college	Social Language - exploring feelings
Social Language - exploring feelings	Communication Skills  - working out my timetable
Sessional Support - meal planning in the supermarket	Express Themselves - having fun at the beach
Be Understood - yes, I want to do that	Make Choices
Have A Voice  - Performing a gig	Access Real Life Events - waiting for the bus
Achieve Personal Goals

In-class support

Therapy staff may support students with their communication needs during class sessions. This allows students to develop their communication skills and practice strategies in a real life setting whilst supported and encouraged, with a view to helping them use their skills independently.

One to one sessions at Seaford

One to one sessions provide an opportunity to focus intensely on aspects of communication which students find difficult.

For example, students may work on:

• individual speech sounds 
• increasing their understanding of language concepts and sentence structures
• understanding more complex language such as sarcasm, non-literal language forms and inferencing skills
•  using language to convey their needs, retell events or explain information to others
• practicing use of alternative methods of communication
•  practising social communication, e.g. body language, conversation skills
• developing specific communication goals, e.g. talking to shop assistants

Through a variety of targeted activities, the student and the therapist work together in focused sessions to learn and practice new skills, develop strategies and resolve problems related to communication.