Health Visitors

• Health Visitors are often the first professionals that parents and carers turn to if they have concerns regarding their child’s communication development. 

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• The Teddy Talk Test can be used to make an objective evaluation of how a child’s communication development is progressing from 18 months of age onwards.

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• Where a concern is raised by a parent, Health Visitors can use the Teddy Talk Test to present the child with play scenarios to test the child's skills and sign post what to do next. This provides a much more detailed picture of the child's communication profile compared  with the typically used child development checklists.

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• Parents and carers can see for themselves how their child is doing as they observe the Health Visitor carrying out the Teddy Talk Test activities.  If the child is progressing as s/he should, then parents can be reassured.

 

• Where there is cause for concern, the Teddy Talk Test Summary and accompanying guidelines, supports Health Visitors in pin pointing and explaining to parents and carers where their child's difficulties lie and what actions need to be taken as a result.

       It may just be that the child is immature in their development and needs some extra stimulation in specific areas to develop          their skills. Alternatively, more specialist intervention may be required.

 

• Completing the Teddy Talk Test Record Form generates evidence to support a referral to Speech and Language Therapy and a copy of the Record Form should be attached the referral. The form will provide useful information for the therapist prior to seeing the child in the New Referral clinic.

 

• The Teddy Talk Test supports the requirements of the Healthy Child Programme (Dept. of Health 2009)

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• It is also designed to be practical. Everything you need is in the bag so it's a real 'grab and go item and all the objects can be wiped clean.