What to Do While You Are on a Speech and Language Therapy Waitlist

Waiting for Speech and Language Therapy can be frustrating, especially when you are already worried about your child’s communication.

The good news is that you don’t need to become your child’s therapist while you wait.

There are simple, low-pressure things you can do to make communication easier, help your child feel successful and gather useful information for their first appointment.

The aim is support, not diagnosis or DIY therapy.

Prepare for your first appointment

7 simple ways to support communication while you wait

These strategies are useful for many children and can be built into things you already do together.

1. Follow your child’s lead

You don’t always need to decide what to play with or talk about. Notice what has caught your child’s attention and join them.

If they are pushing a tractor around the floor, sit nearby and talk about the tractor. If they are watching bubbles, talk about the bubbles. Children are often more ready to communicate when we talk about something they are already interested in.

Instead of: “Come here. Let’s look at this book.”

Try: joining what they are already doing and adding simple language. “Tractor! It’s going… brmm brmm!”

2. Comment more and test less

Adults naturally ask children lots of questions: “What is this?” “What colour is it?” “What is the cow doing?” “What did you do today?”

Questions aren’t bad, but lots of them can make communication feel like a test. Try replacing some questions with comments.

Instead of “What is that?” try “Oh, a cow!”

Instead of “What is the dog doing?” try “The dog is running!”

Your child gets to hear useful language without needing to produce an answer every time.

3. Give them time

Children often need longer than we expect to understand what has been said, decide what they want to communicate and work out how to communicate it.

After you say something, pause and wait. Try quietly counting to five in your head before saying anything else.

Your child might:

1. look at you
2. point
3. reach
4. make a sound
5. use a gesture or sign
6. use their AAC
7. say a word or sentence

All of these can be meaningful communication.

Try the Wait Time Trainer

4. Model, don’t demand

You can show your child the language they might use without asking them to copy you.

If your child points to bubbles, you could say “Bubbles!” If they say “Car,” you could add “Fast car!” If they say “Dog running,” you might respond “Yes! The dog is running!”

This lets your child hear language that is just slightly beyond what they are currently using, without putting them under pressure to repeat it.

5. Offer choices

Choices can make it easier for children to communicate. Instead of “What do you want?” try “Apple or banana?” Show the options if you can.

And remember: your child does not have to say the word for their choice to count. If they look at the banana, point to it, sign, reach for it, use AAC or say “banana”, respond to their message. The goal is successful communication.

6. Respond to all forms of communication

Communication is much bigger than talking. Your child might communicate through facial expressions, looking, reaching, pointing, gestures, signs, sounds, words, sentences, pictures, a communication book or an AAC device.

Responding to these attempts teaches your child something important: “When I communicate, people listen.”

You do not need to withhold something your child wants until they say the word.

7. Use everyday routines

You don’t need to sit your child down for a special “speech session”. Some of the best opportunities happen during things you already do:

1. Getting dressed: “Sock on… shoe on.”
2. Snack time: “More?” “Banana or apple?”
3. Bath time: “Splash!” “Wash hands.” “More bubbles!”
4. Playing: “Ready… steady…” pause “GO!”
5. Reading: talk about the pictures, make comments, copy funny sounds and give your child time to join in.

Choose one strategy to try during one everyday routine. You don’t need to do everything at once.

What should I work on while we wait?

This depends on why your child has been referred. You do not need to work out your child’s diagnosis or choose formal therapy targets yourself. Here are some safe ways to help in the meantime.

If your child is late to start talking or has difficulties with language

Focus on making communication easy and enjoyable. You can:

1. follow their interests
2. use simple, natural language
3. repeat useful words during everyday routines
4. comment on what your child is doing
5. give them time to respond
6. offer choices
7. add a little language to what they already say
8. respond to gestures, signs, sounds and AAC as well as spoken words

For example, Child: “Ball.” Adult: “Big ball!” Or your child points to the door and you say “Outside! You want to go outside.”

You don’t need to make your child repeat the longer phrase.

If your child’s speech is difficult to understand

If your child says a sound or word differently, you can model the word correctly without correcting them or making them repeat it.

Child: “Look, a tat!” Adult: “Yes, a cat! A little cat.” Then continue the conversation.

Try to focus on what your child is telling you rather than how accurately they say it. If you don’t understand, you can also encourage them to show you, point, gesture, draw or give you another clue.

Should we practise individual speech sounds? Unless a Speech and Language Therapist has already assessed your child and given you a specific target, it is usually better not to choose a sound yourself and drill it at home. Different speech difficulties need different approaches, and the sound that seems most obvious to practise is not always the most appropriate therapy target. If an SLT has already given your child specific words, sounds or activities to practise, continue following their advice.

If your child stammers

Try to keep talking relaxed and enjoyable. You can:

1. give your child time to finish
2. listen to what they are saying rather than how smoothly they say it
3. keep natural eye contact
4. reduce interruptions and competition for turns
5. slow your own speaking rate slightly and use natural pauses

Avoid telling your child to “slow down”, “take a breath”, “start again” or “think before you speak”. Your child is not stammering because they are talking incorrectly, and these reminders can increase pressure around speaking.

If your child is worried about their stammer, it is okay to acknowledge it and talk about it in a calm, accepting way.

If your child uses AAC, signs or pictures

Keep their communication system available and accessible. Use it alongside your own speech when you can, and respond when your child communicates through it. A spoken word does not need to be the price of getting what they want.

If your child points to “drink” on their communication board, you can acknowledge the message: “Drink! You want a drink.” The aim is for your child to experience communication as useful and successful.

If your child speaks more than one language

Keep speaking the language or languages that feel most natural for your family. Being bilingual or multilingual does not cause a speech or language disorder. Parents do not need to switch to English at home because their child has a communication difficulty.

Rich, natural interaction in the language you are most comfortable speaking gives your child a strong language model. Tell the Speech and Language Therapist which languages your child hears, understands, speaks, and uses with different people.

What is useful to notice while you wait?

You don’t need to spend weeks collecting data or counting every word your child says. Instead, notice a few real-life communication moments.

What is your child trying to communicate? Asking for something, asking for help, protesting, commenting, telling you something that happened, joining a conversation, playing with another child.

How do they communicate it? Do they look or reach, point, gesture, use sounds, use words or sentences, sign, or use pictures or AAC?

When is communication easiest? Perhaps your child communicates much more at home than at nursery, with familiar adults, during play, when there aren’t lots of people around, when they can see what you are talking about, or when they have extra time.

When does communication become difficult? Try to remember a few examples:

1. “She can follow one instruction, but gets lost if I give her two things to do.”
2. “We understand him at home, but other people often don’t.”
3. “He knows lots of words but finds it difficult to tell us what happened at nursery.”
4. “She gets frustrated when we don’t understand what she wants.”

These examples are often much more useful to an SLT than a general statement such as “his speech isn’t very good”.

What helps? Notice whether communication becomes easier when you wait longer, shorten what you say, show your child what you mean, offer choices, reduce background noise, use gestures or pictures, or give them another way to communicate.

You are not trying to diagnose the difficulty. You are simply collecting useful information.

Open the Waitlist Log

Think about one goal

Before your first appointment, think about one thing you would love your child to be able to do more easily over the next few months. It doesn’t need to sound like a professional therapy target. Think about everyday life:

1. “I’d like her grandparents to understand more of what she says.”
2. “I’d like him to be able to tell us when he needs help.”
3. “I’d like her to be able to tell me something that happened at nursery.”
4. “I’d like him to join in conversations with other children more confidently.”
5. “I’d like everyday instructions to be easier for her to understand.”

Your SLT can use this information to help identify meaningful and realistic goals with you.

Prepare for your first appointment

A little preparation can help your SLT understand your child more quickly. You might want to bring or make a note of:

1. your main concerns
2. two or three real-life examples
3. what your child does well
4. what nursery or school has noticed
5. what helps your child communicate
6. your child’s interests
7. relevant reports or hearing test results
8. the languages your child hears and uses
9. any communication systems your child uses
10. one goal you would like your child to work towards
11. questions you would like to ask

A short, natural video of your child communicating can sometimes be useful too, particularly if they communicate differently at home than they do with unfamiliar adults. You do not need to stage or test them for the video.

Your child’s first appointment may include conversation with you, observation, play, informal activities and/or a formal assessment, depending on their age and needs.

How to prepare for your first appointment

A simple waitlist plan

You do not need a four-week home therapy programme. Try this instead.

1. Choose one communication strategy

For example: “This week I’m going to give him more time to answer.” or “During play I’m going to comment more and ask fewer questions.”

2. Notice a few real-life examples

Pay attention to when communication is easy, when it breaks down and what seems to help. You don’t need to record everything.

3. Keep communication low-pressure

Don’t spend the waiting period testing your child or constantly asking them to practise. Play, talk, read, sing and include communication opportunities in normal family life.

4. Prepare for the appointment

Gather your main observations, relevant reports and questions. Think about the one change that would make the biggest difference to your child’s everyday life. That’s useful information for your SLT.

When should I seek advice sooner?

Being on a waiting list does not mean you have to stay silent if something changes. Contact your GP, health visitor, local Speech and Language Therapy service or another appropriate healthcare professional if:

1. your child loses words, communication skills or other skills they previously had
2. you develop new or increasing concerns about their hearing
3. your child’s communication difficulties are having a significant or increasing effect on everyday life
4. their needs have changed considerably since the referral
5. you have broader concerns about their development

You can also contact the service your child is waiting for and let them know if their needs have changed. If the waiting time is long, it may be worth asking whether the service offers cancellation appointments, parent workshops, group support or other options while you wait.

Eating, drinking or swallowing concerns

Do not simply wait for a routine speech and language appointment if you are concerned about your child’s swallowing safety. Seek appropriate healthcare advice if your child regularly:

1. coughs or chokes while eating or drinking
2. has changes in breathing during meals
3. has a wet or gurgly-sounding voice after eating or drinking
4. appears to have food stuck
5. has significant difficulty chewing or swallowing
6. develops repeated chest infections alongside swallowing concerns

If your child is having immediate difficulty breathing or appears to be choking, seek urgent medical help.

You don’t need to do therapy all day

When you’re worried about your child’s communication, it can feel as though you should be doing something every spare minute. You don’t need to.

Children communicate throughout everyday life. A few small changes to how you play, talk and respond can create lots of useful communication opportunities without turning home into a therapy room.

The goal while you wait is not to “fix” your child’s communication. It’s to help them feel heard, understood and successful when they communicate, while you gather the information that will help their Speech and Language Therapist understand what support they need.

Open the Waitlist Log Prepare for your first appointment

About this guide

This guide provides general information for parents and carers and is not a diagnosis or a replacement for individual advice from a Speech and Language Therapist or other healthcare professional. Speech and language difficulties can have many different causes and presentations. Advice and therapy should be adapted to the individual child.

Clinical sources and further reading. This guide is informed by parent and clinical guidance from the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT), NHS children’s Speech and Language Therapy services, Speech and Language UK, and STAMMA.

Clinically written and reviewed by a qualified Speech and Language Therapist.