Difficulty speaking and communicating can have causes including learning disabilities, physical disabilities like cerebral palsy, strokes, brain injury, neurological diseases and cancers of the head and neck. Some children have severe problems in learning to speak although their physical and mental development is otherwise normal. You can get help from speech and language therapists and from the voluntary organisations who specialise in this area.

Speech and Language Therapists
Speech and language therapists are professionally trained to help children and adults who have impaired communications in either understanding or producing speech and language. Sometimes the therapist might advise using a communication aid.

You can find out about local services by contacting your local NHS speech and language service through your GP or the health authority (Scotland: Health Board) whose number is in the phone book, or phone NHS Direct on 0845 4647

Voluntary organisations

The Communication Forum was set up in 1994 to bring together those concerned with communication impairments. The Forum does not itself provide services, but promotes initiatives on behalf of two and a half million people in the UK with communication impairments. If you need information about a specific communication difficulty, contact the relevant organisation below. See ADDRESSES for full addresses and phone numbers of organisations or write to the Forum.
Website: http://www.communicationsforum.org.uk/
Core Members with communication disability as a central concern: Action for Dysphasic Adults/ AFASIC/ British Aphasiology Society/ British Dyslexia Association/ British Stammering Association/ Communication Matters/ David Lewis Centre/ I CAN/ Makaton Vocabulary Development Project/ The Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children/ National Association of Laryngectomy Clubs/ National Centre for Cued Speech/ SCOPE/ Sense/ the SINGALONG Group.

Communication Matters is a UK national charitable organisation of members concerned with the augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) needs of people with complex communication needs.
Communication Matters is also known as ISAAC (UK) - the UK Chapter of the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC) - and is a core member of the Communication Forum.

Communication Matters (ISAAC UK)
  c/o ACE Centre, 92 Windmill Road, Headington, Oxford OX3 7DR, UK
  General Enquiries: Tel & Fax 0845 456 8211
  International: Tel & Fax +44 131 467 7487
  Email: admin@communicationmatters.org.uk
Website: http://www.communicationmatters.org.uk

Associate Members with communication impairment as one of their concerns: Aid for Children with Tracheostomies/ Children’s Head Injury Trust/ Cleft Lip and Palate Association/ Contact a Family/ Council for Disabled Children/ Down’s Syndrome Association/ Headway/ IPSEA (Independent Panel for Special Educational Advice/PRI Liberator Ltd/ MENCAP/ Motor Neurone Disease Association/ Multiple Sclerosis Society/ National Autistic Society/ Paget Gorman Society/ RAD/ RNIB/ RNID/ Speakeasy.


Action for Dysphasic Adults (ADA) is dedicated to the needs of those whose understanding and use of language is impaired by stroke, head injury, etc. but who are usually otherwise intellectually unimpaired. All forms of communication may be affected - reading writing and sometimes gesture.

Services include:

Support and advice for dysphasic people and their families, including legal and advocacy advice;

Publications and tapes

A network of branches and self-help groups across the country and support for those who wish to set up new groups

Training materials for professionals and volunteers;

Communication training scheme for care staff in residential home for the elderly;

Dissemination of knowledge through conferences and seminars and public education.

Telephone helpline staffed by speech and language therapist: 0207 261 9572

AFASIC (Unlocking Speech and Language) represents children and young people with speech and language impairments. It provides information and support to parents and professionals through literature, a helpline, workshops and conferences; liaises with local and central government and has 50 local groups throughout the country.

Tel: 0207 236 3632/6487

The British Stammering Association offers a UK-wide information and counselling service. Mutual-aid activities include early treatment of pre-school dysfluent children. Policy is set by stammerers and parents, with the support of expert speech and language therapists. Tel: 0208 983 1003 local call rate Helpline: 0845 603 2001

I CAN (Invalid Children’s Aid Nationwide) is the national educational charity for children with speech and language impairments. I CAN’s service includes three residential schools, a nursery development programme, secondary language resource units and a training centre offering courses, publications, and teaching aids. Tel: 0207 374 4422

Communication aids

People with severe difficulties in speaking or writing can be helped by communication aids. These range from charts with pictures, symbols and letters or words to electronic voice output devices and specially adapted computers.You may be able to obtain communication aids from The NHS speech therapy services, local education authorities, schools and colleges, and through the Employment Service.

See also ‘EQUIPMENT’

Communication aids centres (NHS)

If necessary local professionals will refer you to specialist regional and national communication aids centres which assess the needs and advise on the most suitable aid. The NHS centres are staffed by speech and language therapists and may have occupational therapists and engineers. The following centres assess people of all ages unless otherwise indicated:

Birmingham Access to Communication and Technology. Tel: 0121 627 8235

Bristol (adults) Assistive Communications Aids Centre. Tel: 0117 970 1212, ext 2151

Cardiff Communication Aids Centre. Tel: 02920 566 281

Cornwall Truro Communication Aids Centre. Tel: 01872 74242

East Sussex Chailey Heritage Clinical Services. Tel: 01825 722 112

Edinburgh Keycomm - Lothian Communication Technology. Tel: 0131 443 6775

Glasgow Scottish Centre of Technology for the Communication Impaired.

Tel: 0141 201 6425/ 6426

Leicester Speech and Language Therapy Department. Tel: 0116 251 6811

London Augmentative Communication Service, The Wolfson Centre. Tel: 0207 837 7618

London Cheyne Child Development Service. Tel: 0208 846 6488

London Assistive Communication Service. Tel: 0208 846 1057/8

Newcastle “Communicate” Northern Communication Aids Centre. 
The Lodge,  Regional Neurological Rehabilitation Centre, Hunters Road, Newcastle upon Tyne   NE2 4NR     Tel: 0191 219 5640   Fax: 0191 219 5647
Email for general enquiries:  Communicate@nap.nhs.uk

Sheffield Speech and Language Therapy Agency, Fulwood House Tel: 0114 271 6765

Southampton Communication Aids Centre, Southampton General Hospital

Tel: 02380 777222