Keep every assessment, therapy goal and session note on one child or adult record.

A speech therapy clinic works in small steps. Months pass. A child may attend twice a week for a year, with a new target every few weeks as speech sounds improve. An adult recovering from a stroke may come for a block of sessions, then return for a review. Progress is slow. It shows only in the notes written after each session. The record counts for as much as the session itself. A note never written cannot be recreated afterwards.

Most clinics keep a diary for slots, a folder of assessment forms and a spreadsheet of packages paid. Therapists write goals in one place. Parents ask about progress in another. Clinic software joins the booking, the goals, the notes and the balance. Nothing is retyped.

x it with the parent or the adult client. A new client gets an assessment first. That takes an hour. The therapist takes a case history and tests speech sounds, language and voice, and writes a report with goals. The family agrees to them first.

Each session ends with a note on what was practised and how the client responded. Home practice sheets go home with the parent. Practice between visits is where most progress is made. Some clinics run group sessions for fluency or social communication, and some visit schools or homes with a travelling therapist.

Fees are taken per session or as a package of sessions paid in advance. Staff must then count each attended visit against the block the family bought. Miscounts happen often. Parents ask for reports. Letters take time. The owner checks therapist hours. Rooms in use, packages running out and clients who have quietly stopped coming all come up at the monthly review.