Children forced to wait a YEAR for speech therapy help due to savage cuts

Children with speech problems are struggling along without help because of NHS cuts.

Nearly a third under four get NO aid when they need it most - with 40 per cent of under-18 sufferers not seen.

And some have to wait a YEAR to see a therapist, compared to 18 weeks in 2012.

Quality of care is also down because senior experts have been ditched to save cash, says the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Its survey found half its services across the UK had budgets slashed last year.

College chief Kamini Gadhok said: "It's a false economy. Children are entering school without the necessary communication skills which will cost the system much more in the long term."

Research shows failing to treat a generation of under-11s with poor speech skills could cost the taxpayer £26billion.

Long waiting lists have led to overworked therapists quitting.

One in 10 children has a speech problem like language delay, stammering or dyspraxia.

In deprived areas, more than half of children start school with delayed language skills.

But services are so under-funded it is estimated that almost 40 per cent of sufferers under 18 aren't able to see a therapist, says the Centre for Workforce Intelligence.

And 30 per cent under four get no help.

The National Deaf Children's Society claims its youngsters are hard hit - like Mya Noi, five.

Left deaf in one ear through meningitis, she talks with a lisp. She had to wait nine months to see a therapist, and then was only promised two sessions.

Her mum Leanne, 32, of Middleton, Rochdale, said: "I had to look on the internet to find ways to help her."

NHS England claims the number of NHS therapists has increased by 144 since 2010.

But London speech therapist Ria Bernard said: "There's a real crisis. If you get to a child before five significant improvement is high. But some children are waiting a year to be seen."