Broad Oaks Speech Therapy

11/11/2025

Putting the ‘communication’ in communication skills 💪

We are giving you a full month’s notice that we close on Sat 20th Dec and open again Wed 7th Jan 2026.

I for one can’t wait for Emer’s first Christmas, mince pies with vanilla custard, the purple Quality Street, Baileys over Ice and the Annual O’Hare Christmas Family Quiz & Karaoke session 🤩

Santa would be proud of the early announcement 🫠🎁😄

11/11/2025

11/11/2025

✨ Diary open for 2026! ✨

This organised queen is officially taking bookings for 2026 in both locations Laurencetown and Camlough.

School sessions, Teacher/CA training and Sing Sign & Rhyme classes also available on request.

📩 WhatsApp to get booked in 🌳

What a year it has been for Broad Oaks Speech Therapy.. now to keep the shoulder to the wheel and keep on keepin’ on 💪

Mary-Ellen

12/10/2025

Have you noticed children in your class or at home sitting in a "W" position? It's very common at the moment but it can also be a clue.

Often, children who prefer W-sitting do so because it provides a wider base of support, which requires less core strength and stability. This preference can sometimes be linked to underlying developmental patterns, like retained primitive reflexes.

These are reflexes from infancy that haven't yet integrated, and they can impact everything from a child's balance and coordination to their ability to sit still and focus.

If you're curious about why a child might be W-sitting and want to learn more about other subtle signs of retained reflexes, I've put together a helpful checklist.

Get my FREE Reflex Checklist and see what to look for: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ngqeujDqXSOvupEfuWHQTnsluiN05nfY/view?usp=drive_link

19/09/2025

Before pencils come playground skills:
* Crossing the monkey bars (shoulder, core and hand strength for writing!)
* Balancing on one foot (core stability for sitting!)
* Catching a ball (visual tracking for reading!)
* Jumping on hopscotch path (bilateral coordination for reading and writing!)

The playground is the BEST classroom for school readiness!

02/09/2025

‼️‼️Pricing Update‼️‼️

Effective September 1st, there will be some adjustments to our service pricing at Broad Oaks Speech Therapy.
This wasn’t an easy decision, but with rising costs and our continued commitment to providing you with the best possible input, these changes help ensure we can keep delivering the quality service your child deserves.
📋 Information including our new price list and payment options have been sent directly to all current clients via email (If you have not received this please get in touch so I can forward via WhatsApp).

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out - my inbox is always open… 🌳📧📲

Thank you for your understanding 🤗

Mary-Ellen

01/09/2025

Good luck to all the little ones starting their school journey today, and to those heading back for a new year!

Also thinking of all the mums and dads – you’ve got this too 💪💛 Go smash it, kiddos! 🌟 school days really Re the best days of your life 🥰🥰🥰🥰

22/08/2025

🌟 Shoutout to my OG, Jude! 🌟 He’s been with me since day one and has smashed every single goal we have ever set 🤩👏 Not only is he making amazing progress each week, but he’s also the king of comedy in the clinic 😂✨ Jude, you’re a superstar and you will never know how much joy you have brought to me 😭⭐️

Side note- Can anyone spot the massive beanstalk in the background? That’s Jude’s handy work 🙌🏻🙌🏻taller and taller right up to the ceiling 👌🥳

13/08/2025

🌟 200 productions… in ONE session! 🌟
Today, Ellie smashed through her target words using the complexity approach — and the progress is speaking for itself.

Why is this important? 📈
When it comes to speech sound therapy, dosage matters. The more correct productions a child gets in a session, the quicker those new sounds stick. It’s not just about practice — it’s about enough of the right kind of practice.

Ellie has gone from tricky targets to confident productions, and the change in her speech clarity has been incredible. 💬✨

Here’s to hard work, smart therapy, and celebrating every milestone! 🎉💪

06/08/2025

Meet Maeve, my beautiful daughter who I am absolutely obsessed with 💜🩷

This week I knew the time had come to take action and address Maeve’s difficulty with her sounds. Despite having a Speech Therapist for a mum who continually models sounds to the point of annoyance here we are.
I knew I couldn’t put it off any longer. Gotta practice what you preach eh….🫠

It was a lovely reminder that speech and language development isn’t always linear, even in the most supportive environments. Every child moves at their own pace — and needing support doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong 💬

Now that I have assessed and completed an in depth phonetic and phonological speech analysis I have my plan. I have direction. I know what I have to do.

I don’t doubt that it will be difficult, especially as I am so close to her but that’s my job.

We are only on Day 1 of her Speech Sound journey but already I am so proud of her 🤗✨

Remember, the price of doing nothing often outweighs the cost of action… or something like that, I’m so tired 😭🤣

02/08/2025

Back with this little superstar yesterday ✨ her smile says it all 🥰 After a few weeks away, it was pure joy to my heart to see Eleanor light up exploring our new room (and diving straight into the Peppa toys 🐷💖). She faces challenges many of us will never understand, but her spirit shines so brightly. I am so so incredibly proud of her, always 🌈💫

03/07/2025

The vision is coming to life 🌳 🤩

Massive thanks to 🎨what a talent you have ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Now to invest in a coffee machine and we are landed ☕️🤣