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The Speech Therapist, Woodpeckers Rest, Godalming (2025)

10/01/2025

So many people feel stuck in a rut, you are not alone. There is so much hope and help out there. Change happens and starts from within. Be Intentional, Be Positive and Start Small.

01/01/2025

Wishing you all a very happy and healthy 2025! Thank you to all the children, families, educators and friends I've met this year. I feel incredibly lucky to be in this special community! It's only our second year and it feels like home!

16/10/2024

Scroll along to learn about phonological awareness skills! If you have any questions, get in touch!

22/09/2024

Strewing can work really well, but it is super hard when you are desperate to get your child engaged! Have you heard of it? Could it work for you and your child?
/pandas

13/07/2024

I ❤️ AAC!

What is AAC?

AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

* Augmentative: Adding something to help a person to communicate, making it easier for them to express themselves and / or to understand.

* Alternative: Refering to other ways to communicate alongside spoken language.

* Communication: The act of sharing information, ideas, thoughts and feelings from one person to another.

Think about using gestures/signing, facial expression, written words, objects, photos and pictures ALONGSIDE spoken words.

We all use AAC, but people with communication needs may rely more heavily on AAC tools.

05/01/2024

It clicked.
Th vs. F
Until this year, My 7 said 'th' as an 'f.' This sound substitution is very common, part of typical development and sometimes a regional dialect. Many children acquire the 'th' sound by about 6 years old.
Mr 7 has been able to say 'th' for sometime but working on it has not been a priority for us, at all... until Mr 7 made it his priority!
The progress all started at the end of last year, when learning one of his lines for the school nativity.
"Archie thought and thought!"
Or, as Mr 7 said it, "Archie fought and fought!"
We had a good giggle about the change in plot! This mix up helped Mr 7 notice the impact of using the wrong sound! It's been interesting to see his brain working; he is able to monitor his own speech and fix up mistakes independently. He's done this all by himself.
Many phonological speech interventions use word sets that differ by a sound to highlight changes in meaning. It just goes to show how powerful these words can be!
Now Mr 7 uses a complete adult inventory of sounds! Where did the time go? My boy is growing up!

16/12/2023

I'm worried about my child's communication skills. What can I do?
1. Identify your concerns
Spend some time thinking carefully about what you've noticed and why you're concerned. Are you just noticing differences in communication skills, or are there behaviours that worry you too? You can use the communication pyramid to help structure your observations around communication. Don't know what the communication pyramid is? Check out my highlights!
2. Share concerns & refer for support
If your child is at nursery/school, speak to their teacher or the SENCO. (SENCO - Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator.) Alternatively get in touch with your GP or the health visitor. These professionals can help you make onward referrals, as required. If you haven't got the support of your school/nursery/health visitor/GP and still feel anxious, trust your gut and call your local Speech and Language Therapy Service for advice. Did you know YOU can refer preschool children to NHS Speech and Language Therapy Services?
3. Check your child's hearing status
Hearing may not have a part to play, but it'sa good idea to rule out any issues.(Parents can often self refer to audiology too!)
4. Dedicate time to help
There are opportunities to develop your child's communication throughout the day, but as life is busy, set ringfence time every day to focus on supporting your child. This can be a specific play time or within a daily routine.
5. Empower yourself
Don't wait for Speech and Language Therapy sessions! There is a wealth of information available online, including blogs, podcasts and Instagram/Facebook accounts! With the right strategies you will make it easier for your child to learn to communicate.
7. Connect
When you have worries about your child it can be very overwhelming and lonely. Reach out to an understanding friend and other parents who have children with communication needs. There is nothing better than a parent friend who 'gets it'.

17/09/2023

My experience going back to school was very different this September. Typically the new school year would fill me with anxiety, worrying about how Mr 10, who is autistic, will get on. Will his new teacher understand his needs? How long will it be before I get that first call from the school office? When will he start refusing school?

Not this year. Mr 10 has now been at his specialist school for 18 months, and he breezed back to school with barely a grumble. His needs are met and he is finally happy again. He's happy, I'm happy.

It got me thinking. It's so often not the disability that causes the grief. Yes, it takes a while to get your head around your child's additional needs, there will be tough times and you'll always worry for your children, but it's the unmet needs that causes the most heart ache.

Being in mainstream school for 5 years took it's toll on Mr 10, and the whole family. We still have a lot of healing to come, but we can finally breathe.

05/09/2023

It's been especially quiet from me on these squares over the summer. I typically ramp down work to look after my boys, but this holiday we also moved house. We are still without a bed and carpets downstairs, but we are IN and making a home. Our neighbours and community have already been so welcoming and I'm super excited to get involved.
Between painting/DIY and settling the boys, I'm ready to take on some new families. If you're within 30 minutes of Elstead and you're looking for an SLT, please get in touch!

16/06/2023

If the pharmaceutical industry could make a pill that made neurotypical people feel the way that autistic people feel when they stim, they would sell out of that pill. It's a great experience.
Dr Wendler's Story: Autism, Social Skills and Mental health
The Autism ADHD Podcast
This was a quote from 'The Autism ADHD podcast' from the episode titled, 'Dr Wendler's Story: Autism, Social Skills and Mental health.'
Dr Wendler is a clinical psychologist who specializes in helping people overcome loneliness and social disconnection.
This drive was fuelled by his own autistic experience. His insights are interesting; although he recognises and identifies with the harm of masking, he highlights this is an imperfect world and therefore knowledge of the social world is empowering and enabling.
The 'social skills' debate is lively and extremely interesting. Everyone needs to know that masking is HARMFUL. Everyone also needs to know that masking can also be PROTECTIVE. Supporting a person's social world must be individualised. Remember, the goal is NEVER to make an autistic person seem neurotypical.
There is a lot of harmful practice, so we need to vigilant, but luckily there is a positive shift towards promoting understanding self, self-advocacy and positive perspective taking.
As Dr Wendler said in the podcast, 'Relationships are not about who can perform social skills the best. It's about real people connecting with one another.'
What do you think?

20/05/2023

It is important to understand the reasons behind difficult behaviour. There are lots of potential factors to consider including a person's unmet needs.
When you understand what's going on for your child, not only do you have more empathy for them, but you are also in a better position to help them.
This advice extends to you!
If you are not being the parent you want to be or you are experiencing uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, there is a reason. You have an unmet need!
Give yourself some grace and explore what's going on for you, just like you would do for your child. You deserve and need to nurture yourself.

14/05/2023

This week, when planning together, one of my families described my activities as "very strategic".
Yes! Therapy does look fun, but it's all very considered to meet the specific goals of the child and family.
One of the most important aims in preschool sessions is enabling parents to support their kids effectively.
A pivotal thing for parents to understand is the difference between a goal, an activity and a strategy.
🎯Goal: What skill you want the child to learn or achieve.
🧩🛴🫂 Activity: The process to stimulate learning (through experience)
💭 Strategy: What you do to help the child to learn, achieve or work towards their goal.
I want parents to know:
✅what they are working on
✅why this goal is important/relevant
✅what to do
✅when to do it
✅how to adapt
Are you feeling well supported?

The Speech Therapist

10/01/2025

01/01/2025

16/10/2024

22/09/2024

13/07/2024

05/01/2024

16/12/2023

17/09/2023

05/09/2023

16/06/2023

20/05/2023

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