Emma B Speech Therapy

Emma B Speech Therapy Hello, my name is Emma and I’m a Children’s Speech & Language Therapist in St Neots, Cambs 👋

🌈⭐️Joshie’s Colour Walk 2026⭐️🌈 raising money for the So proud to walk alongside you and your massive team of supporter...
11/04/2026

🌈⭐️Joshie’s Colour Walk 2026⭐️🌈 raising money for the

So proud to walk alongside you and your massive team of supporters, Joshie! 💜

I’ve done a couple of home visits over the Easter holidays to help parents get started with electronic AAC 🐣 it’s a part...
08/04/2026

I’ve done a couple of home visits over the Easter holidays to help parents get started with electronic AAC 🐣 it’s a part of my job that I really love, because I feel that buzz of excitement that comes from being at the start of a beautiful communication journey! 🌸

You’re also dedicating time to putting the child at the heart of the process ❤️ thinking about authentic joy and connection, full personalisation without limits and autonomy and independence.

As a follow up to my home visits, I’ve made an AAC handout so that parents can revisit what we’ve discussed in their own time and also share the information with family, friends and other key adults. I’ve also created a ‘top tips for the fridge’ which I’m sharing here ⭐️

If you have any questions about my top tips or electronic AAC in general, please don’t hesitate to ask! 🤩

In an Annual Review meeting today, a Local Authority caseworker shared that she had been instructed by her senior collea...
02/04/2026

In an Annual Review meeting today, a Local Authority caseworker shared that she had been instructed by her senior colleagues not to accept any privately commissioned reports when drafting EHCPs 💔

Of course, the LA had cherry picked what they wanted for Section B (Statement of Needs). But Section F (Provision required to meet needs) was SIGNIFICANTLY lacking.

The emotions are heavy and I’m struggling to explain my thoughts and feelings concisely and professionally, so I’m sharing the well-worded thoughts of who has over 40 years of experience in our field.

If you’re a parent being told that the LA won’t accept/consider any independent professional reports, please know that this is against the SEND Code of Practice (2015).

In addition, all practising Speech and Language Therapists working in the UK are:

✔️Required to complete the same degree level qualification;

✔️Registered with the regulator for the profession, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC);

✔️Bound by the same standards of proficiency, conduct, performance and ethics set by the HCPC which they are required to adhere to.

The Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice (2015) states that local authorities are required to consider all evidence provided by professionals to deliver an outcomes-focused and coordinated plan for children and young people with SEND. The Code specifies that local authorities must:

⭐️ Ensure the views, wishes, and feelings of the child and their parents are taken into account (Section 9.49);

⭐️ Consider advice and information from any person requested by the child’s parent or young person (Section 9.49);

⭐️ Bring together relevant professionals to discuss and agree together the overall approach (Section 9.22).

Furthermore, The Equalities Act (2010) mandates that all children and young people should have access to the support they need, without unfair treatment or bias.

For any parents currently looking into AAC (alternative and augmentative communication) apps for their child, many compa...
31/03/2026

For any parents currently looking into AAC (alternative and augmentative communication) apps for their child, many companies offer a sale in April to help celebrate Autism Acceptance month 🌻

I am in no way affiliated to (and there are several amazing, robust communication apps out there) but their app, Grid for iPad, just happens to be my personal favourite for lots of reasons! ⭐️

Just a shout out to say that Grid for iPad is 50% off between 20-30th April 🎉

Wow, what a busy 5 week half term! 😵‍💫 I’ve definitely felt the heat at times, but we got there! I’ve enjoyed seeing lot...
28/03/2026

Wow, what a busy 5 week half term! 😵‍💫 I’ve definitely felt the heat at times, but we got there! I’ve enjoyed seeing lots of my Emma B speech therapy superstars grow 🌸 and have loved meeting some new little stars too! ⭐️

Wishing all of my wonderful families a joyful and restful Easter 🐣 Thank you for all of your hard work and trust ❤️ although I’m off to spend some time with my own little rascals, I’m around and contactable if you need me.

Enjoy the chocolate, hot cross buns and family time! 🌻

Happy World Down Syndrome Day! 2️⃣1️⃣❤️
21/03/2026

Happy World Down Syndrome Day! 2️⃣1️⃣❤️

📣 NEW Speech & Language Therapy drop-in dates JUST LANDED! 🤩🤩 for April and May ⭐️Speech and Language Therapy drop-ins a...
16/03/2026

📣 NEW Speech & Language Therapy drop-in dates JUST LANDED! 🤩🤩 for April and May ⭐️

Speech and Language Therapy drop-ins are friendly, informal sessions where parents and carers can get advice and support about their child’s communication, speech, or language development without needing a full appointment.

They provide an opportunity to speak directly with a Speech and Language Therapist (aka me!) ask questions, and discuss any concerns you may have about your child’s talking, understanding, or interaction skills.

At a drop-in session, you can expect a welcoming, relaxed environment where we chat about your child’s development and discuss practical strategies or activities you can try at home to help. If further support is needed, I can advise you on next steps or support you to make a referral.

If you have your little one with you - no problem! There are some toys available at 🧸🚂🎨 to keep little hands busy! 💕

SLT drop-ins are a great way to get early guidance and reassurance. They help identify potential communication difficulties sooner, give families simple tools to support their child’s development, and provide a space to ask questions and share experiences with professionals. Early support can make a big difference in helping children build strong communication skills for learning, socialising, and everyday life.

A big, loud Happy Mother’s Day to all my mamas! You are amazing! ❤️🤩❤️
15/03/2026

A big, loud Happy Mother’s Day to all my mamas! You are amazing! ❤️🤩❤️

04/03/2026

It’s no secret that I (and most speech therapists!) LOVE bubbles! 🫧 they are magical and mesmerising 😍 Just look at my little friend H proudly achieving his bubble blowing today! He’s not long turned 2!!! 🤩

BUT did you know that bubbles are also great for early speech development?

🫁 1. Builds Breath Control
Speech requires controlled airflow from the lungs. Blowing bubbles teaches children how to:
🫧 Take a deep breath in
🫧 Control how slowly or strongly they blow air out
🫧 Coordinate breathing with mouth movements

👄2. Strengthens Oral Muscles
Blowing bubbles works the lips, cheeks, and jaw — all important for producing sounds like:
🫧 p, b, m (lip sounds)
🫧 rounded sounds like “oo” and “w”

🦻3. Supports Sensory Awareness
The feel of air moving across the lips and the visual feedback of bubbles forming helps children:
🫧 Understand cause and effect
🫧 Become more aware of how their mouth moves
🫧 Connect physical movement to sound production

🗣 4. Creates Natural Opportunities for Language
Bubble play is interactive and motivating, which encourages:
🫧 Turn-taking (“My turn!”)
🫧 Requesting (“More bubbles!”)
🫧 Labelling (“Big bubble!”)
🫧 Imitating sounds (“Pop!”)

💡 Bonus: It Boosts Joint Attention!
Looking at bubbles together and reacting to them supports shared attention — a key foundation for communication!

📸 Photos shared with kind permission from H’s mum 🩷

It was a successful Speech & Language Therapy drop-in this morning at 🤩 thank you for having me guys! One of the things...
02/03/2026

It was a successful Speech & Language Therapy drop-in this morning at 🤩 thank you for having me guys!

One of the things I was talking to a parent about was Phonological Memory, so I thought I’d do a post about it!

Phonological memory is the part of our memory that temporarily stores speech sounds (phonemes) in the order we hear them. It lets a child hold onto sounds long enough to:

⭐️ Understand spoken sentences
⭐️ Learn new words
⭐️ Repeat unfamiliar words
⭐️ Connect sounds to letters when learning to read

Think of it as the brain’s short-term “sound buffer.”

When a child hears a word like “hippopotamus”, phonological memory briefly stores the sequence of sounds while the brain processes meaning and structure. Strong phonological memory supports:

💪 Vocabulary growth
💪 Accurate speech production
💪 Following multi-step verbal instructions
💪 Decoding words in reading

The IMPACT of poor phonological memory…children may:

🗣️ Struggle to learn new words → they can’t hold the sound pattern long enough to store it;
🗣️ Mispronounce longer words → sound sequences drop out or get rearranged;
🗣️ Have trouble following spoken directions, especially multi-step ones;
🗣️ Show slow language processing → they need more time to respond;
🗣️ Repeat sentences inaccurately → parts get omitted or changed.

This can make conversations frustrating because your child may understand ideas but lose the sound details needed to express them clearly.

LITERACY CHALLENGES:
📚 Difficulty learning letter–sound relationships;
📚 Trouble blending sounds into words;
📚 Weak phonological awareness skills;
📚 Increased risk of reading difficulties.

IN THE CLASSROOM:
Because so much teaching is verbal, children may:
🧑‍🏫 Struggle with spelling (can’t hold sound sequences);
🧑‍🏫 Forget verbal instructions quickly;
🧑‍🏫 Find note-taking from speech difficult;
🧑‍🏫 Have trouble learning different languages;
🧑‍🏫 Show slower academic progress despite average intelligence.

CONTINUED IN THE COMMENTS!…..

What a start to Monday! 🤩The sun is shining ☀️I have a chai latte in my hand ☕️I’m ready to talk all things speech, lang...
02/03/2026

What a start to Monday! 🤩
The sun is shining ☀️
I have a chai latte in my hand ☕️
I’m ready to talk all things speech, language and communication 🙌🏼 (one of my favourite things to talk about!)

Pop in for a cuppa and a chat - I’m at until 11.30am this morning 🌅

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24/02/2026

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St Neots

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm

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