Ruth Jones Speech and Language Therapy

09/09/2025

Celebrating our wedding anniversary today - and I was reminded of the importance of perspective taking, teaching and considering.

It’s something we often think about when educating neurodivergent individuals, and when learning about double empathy, start to awaken our understanding of the fact it goes both ways.

But more than that, as I continue to learn about intersectionality, the perspectives and lived experiences of individuals who are marginalised, how do I consider that as a therapist, and what impact should those considerations have.

What prompted it?
My daughter saying ‘why have you got Daddy a card with one penguin dragging the other along’. 🐧 Not sure whether it’s me dragging Mr Jones or the other way around.

08/09/2025

08/09/2025

Can a semantic categorised AAC application work for a gestalt processor?

It really can! You can record gestalts here and put them onto a button, add a picture or photograph that links visually to the gestalt too, and map them into a folder linked to the function of the gestalt.

06/09/2025

I sometimes feel bothered when I see neurodiversity affirming my being put down to shifting language and not adding eye contact goals. Therapists and practitioners in all kinds of fields stating these things yet their practice, is it really shifting? Is there a deeper understanding and learning going on? What commitments have they made to keep the shift growing in their world?

These are excellent places to being unlearning about ableism in the work we do, but it’s not ‘it’. This work needs to be deeper, more reflexively done, learning more about the role intersectionality plays within the systems and for people’s lives.

What does neurodiversity affirming practice mean to you? Whether you’re a parent, therapist, education staff, or allied health/social professional, it shows up for all of us.

03/09/2025

An introduction to the marvellous women and speech therapists who helped with this book.

Fatimah and Kate have co-authored a chapter on intersectionality, bringing lived experience, knowledge and research together to provide an introduction, reflective opportunities and learning on the topic.

Kate has also written a chapter taking her award winning skills in relationships and s*x education, the share her experiences and ideas on how as speech and language therapists we can support neurodivergent individuals with language and social communication to be confident and enabled to develop safe and meaningful relationships.

Harriet’s written so much for this book, her lived experience as an autistic ADHD-er and speech and language therapists is shared through out. She brings a powerful perspective on areas of practice, and also learning and reflections from student days through to qualified practitioner.

To find out more about them, you can see their links below, and also a sneak peek on the website, ‘preview book’ which includes their bios.


Kate Boot Neurodivergent Advocacy and Therapeutic Services talks.uk

02/09/2025

September is here, and its publication month! Over the next few weeks you’ll see a bit more from me about the contributors, purpose and content of the book.

Speechmark pre-orders will be live on the 3rd - tomorrow!! I’ll post a link in my stories tomorrow for that. You can already pre-order on Amazon.

Are you interested?

27/08/2025

A recent message asked about downloading Grid. This takes you through setting up the app to the point of adding vocabulary sets.

I often say, if you’re a parent just starting out if you get a months subscription and download all the options:

- Supercore learning
- Supercore 30
- Supercore 50
- Vocochat

You can have a play about then and see which your child responds well too. An assessment would do this, but with lots of other things considered too! However, not everyone can get to assessment so you might be going it alone.

Once you’ve got the vocabulary sets (just download the one recommended if you’ve had an assessment from a therapist, or school have advised etc) spend some time exploring.

There is SO much vocabulary on all these sets it can seem quite overwhelming. But always just take some time to have a play, think about things you’d say to your child, how would you do that on the AAC? What things do they like to talk about, where is that on the vocabulary set?

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23/08/2025

This weekend I’m running a 20% Bank Holiday discount on my upcoming taster workshops at , South Devon.

We’ve 2 taster workshops coming up on Saturday 13th September, designed to introduce the idea of group support programs, post diagnosis or self identification for parent carers of autistic, ADHD & otherwise neurodivergent children or young people, & neurodivergent adults.

We know that there is such a lack of these services, & that accessing private therapists, & therapy, can be really expensive & therefore inaccessible to many people. These taster workshops will launch ahead of other courses or programs designed to support neurodivergent people & their families to understand their identities at a lower & more accessible cost in the Mid & South Devon areas. (I’m available to run similar workshops across the county, please get in touch).

In the morning, I’ll be running the taster workshop for parent carers of neurodivergent children & young people. It doesn’t matter if your child is newly diagnosed, or you are awaiting an assessment or wondering about this, or whether you have already started to do your own research into particular neurotypes, such as autism, all are welcome. This weekend, you can get 20% off the ticket prices, by using code ✨Child20✨at the checkout.

Later in the day, we’ll run the taster workshop for neurodivergent adults, & again it doesn’t matter what stage you are at on your journey, everybody is welcome. Maybe you’re thinking about the benefits of understanding your neurodivergent identity in more depth, or how you access reasonable adjustments at work or studying, or maybe it’s about relationships with other people & how these feel for you day-to-day. Whatever stage you’re at, & whatever it is that’s prompting you to join the workshop, you’re more than welcome.

If you’re interested in coming along to this adults only afternoon workshop, you can get 20% off the ticket prices this weekend by using code ✨Adult20✨ at the checkout.

Head to my website to read more - https://kateboot.com/postdiagnosis & by all means get in touch if you have any questions 💜

I hope to see you there ☺️
Kate

21/08/2025

I have consulted lots on the environment to maximise a sense of safety, engagement, regulation and communication. Environments should enable, not disable.

I have crawled pre-school floors to see what it’s like from a 2 year olds perspective walking into a setting.

I’ve seen some seriously overwhelming environments for developing brains, and some great shifts and changes to enable.

I actually think this is relevant to most children and young people in settings, not just those with additional needs.

A few good things I’ve seen:
- specific labelled zones in the space
- using chair colours, table colours etc. To add to the visual zone
- painted walls to aid zoning
- considered and function display boards that are used for teaching
- rolled blinds over storage shelves
- curtains over things that aren’t in use for that time in the day
- interactive display boards, where children add to them and use them in the learning
- information boards all in one place so children know where to go for things like timetables, rules, menus etc.
- visual timetables
- low arousal spaces with unrestricted access
- seating options and standing spaces

There are probably more things. I’d love to know what you’ve seen; or has worked well in your settings to enable children within environments?

This applies to therapy spaces just as much as early years and education spaces!

19/08/2025

For any local families.