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Mighty Minds Speech Therapy, 1 Mount Quray Street, Midstream Estate, Midrand (2025)

25/09/2025

Stuttering vs Cluttering: know the difference!

Both stuttering and cluttering are fluency disorders, but they affect speech in very different ways. Understanding the difference is important for getting the right support.

✨ Cluttering:
- Speech may sound rapid, unclear, or disorganised.
- Breaks in flow often feel like spurts or unsure speech planning.
- Listeners might struggle to follow because words come too fast or feel jumbled.

✨ Stuttering:
- The speaker usually knows exactly what they want to say.
- Speech may be blocked, repeated, or prolonged.
- Listeners can often hear the struggle to get the words out.

Important Note: Cluttering is less well-known, so it’s sometimes mistaken for stuttering. Raising awareness helps individuals get the right support and improves communication confidence.

If you think your child might be struggling with a speech fluency disorder, it’s best to seek professional guidance from a speech therapist.

23/09/2025

Did you know that picky eating isn’t just “being fussy”? Speech therapists play a key role in helping children who struggle with food by addressing:

💛 Oral Motor Skills: Strengthening the lips, tongue, and jaw to make chewing and swallowing easier.
💛 Sensory Sensitivities : Helping children tolerate textures, smells, and tastes that feel overwhelming.
💛 Food Aversion Patterns: Creating strategies to gradually introduce new foods in a stress-free way.

With the right guidance, children can gain confidence, expand their diets, and enjoy mealtimes more.

18/09/2025

Helping your child with reading and spelling doesn’t have to be stressful. A few simple strategies can make learning more effective and fun. 👇🏼

➡ Don’t rely on pictures: Encourage your child to focus on the word itself and sound it out, rather than guessing from images.
➡ Focus on sounds, not letter names: Teach phonemes like c = kuh and a = ah, this makes it easier to decode new words.
➡ Blend the sounds: If they get stuck, guide them to connect the sounds together (b-u-s → bus).
➡ Spell by sounds: Have them write down each sound they hear (s-u-n → sun) to reinforce phonics skills.
➡ Encourage self-checking: Prompt your child to re-read, spot mistakes, and problem-solve independently.

Using these strategies helps build confidence, independence, and stronger reading and spelling foundations. ✨

16/09/2025

Supporting someone who stutters (whether a child or an adult) isn’t about “fixing” their speech. It’s about creating a safe, relaxed space where they can communicate comfortably.

Here are some things to avoid:

❌ Telling them to “slow down” or “relax.”
This draws attention to the stutter and can make speaking more difficult.

❌ Saying “just breathe.”
Comments like this can feel judgmental and increase stress.

❌ Being distracted or rushed.
Give your full attention. Feeling pressured often worsens stuttering.

❌ Making them repeat words or sounds.
This creates unnecessary frustration and pressure.

❌ Putting them in competitive speaking situations.
Being forced to speak first or quickly can increase anxiety.

❌ Interrupting or finishing sentences.
Even if you think you’re helping, it can embarrass or frustrate them.

The best support comes from patience, listening, and a calm, encouraging environment.

12/09/2025

Why hand–mind games help speech. 🧠✨

Kids love wall boards and other hands-on games, but these activities do more than keep them busy. When children push, slide, or turn pieces, they’re not just moving their hands, they’re building the same brain pathways that control mouth and tongue movements, which makes speaking easier.

Following a pattern or completing a path also helps children focus. That focus is the same skill they use to listen and respond in conversation. And when a game has a clear start, middle, and finish, kids are practising sequencing, which mirrors how sentences are built.

Mistakes or getting “stuck” during play are opportunities to ask for help, describe what they need, and use words in real situations. At the same time, games naturally introduce vocabulary, action words like push, slide, turn, and positions like up, down, or around, so learning happens in context.

Sharing games and taking turns encourages conversation and social interaction, while the relaxed, playful environment helps language develop naturally, without pressure.

Play isn’t just fun, it’s one of the most effective ways to support speech and language growth.

10/09/2025

5 Tips for talking with a child who stutters. 👇🏻

Supporting a child who stutters isn’t about “fixing” their speech, it’s about creating a calm, confident environment for communication.

Here’s what experts recommend:
1️⃣ Slow Down: Speak slowly and calmly, with frequent pauses. Give your child a few seconds to finish before you respond.
2️⃣ Listen Fully: Offer your full attention during conversations. Show that you’re truly listening without rushing or interrupting.
3️⃣ Limit Questions: Instead of asking lots of rapid questions, try commenting on what they said and pausing. This encourages natural conversation and reduces pressure.
4️⃣ Take Turns: Make sure everyone in the family has a chance to talk and listen. Fewer interruptions can make speaking easier and more comfortable.
5️⃣ Build Confidence: Use descriptive praise: “I love how you built that tower!” Celebrate your child’s efforts and strengths beyond speech.

Small changes in how we communicate can boost confidence, reduce stress, and support speech development.

08/09/2025

Screen Time and Language Development. 📺

Screens are everywhere, but how they’re used can make a big difference for your child’s speech and language growth.

Here’s what research and experts recommend:
✨ Choose Quality Content: For children over 2, pick educational programs or apps. Thoughtfully designed content can support vocabulary and comprehension.
✨ Co-View and Interact: Watching together is key! Talk about what you see on the screen, ask questions, and encourage your child to respond. Learning happens best when it’s interactive.
✨ Follow Age Guidelines: Children under 2 should avoid screen time. Ages 2–5 should limit to 1 hour per day, ideally split into short sessions with discussion in between.
✨ Prioritise Play and Reading: Screens should never replace hands-on play, imagination, or storytime. These activities are the most powerful ways to build language, social skills, and creativity.

Balanced screen use can be helpful, but nothing replaces real-life conversation, play, and connection with caregivers.

29/08/2025

Ever wonder how much of your child’s speech other people should understand?

Here’s a quick guide:
👶 2½ years old → Strangers should understand about half of what they say.
👦 4–5 years old → About 75% of their speech should be clear.
🧒 6–7 years old → Strangers should understand almost everything they say (though tricky sounds like “th” or long words like hippopotamus may still be hard).

If your child falls far outside these ranges, it might be time to check in with a speech therapist. The earlier we step in, the easier it is to support progress. 💛

27/08/2025

It’s very normal for young children to say words differently from adults. Instead of correcting them directly, gentle modelling is best.

Here’s how you can support clearer speech:
👉 Repeat their word correctly in a natural way (“tat” → “Yes, the cat! Where is the cat?”).
👉 Ask them to show you what they mean if you’re unsure.
👉 Ask simple follow-up questions to get more detail.
👉 Encourage them to slow down and give them time to get their words out.

This shows your child that what they say is important, keeps communication positive, and helps them build confidence as their sounds develop.

25/08/2025

When toddlers are just starting to talk, it’s normal for them to get frustrated if they can’t express what they need. One way to reduce frustration is by focusing on functional words.

Instead of prioritising colours, letters, or numbers early on, start with words that are most useful in daily life, like:
👉 Important objects: “cup,” “blanket,” “toy,” “milk”
👉 Helpful requests: “more,” “help,” “up,” “done”

These words give your child immediate power to communicate, which keeps them motivated to use language and reduces meltdowns. Once they feel confident using these, the rest of their vocabulary can grow more easily. 🌟

22/08/2025

Did you know a simple baby doll can be an incredible tool for language development? 👶 Children learn best when they play, and dolls give endless opportunities to practice communication.

Try this at home:
✨ Expand vocabulary: Use words like “eat, sleep, shoes, hat” while playing.
✨ Creative play: Let your child make up stories or “what happens next” with the doll.
✨ Roleplay: Act out feeding, dressing, or bedtime routines together.
✨ Conversations: Talk about the doll’s “day”, what they like, and what they’re doing.

Dolls encourage imagination, sentence-building, and social skills in a fun, playful way. 💛

20/08/2025

Language learning starts at home, and there are simple things you can do every day to support a Late Talker. 💬

1️⃣ Self-talk: Narrate what you’re doing (“Mommy’s cutting apple”). It models vocabulary.
2️⃣ Parallel talk: Comment on what your child is doing (“You’re rolling the ball”). It shows you’re tuned in.
3️⃣ Expansions: Add one more word to their speech (“Ball” → “Big ball” or “Throw ball”). This helps them grow their sentences.
4️⃣ Receptive vocabulary: Ask your child to point to objects or pictures (“Where’s Daddy?”). This builds understanding.

These small adjustments make everyday play and routines into natural opportunities for language growth. 🌟

Mighty Minds Speech Therapy

25/09/2025

23/09/2025

18/09/2025

16/09/2025

12/09/2025

10/09/2025

08/09/2025

29/08/2025

27/08/2025

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22/08/2025

20/08/2025

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