Tessa Duboisée de Ricquebourg, Speech Therapist Zimbabwe

30/08/2024

Hi everyone, it is with a heavy heart that I announce that, after almost 12 years of practising speech therapy in Zimbabwe, I am closing my practice as I am emigrating to Australia in early September. It has been a privilege working as a Speech Pathologist in my home country and I will miss it.

15/12/2022

Hi everyone, just to let you know that I am on leave now until 16 January. My phone will be off as I need a break from work so if you need to contact me, please private message me on this platform and I will get back to you when I can.

25/11/2021

Yes! Parents, please spend time reading to your children - it makes the world of difference , not only to their language and academic achievement, but also to your relationship with them.

22/11/2021

28/09/2021

Hi everyone, just to let you know I will be on leave from 29 September to 20 October;-)

08/06/2021

For those of you looking for some lovely, colourful, interactive books for your little ones to read, The Book Lady Zimbabwe has some great ones in stock at the moment which include puzzles and pop out models!

03/01/2021

With another 30 day lockdown coming up, this might be worth trying for some parents. It would certainly be much better than watching TV😊

It’s no secret that your child’s brain is a sponge for any and all information, but did you know that your kiddos can listen on a higher language level than they can read? This explains the advantage kids have academically when they hear books read aloud at home.

In fact, according to brain scans done by the American Academy of Pediatrics, hearing a story read aloud strengthens the area in their brain that is associated with visual imagery, story comprehension, and word meaning. Simply put, children who are read to regularly at school or at home have more advanced vocabulary, language comprehension skills, and have even been shown to have increased confidence.

Setting your child up for success doesn’t have to be complicated OR expensive. You just need Vooks - the world’s first kid-safe, ad-free streaming library of read-aloud animated storybooks! Subscribe today and get your first 30 days FREE ==> https://www.vooks.com/parents

03/12/2020

Today is international day for people with disabilities. Let's remember those who are less fortunate than us and show them love and compassion. All it takes is an accident or illness to make a previously able bodied person become disabled. So let's treat those with disabilities the way that we would want to be treated.

22/10/2020

Happy International Stuttering Awareness day! Tune in to Capitalk100.4fm at 2.30 to hear me talk about stuttering and answer some questions like:
What causes stuttering?
What are the symptoms?
Common misconceptions about stuttering
When to get professional help
Risk factors for stuttering
What the family can do to be supportive

30/08/2020

Children primarily learn language through play and interaction with others. Here are some ideas for how to stimulate your child's language at home:
1. Have a teddy bears' tea party/picnic. Make pretend (or real) food together and feed it to yourselves and the bears. Talk about everything you do.
2. Explore the garden together. Make mud pies, play in a sandpit, pick flowers, pick veggies for supper, look for shapes in the clouds, make paper boats and let them sail on the bird baths or in a bowl of water, and talk about everything you do and see.
3. Do puzzles together and talk about the different pictures and shapes, what fits or doesn't fit and work on requesting.
4. Read story books together. Aim for ones with lots of colourful, interesting pictures and minimal writing. Ask questions, get your child to show you different elements in the pictures (colours, actions, animals etc) and talk about what's happening. Books with an interactive element such as buttons, flaps, puppets etc are great fun.
5. Get your child involved in helping out with everyday activities (preparing food, drying dishes, picking veggies, putting away clothes etc). Give them a task that is manageable for them and talk about what you're doing.

The main element in all of these is talking to your child! The more you talk to them, the more they will talk:-)

15/07/2020

'What should I do if my child stutters?' is a question I often get asked. Here are some simple principles to follow:
- maintain eye contact when they talk and a relaxed body language
- resist the temptation to finish their sentence and let them take all the time they need
- don't tell them to slow down or take a breath. Respond to what they say, not how they say it.
- slow down your own speech rate to convey that you are relaxed, patient and not in a rush
- if there are siblings, try to enforce turn taking so that they don't need to compete for your attention.

NB: if your child has been stuttering for more than 6 months and/or is showing signs of tension, frustration or self consciousness, then please book an assessment with a speech therapist.

28/05/2020

I have seen this time and time again in my practice - children who have too much screentime at a young age are much more at risk for language delays.
http://www.hanen.org/Helpful-Info/Articles/ipad-equals-dont-talk.aspx

Electronics are a part of life for all of us these days – including young children. However, while screens can be helpful in the right context (like devices that help children communicate), they can actually decrease word and sentence use in toddlers when used only for entertainment. In this artic...