Question time

Since i started this blog a few months ago, I have had a couple of enquiries from parents just looking for a bit of advice whilst waiting for therapy sessions to start.  I'm not saying I have all the answers, but as the feedback I got was positive, I thought I would share the conversation with you, just in case there are any other parents looking for advice out there!

(Please note that I have edited slightly and changed names to protect confidentiality)

Hello

I hope you don't mind me contacting you- a friend, told me about your page and suggested I contacted you... so I would be really grateful if you have any advice but understand if you're too busy! I am reading your blog and using a lot of the stuff there which is really good,

Basically my daughter is almost 3, she says about 25 words, and uses about 40 signs... NHS waiting lists are long so we have to wait for 5 months to see someone - at our last appointment they seemed to suggest a specific language impairment... but couldn't say more or give any advice really. 

We are having private speech therapy- after a really long struggle to find someone who could help-  but it doesn't really seem to involve much more than we are doing at home- adding details when we are playing 'eg you have a red car...' to help her understanding (however, I think her understanding of words is good- she struggles when they are in a sentence) and told us to follow her lead.... which we do anyway. 

So, anyway I would really, really appreciate any advice on things we could do, website we could use or good resources- anything really!... - I am working so hard but no progress is being made. 

 I have streamlined her toys and they are all ones which are good for talking with, made sure we have no background noise and are using signs when we can. 

She is otherwise pretty normal- physically fine, social, excitable, likes friends and pre-school and is pretty confident... The signing has saved my sanity as she can now tell me what she wants, and we have sort-of conversations with the signs. It is hard though as I just want to help her

Anyway... your blog is excellent and I will keep reading and using the ideas 

and I will understand if you are too busy.

Thank-you

Zara

Hi Zara, 

What a difficult time.  I know it can be a very anxious and frustrating period when you are waiting to get the help you have been told your child needs. 

Specific language impairment or SLI is very complicated, and I'll be honest it's not my area of expertise. However, areas to think about and ask your therapist could be as follows:

Does your daughter have any pronunciation difficulties? You may need to do a bit more work on helping her to process and order the sounds. I use things like musical instruments - choose a set of 3 pairs eg bells, shaker and tambourine. Give her one set and you hold another. Help her to listen as you make a noise with one and she has to match it up. Start so she can see which one you've got then when she's got the idea, hide your set under the table so she has to choose just by listening. As she gets better make a noise with two or more instruments so she has to recognise the sound and the order. This will help with auditory processing, sequencing and auditory memory, but won't put pressure on the linguistic side. 

Auditory memory: play shopping games so that she can find pictures of items to put in her bag (you can just use a selection of toys or lotto pictures) ask for two but always repeat both if she only takes one. If she takes the last thing you said, she's probably got difficulties with auditory memory. Eg "can you get me the cat and the flower?" She gives you the flower, you say "give me CAT and FLOWER". Also if you keep 2 hands held out, one for each item it will help her realise you wanted two. And you won't be making it easier for her by just repeating the one she missed out. I hope that makes sense?! 

If she's finding it hard to follow sentences ask your therapist to explain "key words" and find out what key word level she's at. This is basically how many choices within a sentence a child has to make. "Language steps" available from stass publications is a great language programme working through developmental stages. If you feel she's struggling with anything more than the single words, I'd use familiar people and talk about their clothes, what they're doing and what items they have to extend her understanding and make it easy for her. Try to use just two word phrases such as "mummy's jumper", "daddy's sitting", "aunties apple" etc. 

At every stage, you want to be modelling just one step ahead, so if she's using one word at a time, you repeat back what she's said and add just one more word. If she's not yet using the word, just model that one (or a choice) to her. 

Other websites which are useful are:

Talkingpoint.org.uk - for speech and language tips and info for parents

ican.org.uk - for info on speech and language disorders and resources

Trulymadlyspeechy.blogspot.co.uk - for everyday parenting/language development tips!!! (Had to put mine in there ;) )

Hope that helps a bit.  

Good luck with everything.  

Regards,

Katie

As my field of specialism is currently in pre-school special needs, please feel free to contribute to the ideas and discussions at the end, if you are a therapist with more skills or knowledge! Thank you!

Picture this: now and next

Hands up who owns a diary? 

How about a to do list? 

As a mum, a therapist and everything in between, I often feel like my whole life is made up of lists upon lists. Also, if I don't have my diary to hand, or up to date with everything planned In half hour slots, my world would seem to crumble around me! Ok, I'm not quite that bad, but I do need to know what has to get done that day.  

Children are similar.  They need structure and routine (anyone who's heard of Gina Ford will know about that!).  Littlies also need to be able to make their own choices within their routine and to gradually become more independent.  The same applies to children who are non-verbal, or who have significant language delay or communication difficulties, and that's where pictures or symbols (or objects) can come in handy. 

Not all children will need pictures to understand their routine, but they might need things simplifying. Instead of suggesting "lets get our shoes on, then we can visit granny once we've done the shopping and got your tea sorted" you could say "shoes first, then shops". Once at the shops you can move on to the next part of the day "shops first, then granny's". The same can be done with pictures in a 'now and next' board. 

For those who have more understanding but struggle with changes in routine or find it hard to switch from one activity to the next, a visual timetable can be very helpful. It helps reduce anxiety, and provides reassurance to children who can take themselves back to check what is happening next. 

Other children need to use pictures to help them make a choice. They are unable to retain the information to be able to choose the activity from several that might be on offer. A lot of the children I work with do not have the verbal skills to say what they want and so they need a system that others can easily understand. That's when a choice board with several pictures of activities can be useful. 

What if the child doesn't recognise pictures? 

Last term, I spent a lot of time introducing pictures to different children (about 3 on my caseload) who did not seem to recognise what they represented. The aim of introducing pictures was to provide a choice board for the activities at nursery. I worked with nursery settings and between us, we followed the child round, and 'slid in' the photos or symbols that matched with what the child was playing with to their eye-line and named it e.g. "sand, Tommy's playing with sand". That way, even if i didnt get eye-contact, they saw the photo and would start to relate it to what they were doing. All of the children ignored the pictures at first, but now are happy to handle the laminated pictures and some can now be led to the next activity, once given the relevant picture, from their timeline. 

So how do I do it?

Just remember when introducing pictures and symbols that one set, the visual timetable is for us as adults to tell the child something, but a choice board (or communication book) is for the child to tell us their news, and not to be quizzed! Also, don't worry about what it looks like, I've used hand drawn pictures on sticky notes many times, particularly when I don't know what the child is going to be interested in during my therapy session. 

For real detail on how to set up now and next boards, choice boards and visual timetables, visit A Version of Perfection  which is written by 'JC's mum'. JC has sensory processing disorder and ASD. In her blog, JC's mum has explained very clearly the methods to put visuals together. Just don't forget to pop back here to tell me how you got on!

Hope to see you again soon! 

Katie 

A choice we have to make

What was that word...?

Ever had the feeling that the word is "on the tip of your tongue"?  As soon as someone says the word, or something very close, we can remember it straight away.  Even though that prompt can happen a day or more later!

For those of you who have learned a new language, you will also notice that you are often able to understand more than you can say.

What's this?  What's that?

If you've been following my posts on encouraging development of language and teaching new words, you'll notice that I suggest to model simple language.  So often when we are teaching our children, we quiz them.  I know I'm guilty of that, and would also ask my children to repeat back words so that I could show others what they knew!  Sound familiar?!

When children are learning, they can't always remember the word, just like us.  It's not necessarily that they don't know it, it's just that they can't access it as their brain hasn't yet filed it in the right place.  We therefore need to scaffold their learning so that they can access the words more easily and reinforce those neural pathways consistently.  If  there is a neurological impairment (brain damage) this is really important as other links need to be established instead of the usual ones.

What do you want?

In order to support our littlies and this brain development, we can give them choices.  This reduces the load on their memories, they don't have to remember and recall the word on their own, and they can copy your mouth shapes for pronunciation.

What does your littlie have to say when you ask "what's that?" Does he reply "well actually mummy, it's an African elephant and I like it's big ears!", or is he more likely to say just one word back to you?!  Different types of questions require different responses and most of the questions we are likely to quiz our littlies with, only need one word answers! 

Sometimes when we've asked our littlies lots of questions like "what's that?" They start to use the word they've heard the most, so you might get a point and a "that" instead of the name! 

So, when your child looks up at the cupboard and you know they want a biscuit, show e.g. a biscuit and a cup and ask "do you want a biscuit or a drink?".  When your littlie wants a toy or pulls you to sit next to them, ask "do you want the train or the book?" Or "mummy sit or daddy sit?".

I always notice that the littlies will want both options initially, and reach to take both with each hand!  After a while you should notice that your littlie will look to the thing they really want.  after some time, they will reach for it, and then eventually start to attempt words. It is then really important to Stop, Look, Listen, and Translate what they have just said. 

Try anytime...

Is it a sheep...

Giving choices can be done throughout the day, and during any activity; 

• Whilst reading a book and pointing to the pictures (is that a duck or a car?)
• Whilst getting dressed (do your socks go on your hands or your feet?)
• Whilst offering a snack (ok, you get the idea!!!)

....Or a cow?!

Question time

Just become aware of how many questions you ask your child throughout the day and stop to think; Do they know the answer? Can they remember how to say it?  

Once you've noticed you ask loads (because we all do!), perhaps try giving them a lovely big helping hand and give them a choice instead! 

 

 

I'd love to hear from you if you feel that by giving choices you felt your child learned new words more quickly? Perhaps your child kept saying your questions back before he learned a wider vocabulary? Perhaps you use symbols or pictures to support the choice making? Do let me know!

Katie

Lost in translation

Having helped your child tune in and develop their listening skills (see Listen as you walk), and by slowing down to give your child a chance to try to speak (see Stop look listen )it's now time for you to tune in and acknowledge your child's attempts at speech...

"Mummy...mummy...MUMMY! You weren't listening to me!"


For those children who can't yet talk, or who haven't learned the importance of doing so, we need to encourage them and build their confidence that every sound (or gesture) is important and can be understood. They need us to translate, to bring them into the world of chats, communication and interaction. So we need to listen!

Have fun on those sound walks?? Hear some things your littlie said that you hadn't noticed before?

It's not always easy to translate for a non verbal child.  But context gives tons of clues, so watch what your littlie is doing, looking at, or pointing towards.  Don't worry if you're not sure what they 'said', better to have a guess based on what you see them doing than to stay silent.  It doesn't matter if you get it wrong, I have many times, but just think how rewarding it will be when your littlie smiles and confirms that you have got it right after all...

"Uh" he says with his arms outstretched... "Up, you said up!" You say.

Often children who are late to talk, are looking for reassurance that they are doing the right thing and are being understood.  By 'translating' you are not only showing that you've heard them, but that you understand and are going to respond straight away.  You are also providing the child with a template of the correct sounds to help them develop their pronunciation, as well as reinforcing the child's understanding of the word they are trying to communicate.

The same style of commenting and translating can be done with children who are using movements or gesture and who are unable to develop speech in the same way.  For example a reach towards something could mean "more" or if your littlie stiffens/stills to something, it could mean either "more" or "stop", depending on the context.

If you are trying to develop language, and your littlie is not using many spoken words, try to keep it simple and only say one or two words back to them.  

Try to make a conscious decision to listen to your child this week. Translate every sound they make that you think should have been a word.  What have they ended up telling you?  I'd love to hear...

Katie

Stop vs no!

Do any of these sound familiar...?

No! Don't hit your sister over the head with that car!

No! Don't run away! (Whilst giving chase)

No, don't climb up there! You don't want to fall!

Negatives are a difficult concept to teach and to grasp. To littlies, hearing the word "no" can be the end of their world. To others with more complex language needs, it can be just another word they hear, but don't fully understand.

When I worked in a special school for children with severe learning difficulties, one thing we were always reminding staff of was that the children needed telling what to do rather than what not to do. If a child was running in the corridor, the teaching staff would naturally shout "no running!" Which would often seem to make the child run faster!! Instead we (the SLT's) would suggest to call the child's name, and tell them what they should be doing "Johnny, good walking, please!". This of course didn't work every time but did give a much better success rate!

Q: What's red and invisible?

A: No tomatoes!

At home, in similar situations, I have found that a quicker reaction is generally always achieved with a simple "stop!". If a hand gesture is used at the same time, and no additional language, the effect is even more dramatic. This at least gives you time to catch up with your littlie... And then give a positive alternative for them to try. So, "No! Don't pull your sister's hair, she doesn't like it!" May become "STOP! [with a hand gesture or sign] gentle hands, stroke her hair" or similar. 

"Never, ever..."

When a toddler is told "no" they can think it means they will never be allowed. And this can lead to tantrums and upset. If you can tell your child what you want them to do instead, and that they can do their activity later, this can be reassuring to them. E.g. Instead of "no tv" you could say "dinner first, then tv". When a child has language difficulties, a 'now and next' board with pictures can also be really useful to demonstrate this expectation. (I will be doing a future post on use of pictures and symbols, so will cover this then in more detail). 

Of course, every child is different and whilst these thoughts may be relevant to one family they may not be so useful for another. One child may learn "no" as his first word, and another might smile sweetly when you say it, but carry on regardless. Indeed in my family, my eldest (now 5) responded beautifully to my strategies. However, try the same things with my 20month son, and things end in an entirely different way!

Advice for me, please!

So, if anyone can leave me a comment to suggest what to do when my littlest one says "no" to me and creates a stand off, I'd be very grateful!!!  

How did you teach "no"?  Did your child understand "no"?  Was it their first word?! I'd love to hear from you...

Katie 

Singing bags

What's your favourite nursery rhyme? Do you remember one in particular from your childhood? 

Everybody loves music, right?

Babies and toddlers are no exception!  Nursery rhymes are fun and interactive and so many skills are learned and developed by singing them to, with, or at your little ones!  Go to any playgroup and there is usually a singing part.   It's important: music stimulates different neurones in the brain to speech alone.  It helps children tune in to the different pitches which relate to speech sounds and intonation of words.  It encourages your littlie to learn the important social skills, and listening skills they will later put into good use when they become competent communicators... Bet you didn't realise all of that... it's true, even if you are out of tune!!

Favourite songs

Some babies and special children may not have developed the shared attention skills they need to be able to follow what they can hear.  Maybe you've been working on listening (see my previous posts on tuning in for speech, Listen as you walk and Stop look listen) and are ready for the next stage.

Work out which songs your child likes and responds to; a smile, a pause, a stillness, or a laugh.  Those will be the ones to use to create a shared activity by then finding corresponding toys.

He's not interested

So, what can we do when the children do not seem to be listening and their attention leads them elsewhere? It may be that your special little one has a developmental delay, or a specific disorder.  In that case, how do you help them to understand that what you are singing is different from the song before, or that it has specific meaning and the words link to real life things?

Bag it up...

So, based on what my 19month old likes, I picked a monkey for "5 little monkeys jumping on the bed" a rabbit for "hop little bunnies", a fish for "1, 2, 3, 4, 5", a teapot for "I'm a little teapot", and a farmer for "Old Macdonald".  All very popular here in the UK!  I nearly ended up with half the toy box, but remembered my own advice and stuck to just a few (also I didn't have a big enough bag!).  

Next, find a bag, pop them in, and take turns pulling out the toy with your littlie. This will straight away turn the objects into a game, just with the anticipation of wondering what will be pulled out - amazing, no extra preparation needed! 

If your littlie starts to look at you, or the toy you're holding, then you've achieved 'shared attention', one of the very important pre-verbal skills, so well done!  

If your littlie grabs the bag from you and rummages for the toy representing their fave song, you have achieved communication, so doubly well done!!

I've used this activity with children who find it really difficult to do Makaton signing, or make a clear choice.  They very soon recognise the bag and that it means singing time, and can get quite excited! As the child recognises what each toy represents, we can move on to introducing pictures or symbols and ultimately set up choice boards.  You can also stick with one song and pull out e.g. different animals for each verse of "Old Macdonald".  

Have any of you used objects or toys in this way or similar? I'd love to hear from you! Please leave a comment below, join the discussions on my facebook page, or email me...

Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Listen as you walk

Ever been listening to the radio for the weather forecast and missed it because you were washing up?

That's because we as adults, have learned to filter out background noise. Our children have sometimes learned to block out all of the sounds before they know which are the important ones.

Listen, don't just hear
To help our children to listen to the sounds around them and not just hear them, we need to let them know they are important and point out that they have meaning.

When you're walking down the road, or in the park, or just pottering at home getting all the jobs done (ha! Yea right!) you can listen to all the noises and point them out to your little one. Some are loud - Hoover, shower, lawnmower, tractor, aeroplane, lorry etc. some are quiet - birds cheeping, boiling kettle, tap dripping, clock ticking, bicycle, etc.

Have fun with listening

Remember Stop Look Listen?  My previous post was about pausing before speaking, and similar principles apply now: "oh," you gasp! "What was THAT noise? ... Listen... ..." Then, kneel down to be at the same level as your little one, and just point. 

By doing that and not constantly commenting on everything you can hear, helps littlies focus on those important noises and automatically makes it a game. 

Switch it off!

None of this will be easy if you have the telly or radio on, even quietly.  So sorry if you're addicted to the Radio in the morning, or Reality TV during the day, but you're going to have to turn it off. Not down, but off!

What to expect

Recently, I've suggested this type of activity to a few families whose children aren't speaking. After focusing on this pre-speech activity for 6-8 weeks, the children are now much more vocal in nursery, they are using a wider range of sounds at home, and are attaching meaning to those sounds (i.e. pointing and making a noise). The children are involving the adults much more, and have developed shared attention - they want to involve others in their world and activities. Once children are tuning in and have a level of shared attention, they may be ready to start to listen to sounds for speech...

What other listening games do you play?  Leave me a comment below to let me know!

Hey Baby - Pre-verbal and pre-intentional skills

When my eldest child was just a few weeks old, I had a call from a good speechy friend from uni who had also just had a baby. "What do I do with her?" We both asked. "How do you talk to a six week old baby?"

There was no social smile, no reciprocal interaction and no response to singing - yet.


                                


After lots of lullabies, cuddling, imitation of her coos and squeaks, there was suddenly a smile! Not wind - but a real social smile, showing she'd recognised her mummy!  Many of the families I work with are still looking for their equivalent of that social smile - 18 months on, or more.

How will I understand her?

Being a baby is stressful! They need to learn your touch, your voice, your breath, your smell. All of this is reassuring, and helps them learn.

As parents we also need to learn our baby's communication. Was that a hungry cry, a tired whimper, a strop (yes - I believe that my daughter had her first tantrum at around 12 weeks because she didn't want her nap!), or an 'I want to be left alone' cry?!

We need to be consistent.  If you think a sound or movement means something, trust your instinct.  Teach your child what he or she has just said by repeating the song or cuddles you were giving.  

Repetition, Repetition, Repetition

Children learn through repetition and reinforcement. They make a sound or cry, and as we respond to them, they learn they can have an impact on their environment. And so they do it again. And there you have your first communication! Ta dah!

Children with complex neurological conditions may not 'cry' in the same way.  They may respond to their environment more by stiffening or making a movement, or an involuntary noise.  Any of these reactions may become meaningful, if we can keep a log of what the child does to indicate likes and dislikes, and then try to repeat and reinforce their response to us.  This is also true for children with little or no language such as severe developmental and communication disorders.  

Don't give up

With normally developing babies, we see progress sometimes within a few days or less. With children with severe complex needs, these changes may take months. However, I believe that by tuning in to your child and understanding what each of their sounds or movements means, you can help them to become more interactive and transform those accidental interactions or noises into purposeful communications. All children have potential, if we can adjust our expectations, and set very tiny, but achievable aims.

Stop, look, listen

Working with children at various stages of early development, I have sometimes heard the following from parents:

"I talk to him like he's an adult... I want him to have a good vocabulary..."

As parents we all want to teach our children as much as we can and give them the best start. However, when they have difficulties in learning language, and/or additional learning needs, we need to adapt what we are doing by slowing things down and by giving them a reason to communicate.

STOP

First; stop what you are doing, then; stop yourself responding to your child straight away. Count to 3, or 5! This bit is actually really hard, I've tried it myself. Especially when you've got other little ones running about and interrupting...

Spending time with your littlies makes you finely tuned to their every need and desire, often before they even realise it! So next time you are about to give little Johnny the car that's out of reach, just stop for a few seconds...

LOOK

Watch what he does when you don't just pass that car to him. Does he look puzzled that his car hasn't magically appeared in his hand? Does he make a teenage-like grunt and point to what he wants? Does he actually change his mind and decide he'd like the crayons that are next to the car instead?

By watching, we can see exactly what the child is interested in and then we can...

LISTEN

Little Johnny may have had the ability to try to say "car" for a while, but not had the opportunity to practice. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. So, if the first time he says "uh" the next time he might say "ar" and the next time "tar", until he finds a word that you can consistently recognise as "car".

Once you can give your child the time and opportunities to talk, and they realise there is a benefit to talking (I.e. things will happen for them much faster), there should be no stopping them... In my experience, this is the breakthrough moment for children with any number of abilities or disabilities, and can be quite amazing to see the difference in a child who can suddenly make their needs known!

ON YOUR WAY

So.

Well done! For being patient, and not jumping in, and giving him the opportunity to try! It's really hard to do, especially if he has other siblings (I'm talking from experience! ) but it's not impossible, and it certainly is very rewarding to watch your child's confidence in communication developing.

Let's pretend

Hands up who remembers running around the playground with just one toggle of your duffle coat done up, pretending to be a superhero?

Now, who wishes they still could get away with it?!

I, for one, would love to and I do! Granted, I do have my own two small children to give me an excuse, but it is so very liberating (not to mention I've probably burned loads of calories running round in the freezing cold this Easter so feel fine to have another one of those Easter eggs!!).

SPEECH THROUGH PLAY

So much of speech and language is learned through play. Obvious, once you think of it, isn't it? Little minds are programmed to learn through experience. When we're at the park, or even when we're at home, we might see or hear an aeroplane and then race around trying to catch each other. Add in vocabulary like "plane", "fast", "zoom", "sky", "high", "look" (I could go on...) and you can see how many new words your little one can learn in a quick 5 mins of excitement.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Your little one won't mind if you haven't found the picture cards which match the topic. They won't notice if you make a mistake, and you won't notice if they get the answer or the pronunciation a bit muddled. Just use one or two words for everything you want to tell/ teach them and you've got it. I am talking about those children whose language is at the two word level or below, or those who are developing at around the 18month stage.

LOCATION LOCATION

Of course, you don't have to be outdoors and running around to introduce language through play. You could just as easily be lying on the floor with your child who perhaps doesn't walk. Or, have them on you lap helping by holding their arms to make the actions and model the sounds required within the game.

Some favourite games in our house are pretending to be animals and nibbling at imaginary bones; making cups of tea with or without utensils; rescuing each other onto the sofa boats from crocodiles living in the rug swamp!

THE SOUND OF IT

Remember to include some exciting phrases such as "uh-oh" and "where are you?" Which have great sing-song intonation. Some children who find it hard to learn language, might find the tuneful pattern easier to copy rather than the specifics involved in pronouncing the words correctly. These phrases are also very exciting and motivating.

FUTURE PLAY

This post is my first on play, I am planning on covering more ideas for playing with children who have a range of impairments such as hearing, visual, and physical. If you would like to hear about those, leave me a comment below!

Katie

Dear Zoo

We all have our favourite children's books, ones we remember being read to us, and the ones we could read for ourselves. Among my favourites were 'the Tiger Who Came to Tea' and 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'! 

One I have grown to love as an adult and read frequently to my own children is 'Dear Zoo'.  I love the repetition and predictability, and for this reason it is also a great therapy tool! 

The flaps make it perfect for anticipation as well as encouraging child participation.  Also, who hasn't made all the animal sounds? By the way, what is the sound a camel makes?!

So, how can we make it accessible to those children with communication difficulties?


PICTURE MATCHING


I have used picture matching along with a book, or a lesson in one of the severe learning difficulty special schools I worked in, it really helped to keep the child (who had severe autism) focused to the teacher, even where he had severely impaired auditory processing skills.  

With the children I work with, I would start with teaching the animal vocabulary and give them a choice of pictures to match up with the animal under the flap.  Start with showing two, and asking "where's the ...[animal]?" 

As you can see, I found some similar pictures from a Noah's ark story book I had at home to use for picture matching, and didn't need to use pre-prepared symbols or photos. 

RECORDED MESSAGES

Repetitive stories are great for children who use AAC devices, particularly when first introducing them.  Big mack switches are very simple to record with a single message e.g. "So they sent me a..."  

Other devices with more switches or buttons, or some of the iPad apps can be recorded with other phrases from the book so that you and your child can take it in turns to read together.  What a lovely way to be able to share a bedtime story with your 'non-verbal' child?!

What other books would you like to use, or do you use in therapy?  How else would you use my choice of book?  I would love to hear your thoughts below!

Welcome!

Hello and welcome!

I have been told that when I was younger I did not stop talking! I remember talking incessantly at my younger brother and sister and so it made sense for me to become a Speech and Language Therapist! I work as a highly specialist therapist within the NHS in the UK and have a caseload of pre-school clients with complex special needs and feeding difficulties.

I feel passionately about the children I work with and wanted a way to organise my therapy thoughts, ideas and approaches so that it was accessible to families and other therapists alike.

Please bear with me as I'm not very computer savvy and the blogging world is quite new to me!

Hopefully, I'll make this work, and inspire you fellow therapists and some parents to believe that children with special needs can make great strides with their interaction and communication.

Hope to have you following me soon,

Katie