Support
This section outlines the support I can offer, from helping with speech, language, and communication needs to addressing challenges linked to neurodivergence and mental health.
LATE TALKERS
Most children will babble as babies, and progress to saying single words by around the age of 1. They’ll say things like ‘mama’ or ‘doggy’ or ‘milk’.
By the age of 2, many children will have started to put words together to make short sentences. They might say ‘baby eating’ or ‘big bus’.
However, some children struggle with this. They use lots of other ways of communicating, but the words just aren’t there yet. I can meet with you and your wee one, and together we can find ways of helping your child to start using words and sentences.
SPEECH SOUND DIFFICULTIES
All children will make mistakes with their sounds as they’re learning to talk. Usually, as the child gets older, these mistakes sort themselves out. There’s a really predictable pattern to how speech sounds develop.
Some children seem to get stuck with certain sounds. They might not be able to say the sound at all. Or, they can say the sound by itself, but can’t use it in words. I’ve worked with a lot of children with many different kinds of muddled sounds. There’s plenty that we can do together to help your child to speak more clearly. I use lots of different games and activities to do this, and children usually really enjoy their therapy sessions with me.
LANGUAGE DIFFICULTIES
By the time they get to school, most children are able to understand and use language without any difficulty. They can follow age-appropriate instructions and can talk in sentences. They can tell you about something that has happened, and their story makes sense.
Other children seem to struggle. They don’t seem to be able to follow instructions and they find it difficult to use sentences. These children may have a language disorder. This isn’t something that I’m able to ‘cure’, but I can definitely help you and your child learn how to manage it. Together, we can find ways to minimise the impact of the difficulties on your child.
SITUATIONAL MUTISM
Some children are, by nature, shy. They don’t enjoy speaking to unfamiliar people, but they can manage it when they have to. Other children just seem to freeze. Often they aren’t able to speak to anyone other than their parents or siblings. It’s not that they don’t want to, they simply can’t.
Historically, this was known as ‘selective mutism’. It’s not intended to imply that the child or young person is choosing not to speak, but it does. For that reason, adults who’ve been through this prefer the term ‘situational mutism’. This is much clearer. It’s the situation that makes it impossible for the young person to speak, not a choice.
Recently, I’ve worked with a number of young people who find ‘mouth words’ difficult. I don’t claim to have cured them, but I have definitely helped them to communicate their thoughts, their views and their dreams with other people. I can also support you as parents to expand the range of people your young person is able to speak to.
STAMMERING
Stammering or stuttering? It’s the same thing! Words or sounds are repeated or get ‘stuck’. Some children will develop a stammer out of nowhere and grow out of it equally quickly. Other children start stammering and don’t grow out of it.
I don’t claim to be able to cure a stammer. What I can do is work with your young person to find ways of minimising the negative impacts of a stammer on their life. I can help them learn to be ok with how they speak. I can help them to feel in control of their stammer, rather than their stammer controlling them.
REASONABLE ADJUSTMENTS & ADVOCACY
I’m a parent to three (gigantic) teenagers. None of them have had a smooth path through the education system. I’ve also worked with many young people who find the experience of being in a school setting intolerable. I’ve sat in many school meetings, both as a professional and as a parent. I’ve seen it from both sides of the table. I know how difficult and frustrating it can be to try and advocate for your child month after month and year after year.
I can’t change the school system, but I can work with you, your young person and their school to make it as easy as possible for your child to be there. Often, I sit with a young person and try to unpick which bits of school are particularly difficult for them. Once we’ve done that, I produce a document that outlines what helps your young person and what definitely doesn’t help.
By law, everyone is entitled to reasonable adjustments. This is the legal term for changes that can be made so that everyone can access work or education on an equal basis. I can help you work out what your young person needs, and I can help you advocate to make sure they get that in school or college.
Other
Your child or young person might not fit neatly into any of the above categories. They might fit into more than one. Please get in touch so that we can work out together what the best intervention for your child might be.
Your young person’s communication might have developed without any difficulty. However, their mental health has deteriorated, and now they are struggling to communicate effectively. I’m a trained counsellor, and am comfortable holding space so that your young person can think about what has been going on for them. I don’t offer psychological intervention, but I can help your young person communicate their thoughts, difficulties and hopes for the future.