Speech therapy for children with special educational needs
This has been a large part of my work in recent years - and the reason I trained further in the Montessori method for children with special needs.
What I help with
- Communication for children on the autism spectrum
- Pervasive developmental disorder
- Attention deficit and hyperactivity
- Other ways to communicate, while speech is not yet available
What my work covers, and what it does not
I work on communication - the child understanding, and being understood. The diagnosis itself stays with the specialist who made it. I do not make it, confirm it or overturn it.
Where a child is already seen by another specialist, we work in the same direction. Where one is not, and I think one is needed, I will say so.
The Montessori method
I am certified to apply it with children with special needs. The approach puts the child at the centre: they set the pace, learning happens by doing, and the room is arranged so they can manage on their own - because independence is part of the therapy, not a reward at the end of it.
The goal is for the child to be able to say what they want, in whatever way is open to them. Sometimes that is a word. Sometimes it is a gesture, a picture or a device - and that is communication too, not a retreat from it.
What the first visit looks like
A conversation
You tell me what worries you and since when. No testing, no judgement - just a conversation.
Assessment
I observe your child at play and check specific things. It takes about an hour and to the child it looks like an activity.
What happens next
I tell you plainly what I see - including if I think therapy is not needed. If it is, we make a plan.
The other services
Children's speech therapy
The most common reason parents come is that their child speaks less clearly than other children the same age, or gets stuck. Most of my work runs through here.
Delayed speech and language development
Your child speaks less than other children their age, understands more than they say, or has stopped using words they used to know.
If something is worrying you, call - even just to ask. I also reply to messages on Facebook and Instagram.