Speech, Language & Literacy Clinic near Greenwich
Helping parents worried about the speech of a child who can’t be understood or has difficulty reading or writing.
Interventions near Greenwich helping children's and young people's speech, language, and communication
Some people leave school with on-going problems with communication. These problems don’t usually get better on their own. The individuals affected just have to live with the problems or find their own work arounds. My clinic seeks to fix these problems at whatever is the best time for doing this – in childhood.
You may be worried about your child not seeming to follow the ‘normal’ schedule. But children are individuals. There are many reasons for them making up schedules of their own,
There are three simple questions:
Are you worried?
Does your child seem to struggle?
Does your child avoid conversation?
If the answer to any of these questions is: Yes, some investigation may be useful.
It is very worrying to think that your child may be being bullied, or laughed at or isolated because of a communication problem. Your child may lack confidence in talking. You want your child to do well not just in school work, but to be safe, happy, enjoying childhood, fitting in and making friends.
Problems often go together. Many children who have problems learning to read and write have have previously had problems learning to talk. Being confident about talking is halfway to being able to read and write. These problems often run in families.
Being confident about talking is halfway to being able to learn to read and write.
I have been trained as a speech and language therapist and as a linguist. My experience is in treating a wide variety of speech and language conditions.
I now specialise in the area where I have special training, experience and expertise – problems with the formation of sounds. words and sentences and related aspects of reading and writing, often diagnosed as dyslexia. Or where there is either no speech or language, or the speech is either limited or hard to understand, where the speech is either incomprehensible or unintelligible.
I follow a tradition going back to the 1660s. I am active in research.
Does My Child Need Speech & Language Therapy?
Speech and language disorders in children can manifest in various forms, from difficulty articulating words to challenges in understanding or using language. These issues can significantly impact a child’s ability to communicate effectively, socialise with peers, and succeed academically. Recognising the signs early is crucial for timely intervention, which can dramatically improve outcomes.
Signs to Watch For
- Difficulty Pronouncing Sounds: Children who cannot be understood by family or peers by the age of 3.
- Limited Vocabulary: Lagging behind peers in the number or complexity of words they use.
- Struggle with Reading and Writing: Challenges in learning to read or write at the expected age level.
Helping Children Communicate to the Best of their Abilities
Early intervention is crucial for children with speech and language disorders. Speech therapy for children incorporates fun and engaging techniques to encourage speech development and improve communication skills. The benefits of starting therapy early include better outcomes in academic and social settings.
Key Areas Where Speech & Language Therapy Can Help
- Articulation Disorders: Helping individuals say sounds more clearly, improving their ability to be understood by others.
- Fluency Disorders: Techniques to make the stuttering more fluent.
- Resonance or Voice Disorders: Addressing issues related to the pitch, volume, and quality of the voice.
- Receptive Disorders: Interventions address deep issues in those areas of language which are normally part of the human genetic make up.
- Expressive Disorders: Helping those functions in language which make the difference between making statements, asking questions, giving orders.
Issues I can help with include:
- Delays in speech and/or language
- Speech and/or language disorders
- Specific Language Impairment (SLI)
- Articulation issues
- Cleft lip and palate anomalies
- Dysfluency (Stuttering)
Children may have been diagnosed with:
- Expressive language delay / disorder
- Dyslexia / literacy / reading and writing issues
- Cerebral Palsy
- Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) / Dyspraxia
- (Central) Auditory Processing Disorder
- Developmental dysarthria
Reading & Writing
When it comes to reading, writing and spelling, schools and teachers do their best. But there can be different points of view. And here it helps to be well-informed.