Support for Diagnosed & Identified Communication Needs
If your child already has a diagnosis or an identified speech, language or communication need, explore the areas I support and how online Speech and Language Therapy may help.
For children and young people who speak comfortably in some situations but find themselves unable to speak in others.
I have particular experience supporting Selective Mutism, including older children and teenagers.
- ‘s’ and ‘z’ sounds are pronounced differently from expected
- ‘s’ may sound more like ‘th’
- The tongue may come forward between or against the teeth when making ‘s’ or ‘z’
- Speech may have a ‘slushy’ or wet quality if air escapes at the sides of the tongue
- Speech may otherwise be clear and easy to understand
- Your child or teenager may avoid certain words or sounds because they are self-conscious
- Confidence may be affected in class, socially, during presentations or later in situations such as college, university or job interviews
- The lisp has persisted as your child has become older
- The lisp may be linked to an underlying congenital or structural condition present at birth, even if this has since been repaired or treated
Your child may:
- Repeat sounds, parts of words, whole words or phrases
- Get stuck when trying to say a word
- Stretch sounds out
- Show tension in their face or body when speaking
- Avoid certain words or speaking situations
- Seem more fluent some days than others
- Become upset, frustrated or self-conscious about talking
Your child may:
- Have speech that sounds unclear, slurred or effortful
- Find it difficult to control the movements needed for speech
- Struggle to express their thoughts clearly
- Need more time to process and respond
- Use alternative ways to communicate alongside speech
- Become frustrated because they understand more than they can say
This may include children with complex needs, cerebral palsy, brain injury, genetic syndromes or other medical or neurological needs.
Speech and Language Therapy support for autistic children can focus on areas such as understanding and using language, interaction, social communication, functional communication, self-advocacy and helping your child communicate more effectively in everyday life.
Support is individualised according to your child’s communication profile, age, strengths and needs. Depending on the child, this may involve direct online therapy, parent coaching or working collaboratively with the important adults around them.
Explore Autism & Social Communication Support
For parents of younger autistic children
I am also Hanen Certified in More Than Words®, an evidence-based parent programme designed to help parents of young autistic children and children with social communication needs support communication and interaction during everyday routines and activities.
The programme combines parent group sessions with individual video-feedback sessions so strategies can be adapted to your own child.
Children with DLD may need support with understanding language, expressing ideas, vocabulary, sentence structure, following complex information, organising their thoughts and managing the language demands of school and everyday life.
Therapy is tailored to your child’s individual language profile and may also include practical strategies for parents and school.
A speech sound delay or disorder can affect how clearly a child produces words and how easily other people understand them. Some children develop speech sounds in the expected sequence but more slowly, while others show speech patterns that are less typical of normal development.
Assessment can help identify your child’s particular speech pattern and determine the most appropriate approach to therapy.
Speech and Language Therapy can help children and young people develop communication that supports everyday life, relationships and increasing independence.
Support begins with where your child is now and focuses on meaningful outcomes for them and your family. For older children and young people, this can include gradually working towards longer-term goals for education, communication, independence and adult life.
Children with Down syndrome and other developmental or genetic conditions can have particular patterns of communication strengths and difficulties, while every child’s individual profile remains different.
Therapy is tailored to your child’s abilities, interests and needs, with a focus on developing communication that is useful in everyday life and helping new skills carry over across home, education and the wider community.
Not sure what the next step should be?
Every child is different, even when they share the same diagnosis. The right Speech and Language Therapy support will depend on your child’s individual communication profile, age, current needs and the priorities that matter to them and your family.
If you are considering online Speech and Language Therapy, you can book a free 15-minute consultation with me, Rosemin Abdeen, Specialist Children’s Speech and Language Therapist. This is an opportunity to briefly discuss your child, ask questions and find out whether my online service may be suitable for them.
If you already know that you would like to proceed, you can request an assessment. I will review the information you provide before confirming whether I am able to offer your child an appropriate online service.
Not sure which option to choose?
Start with the free consultation. There is no obligation to proceed with an assessment afterwards.