Early speech therapy helps Charles find his voice
At age two Charles had limited speech which led to his mum feeling concerned, but local support from Nottinghamshire Healthcare's Speech and Language team, has proved to be invaluable to seeing huge improvements.
The family accessed early language support via Home Talk, and despite Charles making progress and saying around 20 words, he still relied heavily on sound and gestures, so was referred to Nottinghamshire Healthcare's Speech and Language Therapy team.
Tania Wallace, Speech and Language Therapist, conducted home visits and introduced different strategies for the family to try with Charles. These included coaching his parents to create opportunities for him to use words - rather than filling in the words for him or fetching the things he pointed to. She also used other strategies to encourage verbal communication, such as passing a bottle of bubbles but putting the lid on tight so he had to ask for them to be opened. She also offered choice as part of Charles' play, for example asking him to choose whether a dolly should jump or sleep.
This moved on to a picture-based sentence building programme called colourful semantics, where Charles could build a simple sentence like 'boys kicking a ball', through colour-coded words and pictures. Tania also worked with Charles' nursery and the staff began encouraging him to say the word of something he wanted rather than just point to it. They also offered him choice on a picture board, such as do you want to do painting or construction today?
Charles began linking words and interacting more confidently, including speaking to other children, and he was given a communication plan to continue his progress.
Tania planned group activities to support Charles' social interaction, and his parents continued home activities and reported that he was beginning to build sentences.
Mum Amy said:
Tania was fantastic with her support, the skills she gave us to help Charles have made such a difference. He's made fantastic progress and we now know how we can help him to continue to progress going forwards.
If any other parents are worried and need support I'd definitely encourage them to get in touch with the service
Tania Wallace Speech and Language Therapist said:
Charles has done so well, with the fantastic support his parents and grandma, his language skills are going from strength to strength. At the sessions I could see that Charles' mum was willing to give anything a try and her efforts have really paid off.
There are so many things I love about my job, one being that moment when a child communicates in a meaningful way and you can see that penny drop, that the child they made that happen (parent?), and supporting the parents to develop the skills to help their child, saying to them, you can do this.
Joseph Sullivan, Interim Deputy Care Group Director, Mental Health and Associate Director of Operations, Children, Young People and Families said:
Our amazing Speech and Language team do such a great job supporting children and families with speech development. We're so proud of the progress Charles has made with Tania and the team's support. His mum and family have been so committed to practising the techniques at home, which has made such a difference - a great team effort. Well done to everyone involved.
If you are a parent/carer concerned about your child's speech, visit the Nottinghamshire Healthcare website, where you can find lots of advice. There are videos you can watch about how you can support your child whist you are waiting for support, plus details of drop in clinics and the advice line.
Children's Speech and Language Therapy | Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Rate this page or report a problem
