Barney continues to amaze us every day and his understanding and use of his buttons is improving all of the time. This update summarises some of the progress he has been making, as well as includes some information about how we have taught him language, with tips and strategies for you to get started too.
Joining Words
Barney is increasingly interested in using the buttons to communicate with us and he has started to combine words.
Barney’s First Words
Until last year I wouldn’t have described myself as a ‘dog person’. In fact, as a child I was a little afraid of dogs and have never liked it when …
Government responds to Bercow 10
There’s been a lot of government activity around speech, language and communication needs recently.
RCSLT and ICAN have received a cross-departmental government response to the Bercow: 10 years on report.
Bercow 10 Years on…
Last month marks one year since the Bercow 10 Years on report was published. This allows a time to reflect on what has been achieved and the work that still needs to continue.
Joining Words
Barney is increasingly interested in using the buttons to communicate with us and he has started to combine words.
Talk with Toddlers
Early in August I delivered an online workshop for parents of toddlers and this blog summarises some of the content
Barney’s First Words
Until last year I wouldn’t have described myself as a ‘dog person’. In fact, as a child I was a little afraid of dogs and have never liked it when …
A 10 Year Reflection: My SLT Journey
It’s 10 years ago today since I graduated from Newcastle University. In some ways it feels like yesterday and in others, it feels like a world away. I have achieved …
World Voice Day 2021
We all use our voices in many different ways every day. We use our voice to talk to each other about everyday things and to connect with our friends and families in a range of ways. Over the last year, much of this connection might have been (and continues to be) via video or phone calls but it is still just as important (if not more so) than ever.
Read a book day
Today is National Read a Book Day, and whether you’ve found a book you haven’t read yet or you just want to choose an old favourite from your shelf, today is a good day to be inspired to read.
Self-Care September
It’s important that we take the time to look after ourselves before we offer help and support to others. Self-Care is not selfish, it’s vital in order to be able to give our best to those we love.
International Dog Day
Children and dogs make great friends. Dogs can teach children about empathy, responsibility and can also support their self-esteem. There are also lots of opportunities to develop your child’s language …
Birthday Box
In July, Speech Stuff celebrated our first birthday. It’s been a whole year of developing my Speech and Language Therapy service, working closely families and their children to support a …
Celebrating Success
The RCSLT 75 theme for June is Service Users. The term service user broadly covers the individuals accessing a health care service. Speech and Language Therapists work with a range …
First Words
Hearing your child’s first words is an exciting and often much anticipated experience. Typically, children will have said their first word when they are around 12 months old.
Top Toys for Language Development
This blog post gives some general ideas which may help support your Christmas shopping list for the children in your life.
The Benefits of Nursery Rhymes
World Nursery Rhyme Week 2019 is here!
Nursery Rhymes are a brilliant foundation for so many later developing skills including speech, language and literacy.
No Pens Day
Speaking and listening are vital skills in many aspects of our daily lives and are an important area of development in our children and No Pens Day Wednesday aims to celebrate and develop these skills by encouraging schools to put down their pens and pick up their language with a day of speaking and listening activities.
International Stammering Awareness Day
Today is International Stammering Awareness day.
A stammer is a speech disorder characterised by disruptions which interrupt the smooth flow of speech. These may take the form of repetitions of sounds, syllables or words – like saying da-da-daddy.
Reducing Anxiety
As mentioned in my previous blog post, Selective Mutism is a phobia of talking which results in the individual experiencing high levels of anxiety in some situations where they are expected to speak.
Myths About Selective Mutism
October is Selective Mutism Awareness Month. Selective Mutism (SM) is a phobia of talking.
Look for a Book
The latest craze sweeping the North East at the moment is ‘Look for a Book’. If you haven’t already heard, it’s an idea which is keeping children of all ages entertained and outside in the fresh air.
Holiday Fun
The second week of the summer holidays has begun and with 5 weeks still to go, keeping your children entertained for the duration might feel like a daunting task.
Here’s a few ideas of activities to incorporate into your week that the children will enjoy as well as supporting their speech and language development.
Speech, Language and Communication Needs
Over 1 million children in the UK have Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN), that equates to approximately 2-3 in every classroom.
Talk with Toddlers
Early in August I delivered an online workshop for parents of toddlers and this blog summarises some of the content
Top Toys for Language Development
This blog post gives some general ideas which may help support your Christmas shopping list for the children in your life.
The Benefits of Nursery Rhymes
World Nursery Rhyme Week 2019 is here!
Nursery Rhymes are a brilliant foundation for so many later developing skills including speech, language and literacy.
Celebrating Success
The RCSLT 75 theme for June is Service Users. The term service user broadly covers the individuals accessing a health care service. Speech and Language Therapists work with a range …
26 hours of silence…
This time last week I was doing a 26-hour sponsored silence as part of the ‘2.6 Challenge’. Sunday 26th April 2020 should have been the London Marathon. As it had …
World Voice Day
We all use our voices in many different ways every day. We use our voice to talk to each other about everyday things and to connect with our friends and …
Celebrating Women
The RCSLT theme of March is ‘Women’. Today is International Women’s Day. Working in a profession which has a higher proportion of women than men, today feels like a good …
Love is in the Air
February’s RCSLT’s 75th anniversary theme is Love. With so many things to love about Speech and Language Therapy I’ve decided to write my top 5 reasons of why I love …
First and Foremost
2020 is an exciting year for Speech and Language Therapy as the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) celebrate their 75th anniversary.
As part of this, they have launched a set of 12 themes, January kicks off the celebration with the theme of FIRSTS.
Reducing Anxiety
As mentioned in my previous blog post, Selective Mutism is a phobia of talking which results in the individual experiencing high levels of anxiety in some situations where they are expected to speak.
Myths About Selective Mutism
October is Selective Mutism Awareness Month. Selective Mutism (SM) is a phobia of talking.
Every Photo Tells a story…
Today is World Photography Day so I thought I would share some useful ideas to develop speech, language and communication using photos. We are all often taking photos to capture …
Look for a Book
The latest craze sweeping the North East at the moment is ‘Look for a Book’. If you haven’t already heard, it’s an idea which is keeping children of all ages entertained and outside in the fresh air.
Speech, Language and Communication Needs
Over 1 million children in the UK have Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN), that equates to approximately 2-3 in every classroom.
Every Photo Tells a story…
Today is World Photography Day so I thought I would share some useful ideas to develop speech, language and communication using photos. We are all often taking photos to capture …
Holiday Fun
The second week of the summer holidays has begun and with 5 weeks still to go, keeping your children entertained for the duration might feel like a daunting task.
Here’s a few ideas of activities to incorporate into your week that the children will enjoy as well as supporting their speech and language development.