Specialist Speech and Language Therapist based in Altrincham
Resources for parents
Helpful information and resources to support your child’s speech, language, communication and feeding development.
It’s natural to have questions about your child’s development. You might be wondering whether their speech is developing as expected, why other people struggle to understand them, or whether difficulties with eating, drinking or swallowing are something you should seek support for.
This page brings together useful information for parents and carers, along with trusted organisations where you can find further advice.
Why speech and language development matters
Speech, language and communication skills are a crucial part of a child’s development. They help children express their wants and needs, understand what other people are saying, build relationships and participate in everyday life.
These skills become increasingly important as children begin nursery and school. Children use language to listen to instructions, learn new concepts, ask and answer questions, tell stories and communicate with the people around them.
More than 10% of children and young people have long-term speech, language and communication needs, according to the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.
Speech
How we produce and pronounce sounds and words.
Language
How we understand and use words and sentences.
Communication
How we share information, thoughts and feelings with other people.
Understanding speech sound development
Learning to speak clearly is a gradual process. It’s normal for young children to find some speech sounds more difficult than others while their speech develops. Children don't necessarily learn every sound at the same time, and speech development can vary from child to child.
Speech sound difficulties can include problems producing particular sounds, articulation difficulties, lisps or patterns of sound substitutions that make a child more difficult to understand.
For some children, these difficulties resolve as their speech develops. Others may benefit from assessment and targeted speech sound therapy.
The aim isn't simply to practise a difficult sound repeatedly. A Speech and Language Therapist can assess how a child is producing sounds, identify patterns in their speech and determine what type of support may be appropriate.
Eating, drinking and swallowing
Speech and Language Therapists don't only work with speech. They can also have specialist expertise in eating, drinking and swallowing.
Children can experience feeding difficulties for many different reasons. These might include difficulties progressing with weaning and textures, sensory feeding difficulties, food aversion or a very restricted range of accepted foods. They may also have difficulties due to physical, genetic or neurological diagnoses.
I have specialist training in dysphagia and have also completed training in the SOS Approach to Feeding, allowing me to provide specialist assessment and support for children experiencing eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties for any reason.
Trusted resources for parents
Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
Professional information about Speech and Language Therapy, communication development and eating, drinking and swallowing.
Information and practical resources to help families support children's speech, language and communication.
Guidance for parents about early communication and helping babies and young children learn to talk.
Information about independent Speech and Language Therapy and finding registered therapists.
Information and resources relating to the SOS Approach to Feeding.
Looking for an answer to a specific question?
I’ve put together answers to some of the FAQs parents commonly ask about Speech and Language Therapy and my services.
If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, you’re always welcome to get in touch.