Independent Speech and Language Therapy for children in East-Kent

Welcome to Communicaid.

I am an experienced Speech and Language Therapist, passionate about supporting children to develop their communication skills. I specialise in supporting neurodivergent children and I do this in a way that honours any difference in the way that your child interacts, thinks, or communicates. I offer in home or in school services bespoke to your child and family.

Mission

Children playing activities outside

To support children to develop their communication skills to their utmost potential because every child deserves to be able to participate fully in the world. The belief that neurodivergence is an entirely valid form of human diversity and not less in any way underpins all that I do.

Approach

Following the lead of a child of any age results in a high level of engagement and leads to the best outcomes. For this reason, sessions are child-led and for the younger ones still developing language carried out through play. Older school-aged children, who might want support understanding and using language, choose the aspects of their communication that they would like support with.

Specialities

child playing at softplay

I specialise in supporting the communication skills of neurodivergent children as well as Gestalt Language Processing (children who communicate through repeating phrases from films/songs).  All forms of communication are honoured including speech, signing, gestures, and the use of pictures or symbols.

Why Communicaid?

Research over the years has shown that most autistic children learn to communicate through a process called Gestalt Language Processing. Most non-autistic children learn through a different process called Analytic Language Processing.

The majority of speech and language therapy support currently available to young children learning to communicate works well for Analytic Language Processors but is probably not the most effective way to support your child if they are a Gestalt Language Processor. What’s the difference between the two?

Two boys having fun outside together

Speech and Language therapy support for children who are
Gestalt Language Processors requires an entirely different approach that is not, as yet, widely available.
You need a Speech and Language Therapist, such as myself, trained in the Natural Language Acquisition framework.

I am fully trained and experienced in working with children who are Gestalt Language Processors and their families. I love being able to offer effective Speech and Language Therapy support to autistic children and doing so in a way that fully supports the way that their brains work and that does not make any child feel less or lacking in any way.

How does it work?

Contact me

We can arrange a free consultation to talk about your child, your concerns and how I might be able to help support them. This can also be done over the phone or via email if you prefer.

Assessment

The first step is always a bespoke assessment of your child’s communication. These are normally arranged at home where your child feels most comfortable. The session includes taking a detailed case history about your child and their general development as well as your concerns about them. Assessment is carried out through play, observation and different assessment activities.

Intervention

During the assessment session we can discuss the support that you would like for your child. You might be looking for advice sessions to help you support your child’s communication yourself or perhaps you would like 1:1 therapy sessions. Either can be arranged at home or at nursery/school on a schedule to suit you and your child.

  • ‘After just one session working with Sally we quickly had a clearer understanding about gestalt language processing, what that meant for our autistic son and how best we could support him further with his language and communication development. Sally’s neurodiverse-affirming approach to working with our son was warm and calm, which enabled him to build trust and rapport with her. The progress he has made since we started working with Sally has been amazing!’

    Client’s Parent

  • “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping with our son’s speech sounds. He’s enjoyed your sessions & has always been looking forward to your visits. Many thanks for your enthusiasm too!”

    F- Canterbury

  • “Sally started working with us and our daughter a few months ago and since then, thanks to her knowledge of Gestalt Language Processing, we’ve seen a vast improvement in our daughter's communication and ability to express her needs. With simple, easy to use techniques Sally spent time with C in both home and educational settings to see how to best approach what works specifically for her. It was great to have someone on board who could break down GLP; something which at first seemed huge and overwhelming but became manageable all thanks to Sally. We will continue to spend time with Sally and look forward to the continuing benefits she brings to our daughter.”

    Client’s parent

  • "Many thanks for today. We feel it was very informative for us and allows us to focus on key areas for A. A was very comfortable with you too which is great. Thank you so much for taking the time to explain the process and the information you gave us - we really appreciate it.”

    Client’s Parent

  • “Just to say how much we value having Sally coming into school. She gives us a great service and is excellent at working with a range of staff and providing the information and reassurance we are after in terms of making suitable provision for children with Speech, Language and Communication needs."

    SenCo
    Lady Joanna Thornhill (Endowed) Primary School
    Wye