Empty Set and Phonology approaches

ByLondon Speech and Feeding

I have been avoiding the use of the Empty Set approach for the longest time as I was not sure if it would work seeing that I am challenging two sounds my student struggles with at the same time. But I decided to give it a go and it works a treat!

With this approach, we use two sounds that our student is struggling with. For example, in my video this student cannot produce /sh/ and /r/. Both sounds have different rules, so I decided to contrast them with each other.

  • The rules of /sh/ are: no voice, air is pushed out through teeth, produced at the front.
  • The rules for /r/ are: use your voice, produce the sound in the middle of the mouth by shaping your tongue in a particular way.

So I chose the words ‘shoes’ and ‘ruse’ as their rules are quite different. Contrasting two sounds the student does not know has been shown to lead to greater change in the child’s articulation. And I can certainly vouch for this as my student is making the best progress with this approach.

Phonology Therapy – what is it, why and how?

Phonology is the study of the sound system of a language. It’s distinct from articulation therapy which focuses on the physical production of sounds.

Phonology therapy focuses on rules. For example, sounds that are produced at the front of the mouth, in contrast to sounds that are produced at the back of the mouth, or sounds that are produced with a long air stream: /s/ or /f/ versus short sounds like /p/ or /t/; sounds are produced with voice or without voice.

Many children, and sometimes adults, are unaware of some of the speech rules and confuse and replace individual sounds. They might say TAT instead of CAT or SIP instead of SHIP.

A quick overview of phonology approaches I use:

Minimal Pairs:

This approach is good for single sound substitutions. We offer word pairs that differ by only one sound, like ‘ship’ and ‘sip.’ One of our first goal in therapy is to highlight the difference between the target sound (e.g., /sh/) and the sound the child uses (e.g., /s/). This helps discriminate and eventually produce the correct sound.

Multiple Oppositions:

A child might replace lots of sounds with a single sound like a /d/. So instead of ‘four’, ‘chore’ and ‘store’ our child says ‘door’, making speech very unintelligible.

The approach is typically geared towards shaking up the phonological system. Our goal is to choose two to four targets that are different from each other, and different from the substituted sound. If our child’s favourite sound is /d/ they can use their voice and make a short sound by stopping their airflow. So I will choose a different target sound to change up the speech system. For example I might choose an /f/, a /m/ and a /k/ sound. So I would contrast: ‘door’ with ‘four’, ‘more’ and ‘core’.

Maximal Oppositions:

In the Maximal Oppositions approach the treatment sets consists of words that are minimally contrasted and that have maximal or near maximal feature differences between each word pair. One word in a pair represents a sound the child ‘knows’ (can say at word level) and the other represents a sound the child does not know (cannot say).

For example, a child may ‘know’ /m/ and be able to say words like ‘man’, ‘mat’ and ‘mine’. However, the same child may be unable to say /f/ as in ‘fan’, ‘fat’ and ‘fine’. The consonants /f/ and /m/ are maximally opposed as follows.

I am always delighted to work on speech sound disorders, I love the challenge and the successes we can celebrate together. Get in touch with me!

Sonja McGeachie

Early Intervention Speech and Language Therapist

Feeding and Dysphagia (Swallowing) Specialist The London Speech and Feeding Practice

The London Speech and Feeding Practice

Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

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  • · ·

    One toy, endless targets: How to grow consonant clusters, core words and colours with one flower garden toy

    ByLondon Speech and Feeding
    Sonja McGeachie with the build-a-flower garden toy

    If you’ve been following me for a while you already know my absolute favourite rule for speech therapy: let the toy work for you. You don’t need an entire cabinet full of different flashcards or games to target a massive range of speech goals (though truth be told I do have 4 cabinets! What am I saying…) but often I find that sticking to one highly engaging, open-ended toy reduces a child’s cognitive load, keeps them firmly planted in play, and gives you dozens of natural opportunities for high-repetition practice. It also reduced my cognitive load!

    In today’s post we are looking at a classic: The build-a-flower garden toy. A link is here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fivejoy-Flower-Garden-Building.

    This vibrant, stacking toy isn’t just great for fine motor skills. It is an absolute goldmine for speech therapy. While it is incredible for targeting tricky consonant clusters (blends) like /ST/, /SP/, /SPR/, /FL/, /BL/, and /GR/, it is equally powerful for building functional core vocabulary.

    1. Digging deep with /ST/

    Let’s start building our garden.

    Stem & stalk: ‘Look at this long stem!’ or ‘Can you put the stem in?’ or ‘do you want the green or the red stem’?

    • Stuck: If a piece is a little tight to push down, it’s a brilliant opportunity for a natural exclamation: ‘Oh no, it’s stuck! Help me!’
    • Stand: Once it’s secure, you can celebrate: ‘it can stand up now!’
    • 👉 Core word integration: Use this setup stage to practise ANOTHER ONE. As you hold the base pieces, wait for the child to use their words or AAC device to request, ‘I want another one!’ before handing over the next stem.

    2. Sowing seeds with /SP/ and /SPR/

    Every good gardener needs the right equipment and a close eye for detail. We can introduce tools and descriptive language to hit our /SP/ and triple-blend /SPR/ targets.

    • Spade: Grab a toy shovel or pretend to use one. ‘Let’s dig a hole with the spade.’
    • Spot: Point to the holes on the base. ‘Find a good spot for this flower.’
    • Sprout: Talk about the little green pieces: ‘Look at the little sprout!’
    • 👉 Core word integration: Build on spontaneous requesting here. If they are eyeing a specific piece, model a full phrase like: ‘I WANT THE PINK ONE.’

    3. /FL/ and fine motor actions

    Now, we can start adding the colourful petals.

    • Flower: This is your high-frequency word for the entire activity. ‘Put the green/blue/pink flower on top.’
    • Flat & flutter: ‘This piece is flat on the ground,’ or ‘The butterfly flutters by!’
    • 👉 Core word integration: This stage is perfect for teaching directional actions. Every time they stack a petal onto a stem, model the core phrase: ‘PUT IT ON!’

    4. Blending it all together with /BL/

    Building a garden is a fantastic sensory experience because of the vivid colours. We can lean heavily into the /BL/ sound by focusing on colour selection and the action of growth.

    • Blue & bloom: ‘Should we use a blue flower?’ and ‘Watch it bloom!’
    • Blade & blend: Point out the blades of grass and talk about how we blend all the colours together.
    • 👉 Core word integration: Don’t just focus on putting the toy together, taking it apart is half the fun! If a child places a piece they don’t want, or when it’s time to clean up, model: ‘TAKE IT OFF.’

    5. Working the /GR/

    Finally, we look at the environment supporting our garden. The /GR/ blend can be targeted by looking downward at the base of our toy setup.

    • Green: Nearly every stem and base piece in this toy is a vibrant shade of green.
    • Grass & ground: ‘Put the base down on the ground.’ ‘Look at the green grass.’
    • 👉 Core word integration: Combine your /GR/ blend with a powerful core phrase. As you pull a stem upward slowly or stack the petals higher and higher, chant together: ‘MAKE IT GROW! Grow, grow, grow!’

    Maximise your repetitions in play

    The beauty of the flower garden toy is its repetitive nature. Because a child builds multiple flowers, you aren’t just saying a word or a phrase once, you have the potential to repeat it 10, 15, or 20 times in a single sitting without the child losing interest.

    By layering structural speech sounds (like blends) over functional communication phrases (like core words), we give children words they can use across their entire day.

    What toy would you like to see us target next in our series? Let me know in the comments on Instagram, and don’t forget to swipe through the carousel there to save these word lists for your next playtime!

    If you are concerned about your child’s speech, please do not hesitate to get in touch. I would love to help you find some answers.

    Sonja McGeachie

    Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

    Owner of The London Speech and Feeding Practice.

    Health Professions Council registered
    Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists Member
    Member of ASLTIP

    Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

    3
  • ·

    How to use Attention Autism to develop language and communication

    ByLondon Speech and Feeding

    Now you’ve read Attention Autism (part one), you are familiar with the concept of ‘bucket time’ and the benefits it has to offer your child. It’s time to explore all the different stages. In sessions, it can be noisy and with so much to take in, you may want something to refer to. If you’re in need of a helping hand or memory jogger for stage two, read on…

    Knowing what stage your child is working at is vital. Every stage has different aims to develop and enhance functional communication. So being familiar with your child’s goals ensures you can continue to practise at home. If you’re unsure of their goals, please ask your Speech and Language Therapist.

    With all speech, language and communication goals, the aim is always to generalise skills from therapy settings to home and nursery or school life. This generalisation period will take time. Please try to stick with the plan. You will experience the benefits for your child, and it’ll make family life a little easier.

    You may remember that Autistic children thrive on visuals. Let’s use their strengths to support their communication needs. It is a good idea at the start of the activity to have a visual for what’s happening now and what will happen next. If you’re anything like me, you’ll grab a pen and paper or a whiteboard and whiteboard pen, and will doodle away! You don’t need fancy photos.

    On the left is a bag with Now written above it and Bag below. On the right are three children playing with Net written above and Play written below.

    The attention builder

    Stage two of the Attention Autism approach is called “the attention builder”. The clue is in the name, your child’s goal is to keep focused on the activity for a longer period. The duration will be different for every child, but it’s useful to time their attention, so you can report progress back to your therapist.

    Parents are often worried about doing something wrong. If it all goes a bit pear-shaped or not as you expected, don’t panic! This is the time to ask yourself, did my child have fun? Did they engage in the activity? It’s very helpful to reflect on the experience. What could you do that would make the activity easier for your child to access? (For example, did you set up the activity before your child entered the room? This would allow for a smoother session, so that waiting time was minimal.)

    Three ideas for stage two activities

    There are so many ideas out there, which at times can feel overwhelming. I’m always looking for the easiest options to present to you to reduce overwhelm and allow it to feel manageable.

    Remember this is about having fun. Your child’s communication will benefit from you relaxing and having this structured approach.

    Here are our three top ideas for stage two attention Autism activities:

    1. Flour castles

    You’ll need:

    • Container, cup or glass
    • Flour
    • Sheet (for the table/floor) (optional)

    This is a fun-filled activity to try. But it can get a little messy!

    Fill a small glass, cup or container with flour and flip the cup over to build flour castles. It’s great to engage your child especially with the “Splat” at the end.

    2. Paint balls

    Another activity which is a little bit cleaner is ‘Paint balls’.

    You’ll need:

    • Tray, container
    • Paint
    • Rubber balls or marbles
    • Paper (optional)

    First dip the marbles into the paint, then drop into the container and roll it around to make a pattern. You could always make a pattern on some paper.

    I love to use everyday objects in therapy, so when I came across this next idea, it was added to the list. It’s simple, effective, not to mention clean!

    3. Skittles

    You’ll need:

    • A packet of skittles
    • Warm water
    • Plate

    You’ll need to create a circle of skittles around the edge of the plate. Then add small amounts of warm water to the plate and watch the rainbow of colours appear.

    These activities offer a sequence to build and sustain your child’s attention. Remember the key is to have fun. Create meaningful interactions that your child cannot miss! If they can learn to hold their attention, they can learn to use functional skills.

    Now you’ve got ideas for stage two activities. Go ahead and carry them out.

    Have fun!

    If you need speech, language or communication support or advice, I am always here to help.

    Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

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  • ·

    Transforming Mealtimes

    ByLondon Speech and Feeding
    Speech Therpaist in London

    Transforming Mealtimes

    Below are two reviews I got from grateful clients over the past 4-6 weeks; this blog is more about how Feeding Therapy can help you than blowing my own trumpet…. though that said, it is always so nice and gratifying to hear when parents are happy and hopeful about their little one’s feeding journey. Feeding Therapy is a substantial part of my work as a Children’s Speech and Language Therapist. One of my specialist subjects is Autism and we find that many children on the Autism Spectrum are very specific about eating, and will often refuse a range of typical family foods in favour of a narrow range of foods/snacks.

    Mostly, feeding difficulties are a combination and complex cocktail of factors that have contributed to the current status quo: sure, there may have been some physical problems to start off with, such as reflux causing the baby discomfort, constipation, a very tight tongue tie or a swallowing problem caused by neurological difficulties and of course sensory processing difficulties are also very physical experiences. We always begin with a very thorough case history taking and information gathering, followed by an oral assessment and observation of the actual swallow to establish what might have been – or still might be – the cause for the feeding difficulties.

    In most of the cases I see in my practice, the original obvious cause is no longer present, especially with older children. So, if the swallowing is fine, the reflux is no longer present, the tongue was divided (twice!) why are they still not eating much, refusing to try new foods, only accept certain textures etc.

    The answer is extremely complex and multi-faceted and this little blog is not covering any factors in detail (we would be here all night) -I mentioned sensory processing difficulties earlier on. These are mostly still present but often not acknowledged or recognised by parents. And it is certainly the case that one of the contributors is parental anxiety; this tends to run very high and has been for many months, sometimes years. This in turn often leads to very tense and unpleasant, endlessly long meal times and many times children are force-fed several times a day in order to “get something down there” as otherwise they would probably starve themselves.

    Additionally, parents end up only offering a very narrow range of foods because that is all their child will eat. This ends up in a vicious cycle of children being fed porridge-style food for all meal times and of course they won’t progress to more mature foods if these mature foods are never on offer.

    In order to help address and disentangle some of the issues I often introduce the “Division of Responsibility in Feeding” as researched and recommended by Ellyn Satter (The Satter Feeding Dynamics Model)

    Here are the main points of her approach:

    Children have a natural ability with eating, they eat as much as they need and they grow in the way that is right for them and they learn to eat what their parents eat. (E Satter). The parent is responsible for WHAT the child eats, WHERE and WHEN the child eats. The child is responsible for HOW MUCH they eat or WHETHER to eat. Satter proposes that parents should guide their child’s transition from nipple feeding through semi-solids, then thick and lumpy foods to finger foods and then on to normal family meals.

    Please note: this model is only appropriate for children where the original physical cause is no longer present!

    Of course it’s not easy! It requires a huge shift in thinking about feeding and it requires to trust our children to know what is best for them. This is very big for most parents, as it is not how we were brought up and it is not commonly known that babies and children know what is good for them!

    However, it is certainly true that parents who follow this particular approach and make small, steady changes in the way the offer foods, and in the way they create family meal times differently, children make very nice, pleasing progress and over some months we often see remarkable positive changes.

    I like to work in a team and especially for this type of problem it is essential to have a multi-disciplinary approach. A knowledgeable dietician is an enormous plus in any feeding team as is of course a

    Paediatrician and/ or a Gastroenterologist and the most important people in the team are the parents!

    Feeding Therapy is all about collaboration and a ‘team around the child” approach. When we have this in place and there is trust amongst the team members then we make fantastic progress.

    Do get in touch with me if you would like some help with your tricky feeder.

    Lovely Reviews

    I visited London Speech and Feeding a couple of days ago with my 8-month-old granddaughter and her mother. Sonja made us feel comfortable and at ease from our first introductions. She was able to pinpoint my granddaughter’s mum’s anxiety around weaning very quickly. She not only gave her the tools to do this successfully, but also really encouraged my granddaughter’s mum and instilled confidence that she had everything she needed to make this sometimes-difficult transition without further anxiety.

    Sonja was very thorough in her initial assessment of my granddaughter’s physical milestones and her developing speech. My granddaughter felt very comfortable with Sonja and happily played along with her. Then came the big moment – trying out various foods! We were amazed to see just how easily my granddaughter, with Sonja’s expert encouragement, took to sampling the wonderful array of different delicious morsels Sonja had prepared for the session. My granddaughter even drank from a cup for the first time! Wonderful!

    Sonja then emailed a summary of the session and an extensive array of resources with suggestions for my granddaughter’s mum which she has now put into action. My granddaughter’s mum couldn’t thank Sonja enough for her caring attitude, extensive knowledge, and warm professionalism. I have no hesitation in recommending Sonja, she’s a fantastic Feeding Therapist!

    –

    Sonja (and her lovely colleague, Sandra) were stupendous. I had brought my one-year-old son to see them as I was concerned that he wasn’t eating enough. They looked at his history and we ate together to make sure they had all the information they needed to give an accurate diagnosis. Whilst our outcome was that Henry was in fact doing brilliantly (and I just needed to chill out a bit!), I would imagine if there was something more serious going on, Sonja would make you feel just as supported and empowered as she did with us. Excellent follow-ups too. Money well spent for a bit of reassurance for a stressed out mama. Thank you, Sonja!

    Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

  • · ·

    Feeding therapy: A guide for parents and caregivers

    ByLondon Speech and Feeding
    Image by gpointstudio on Freepik

    Feeding therapy is a specialised form of therapy and support that helps children develop healthy eating habits and overcome challenges related to food. It’s often used for children with picky eating, feeding disorders, or sensory processing issues.

    What is feeding therapy?

    Feeding therapy involves a series of techniques designed to improve a child’s eating skills and attitudes towards food. In the UK it’s typically provided by speech and language therapists and dietitians. These professionals work closely with parents and caregivers to create a personalised treatment plan tailored to each child’s unique needs.

    How does feeding therapy work?

    Feeding therapy sessions are typically 30–60 minutes long and involve a variety of techniques, including:

    • Family counselling: Providing support and guidance to parents and caregivers. This can help address any practical, behavioural and emotional issues that may be impacting the child’s eating.
    • Play-based activities: Engaging children in fun activities while introducing new foods or textures. This can help alleviate anxiety and make mealtimes more enjoyable.
    • Sensory exploration: Helping children become more comfortable with different tastes, smells, and textures. This can be achieved through activities like touching, smelling, and tasting various foods.
    • Oral motor exercises: Improving chewing, swallowing, and lip coordination. These exercises can help children develop the necessary skills for eating independently.
    • Behavioural techniques: Using positive reinforcement to encourage healthy eating habits. This can involve rewarding children for trying new foods or eating a variety of meals.

    When is feeding therapy needed?

    Feeding therapy may be beneficial for children who:

    • Are picky eaters: Refuse to eat a variety of foods or have strong preferences.
    • Have feeding disorders: Experience difficulties with eating, such as swallowing or chewing.
    • Have sensory processing issues: Are sensitive to certain textures, smells, or tastes.
    • Have medical conditions: Such as autism, cerebral palsy, or gastrointestinal disorders.

    Feeding therapy strategies you can try at home

    While professional feeding therapy can be invaluable, there are several techniques you can try at home to support your child’s eating development:

    • Create a positive mealtime environment: Make mealtimes enjoyable and stress-free by avoiding distractions, limiting screen time, and creating a calm atmosphere.
    • Create regular mealtimes and mealtime routines: Introduce set ways of announcing meal times, including songs or short nursery rhymes, try and involve your child with table setting, even just carrying their spoon to the table and putting the beaker next to the plate and ensure that meal time finishes after about 30 minutes, again with a set routine so that the child always knows: this is how we do it in our home, now I am finished and meal time is over.
    • Introduce new foods gradually: Start with small amounts and gradually increase exposure. This can help reduce anxiety and make new foods less overwhelming.
    • Model healthy eating: Show your child how to enjoy a variety of foods by eating a balanced diet yourself.
    • Avoid forcing food: Allow your child to choose and explore foods at their own pace. Forcing them to eat can create negative associations with food.

    Seek professional help

    If you’re concerned about your child’s eating habits, consult with a feeding therapist. We can provide guidance and support.

    Remember, feeding therapy is a collaborative process between parents, caregivers, and professionals. With patience, understanding, and the right strategies, you can help your child develop healthy eating habits and enjoy meals.

    Would you like to know more about specific techniques or have any other questions about feeding therapy?

    Please feel free to contact me.

    Sonja McGeachie

    Early Intervention Speech and Language Therapist

    Feeding and Dysphagia (Swallowing) Specialist The London Speech and Feeding Practice

    The London Speech and Feeding Practice

    Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

    1

  • When ‘star’ sounds like ‘dar’: Understanding speech sound disorders and the path to clearer speech

    ByLondon Speech and Feeding

    If your child says ‘dar’ instead of ‘star’, you might be wondering if they will simply outgrow it or if they require specialised support. While ‘cluster reduction’—dropping one of the sounds in a blend—is a normal part of learning to talk, we typically expect these sounds to lock into place by age four years. If these errors persist as a child approaches school age, it often signals a speech sound delay that may now no longer pass without help. As a Speech and Language Therapist, I specialise in helping children bridge this gap using evidence-based techniques like backward chaining.

    This isn’t about constant correction; it’s about providing the right clinical scaffolding to move a child from ‘frustrated’ to ‘fluent’ before they hit those critical early school years.

    Dropping sounds from words is a common feature of speech sound difficulties, and while it can look small on the surface, it can have a big impact on how clearly a child is understood. In this short video clip, I’m working with a child on an /ST/ sound cluster, demonstrating how I use an evidence-based speech therapy technique called backward chaining to help children build clearer speech with confidence.

    What’s actually happening when a child drops the ‘S’?

    Clusters like /ST/, /SP/, and /SK/ are tricky. They require:

    • precise timing
    • careful airflow
    • and the ability to blend sounds smoothly

    For many children, especially those with speech sound difficulties, this is a big ask.

    So instead of hearing:

    ‘star’

    we might hear:

    ‘tar’ or ‘dar’

    This isn’t laziness or refusal. It’s the child simplifying the word to make it manageable.

    Why I don’t start by saying ‘say star’

    Telling a child to ‘just add the S’ rarely works.

    Instead, I meet them where they are already successful.

    In this clip, the child can already say ‘dar’ clearly. That’s our starting point.

    Backward chaining: building speech from success

    Backward chaining means we:

    1. Start with the part of the word the child can already say
    2. Gradually add the missing sound
    3. Keep the child feeling successful at every step

    So rather than jumping straight to ‘star’, we:

    • secure the ending
    • gently introduce the /S/
    • and blend it in a way that feels achievable

    This approach reduces frustration, builds confidence, and helps the sound stick not just in the therapy room, but out in the real world.

    Why this matters beyond one word

    This isn’t just about saying ‘star’.

    It’s about:

    • teaching the mouth a new movement pattern
    • giving the brain time to organise the sound sequence
    • and helping the child feel capable, not corrected

    When therapy feels safe and successful, children are far more likely to generalise their new sounds into everyday speech.

    Speech therapy works best when children feel supported not tested.

    If your child struggles with speech clarity

    If your child:

    • drops sounds from words
    • avoids longer or trickier words
    • or becomes frustrated when they’re not understood

    This is the kind of work I do every day building speech step by step, in a way that respects each child’s pace and strengths.

    Support can be gentle, effective, and empowering.

    If you’d like to learn more about how speech therapy can support your child, you’re always welcome to get in touch.

    Sonja McGeachie

    Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

    Owner of The London Speech and Feeding Practice.

    Health Professions Council registered
    Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists Member
    Member of ASLTIP

    Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

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  • ·

    The importance of child-led therapy

    ByLondon Speech and Feeding

    Child-led therapy is essentially what it says, therapy sessions that are directed by your child. You may think how can my child’s Speech and Language Therapist focus on goals if sessions are led by my child.

    Let us explain…

    Your child will be more receptive and motivated to take part in therapy if they have some form of input. E.g., they can choose what toys they want to play with, or how they want to play with the resources available. If sessions are child-centred then they are much more likely to engage and reach their goals, making intervention valuable. They will also be able to regulate their emotions, and use movement to support their need for regulation. E.g., some children like to jump whilst others like to run. As Speech and Language Therapists we need to use what is meaningful to your child to get the most out of intervention. By focusing on child-led therapy, we can build trust, which will allow us, in time, to use new techniques and activities that your child may enjoy. We want children to be themselves, to show their true personality. Therapy is about enhancing their skills in their own individualised way and child-led therapy allows for this.

    This way of working may seem daunting to some, but it doesn’t have to feel this way. Parents often feel if they are prepared then activities may go smoother. It might be the case, but perhaps it doesn’t give your child the opportunity for spontaneity. We’d like to suggest something that may lead to some surprises. Put out an activity that is your child’s favourite and then a completely new activity. Remember these activities don’t have to be complicated. Often, the simpler the better!

    So, no need to plan, just place two activities out and see what happens! Look out for anything which surprises you, which activity did they prefer? Do they have any sensory preferences? The freedom of choice is a wonderful thing to explore. So, just go with the flow!

    The kind of activities that are useful for child-led play can include:

    • Hide and seek
    • Cooking or baking
    • An Exercise ball
    • Small world play
    • Pretend play
    • Musical instruments (you could even have a go at making your own)

    Child-led therapy is a very useful resource. We have it at our fingertips. We don’t need special resources. You just need yourselves and your child! Sometimes, child-led therapy can be tricky to put in place. It sounds easy but is much harder in reality. So, make sure you give it time and reflect on your experiences. Ask yourselves ‘what went well’, and ‘what could be improved’. E.g., perhaps you gave your child time to lead to begin with, but you didn’t give them enough time to think about their options during the activity.

    How can parents become more child-led in the home environment?

    • Pause and use silence. This gives your child the opportunity to lead.
    • It’s perfectly natural to want to talk. Afterall, this is how adults maintain conversations. If you find yourself talking too much, count to ten! This will allow your child time to respond or initiate in the conversation or interaction.
    • Move down to your child’s level. It’s much easier to see what’s going on if you’re at the same height.
    • Videoing you and your child can really help you to see where your strengths lie. You’ll also be able to make minor tweaks to improve your communication during child-led play.

    Contact Sonja for more advice on speech, language and communication during child-led play.

    Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

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