Baby-led weaning: Empowering little eaters from the start

ByLondon Speech and Feeding
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I had a mum ask me about Baby Led Weaning the other day. So I thought I would write a blog on all the useful questions she had and what we discussed as it may help lots of mums and dads out there.

Image by Freepik

As a Paediatric Feeding SLT, one of the exciting developments in recent years is the growing interest in baby-led weaning (BLW). This approach to introducing solids has gained significant traction, and for good reason. It empowers infants to take the lead in their feeding journey, fostering a positive relationship with food and supporting important developmental milestones.

What exactly is baby-led weaning?

At its core, baby-led weaning is about offering your baby appropriately sized and textured solid foods from the very beginning, allowing him or her to self-feed. Instead of spoon-feeding purées, you present whole, soft foods that your baby can grasp, bring to his or her mouth, and explore at his or her own pace. This means no mashing, no blending, and no forcing spoons into reluctant mouths. It’s a fun, messy, and intuitive process that is led by your baby’s natural instincts.

The genesis of baby-led weaning

‘Baby-led weaning’ was popularised by British health visitor Gill Rapley. In the early 2000s, Rapley observed that babies naturally develop the skills needed to self-feed and that traditional spoon-feeding might actually hinder this development. Her work, particularly her book Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide to Introducing Solid Foods (co-authored with Tracey Murkett), published in 2008, brought BLW into the mainstream and provided a structured framework for parents. Her research and observations highlighted the benefits of trusting a baby’s innate ability to regulate his or her intake and explore different textures.

What’s the deal?

Implementing BLW is simpler than you might think, though it does require a shift in mindset. Here’s a breakdown of what it typically involves:

  • Readiness is key: The golden rule of BLW is to wait until your baby shows clear signs of readiness. This isn’t about age alone, but rather developmental milestones. Your baby should be at least six months old, able to sit unassisted, have good head and neck control, show an interest in food (e.g., reaching for yours), and have lost his or her tongue-thrust reflex (which pushes solids out of his or her mouth).
  • Offer finger foods: Start with soft, easily graspable foods cut into finger-sized sticks or spears. Think cooked sweet potato fries, steamed broccoli florets (soft enough to mash with gentle pressure), banana sticks, or avocado slices. The goal is for babies to be able to pick it up and get some into their mouth.
  • Embrace the mess: BLW is inherently messy, especially in the beginning. Food will be squished, dropped, and smeared. This is a crucial part of the learning process as babies explore textures, smells, and the properties of food. A wipeable mat under the highchair and a good bib are your best friends!
  • Observe, don’t interfere: Allow your baby to lead. He or she will decide what to eat, how much, and how quickly. Avoid putting food into his or her mouth or pressuring him or her to eat more. This respects his or her hunger and fullness cues, laying the foundation for healthy eating habits.
  • Continue breastmilk or formula: Until your baby is well-established on solids, breastmilk or formula remains his or her primary source of nutrition. Solids are for exploration, taste, and developing skills, gradually increasing in quantity over time.

The benefits of baby-led weaning

The advantages of BLW extend far beyond simply getting food into your baby. From a speech and feeding perspective, the benefits are compelling:

  • Develops oral motor skills: Chewing, gnawing, and manipulating various food textures are crucial for developing the muscles in the mouth, jaw, and tongue. This strengthens the oral motor skills necessary for speech development.
  • Enhances fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination: The act of grasping food, bringing it to the mouth, and coordinating these movements significantly refines fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
  • Promotes self-regulation and intuitive eating: By allowing babies to control their intake, BLW helps them tune into their own hunger and fullness cues, fostering a healthy relationship with food and reducing the likelihood of overeating.
  • Encourages adventurous eating: Exposure to a wide variety of tastes and textures from the outset can lead to less picky eating later. Babies are more likely to accept new foods when they have been in control of their exploration.
  • Facilitates family mealtimes: BLW integrates babies into family mealtimes from an early age, promoting social interaction and making mealtime a shared, enjoyable experience.

When is baby-led weaning appropriate, and when not?

While BLW offers numerous benefits, it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach.

When BLW is appropriate:

  • When your baby meets all the developmental readiness signs: This is paramount for safety and success.
  • When you are comfortable with the mess and the learning curve: It requires patience and a relaxed attitude.
  • When you are committed to offering a variety of safe, appropriate foods.
  • When you are willing to learn about and practise safe food preparation to minimise choking hazards.

When BLW might not be appropriate (or requires extra caution and professional guidance):

  • If your baby has a history of prematurity or significant developmental delays: His or her oral motor skills might not be sufficiently developed.
  • If your baby has certain medical conditions or anatomical differences (e.g., cleft palate, severe reflux, swallowing difficulties): These may necessitate a modified approach to feeding.
  • If there are significant feeding difficulties, aversion, or a history of choking incidents.
  • If you feel overly anxious about choking: While BLW, when done correctly, is not associated with a higher choking risk than traditional weaning, parental anxiety can impact the feeding experience. Education and consultation with a professional can help alleviate these concerns.

A note on safety: Choking hazards

It’s crucial to understand the difference between gagging and choking. Gagging is a natural reflex that helps prevent choking and is very common in BLW as babies learn to manage food in their mouths. Choking is silent and serious. To minimise choking risks:

  • Always supervise your baby closely during mealtimes.
  • Offer appropriately sized and textured foods. Avoid small, round, hard foods like whole grapes, nuts, popcorn, and large chunks of meat.
  • Ensure your baby is sitting upright and calm.
  • Educate yourself on infant CPR.

Final thoughts

Baby-led weaning is a wonderfully empowering approach that celebrates a baby’s natural abilities and fosters a positive and independent relationship with food. As Speech and Language Therapists we often see the positive impact it has on oral motor development, self-regulation, and overall feeding confidence. By understanding what it entails, when it’s appropriate, and prioritising safety, you can embark on this exciting journey with your little one, helping him or her become a confident and capable eater from the very first bite.

If you would like help and support with weaning your baby whilst continuing to breastfeed then please 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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    Baby-Led Weaning: A Speech and Language Therapist’s Take

    ByLondon Speech and Feeding
    adorable baby playing with food
    Image by freepik

    Let’s face it, introducing solids is a rollercoaster for parents. You’re bombarded with advice (solicited and otherwise) on purees, spoon-feeding, and the much-discussed ‘baby-led weaning’ (BLW). As a speech-language/feeding therapist I see the world through the lens of communication and development, as well as safe munching and swallowing. BLW can be a fantastic option for many little foodies. But is it right for yours? Let’s take a dive into the messy, hilarious world of toddler feeding.

    BLW in a nutshell

    Your baby, perched in their highchair, eyes wide with excitement and curiosity reaches out for a platter of food. He/She grabs a fat avocado slice, and curiously explore it with his/her lips, gums and tongue. He/She spits some of it out, mashes bits of it into his/her hair, there was a tiny swallow and the rest is smeared onto the high chair tray. Now he/she grabs a bit of the banana and rinse and repeat as before, except this one he/she keeps in his/her mouth for bit longer and takes a tiny bit more before the rest gets deposited into his/her bib.

    This, in a nutshell, is BLW! It’s all about letting your little one take the lead in exploring new foods, textures, and tastes. No spoon-feeding, just pure, messy, self-directed feeding fun.

    The pros of letting your little one loose on solids:

    • Motor Skills: BLW is a sensory party for developing motor skills. Picking up that slippery banana or gumming a chewy piece of toast strengthens those tiny hands and mouth muscles. These are the very skills they’ll need for future talking and chewing.
    • Texture Time: BLW exposes your baby to a variety of textures right from the start. Think soft, steamed broccoli florets or smooth, banana half-slices. This sensory exploration helps them develop an understanding of different textures in the world, which can translate to better oral motor skills needed for speech development.
    • Independence: BLW fosters a sense of self-feeding independence. Your toddler learns to control how much he/she eats and the pace of his/her meal. This can lead to better self-regulation later on, not just with food, but in other areas of his/her development too.
    • A wider variety of flavours: BLW encourages exposure to a wider variety of tastes and smells. Let your baby discover the sweetness of roasted sweet potato or the tang of mashed avocado! This early exploration can lead to less picky eating down the road.

    There are some valid concerns:

    • Gagging vs. Choking: One of the biggest concerns parents have about BLW is choking. However, gagging is a natural reflex that helps babies learn to move food safely around their mouths. Choking is much rarer, and with proper food selection and supervision, the risk is very low. The con here really is parental anxiety more than anything else and if you can overcome this then a bit of gagging is just fine and part of the process. Choking, again most children do choke occasionally a bit! Of course, close supervision and common sense is very important here.
    • It’s ever so messy!: Be prepared for mashed banana on the highchair tray, rogue peas flung across the room, and a general sense of chaos. But then again, this is an important part of the learning process! I would encourage you to embrace the mess (within reason and your personal tolerance level) and focus on the fun of exploration.
    • Nutritional Concerns: Some parents worry that babies won’t get enough nutrients with BLW. While it might take a while for them to master the art of self-feeding, a healthy child’s body is pretty good at self-regulating. Offer a variety of healthy options, and he/she will eventually get the hang of it.

    BLW: Is it right for your Little One?

    BLW isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Here are some things to consider:

    • Developmental Milestones: Babies should be able to sit up with good head control and show an interest in food before starting BLW.
    • General good health and absence of food intolerances, allergies, or other significant health issues which might dictatea more controlled feeding regime.
    • Gag Reflex: A strong gag reflex is a good sign. It shows your baby’s natural ability to move food safely around their mouth. If, however, your baby’s gag is overly sensitive and causes frequent bouts of vomiting please consult your health care professional for an assessment (GP, Paediatrician, Dietician, Speech and Language – Feeding Therapist).
    • Your Comfort Level: BLW requires a relaxed and patient approach. If you’re feeling stressed about the mess or potential choking hazards, it might not be the right fit for you.

    A final mouthful:

    BLW can be a fantastic way to introduce your baby to solids. It promotes exploration, independence, and a love for food. Remember, there’s no pressure to go all-in on BLW. You can always combine it with spoon-feeding or purees to find an approach that works for your family and your child. The most important thing is to create a positive and relaxed mealtime environment where your little one can explore the wonderful world of food at their own pace.

    P.S. As an SLT, I always recommend chatting with your health care professional. This way you can address any concerns you might have and ensure your baby is developmentally and physically on track for this exciting new chapter.

    Don’t hesitate 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.

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  • ·

    Target activities and games

    ByLondon Speech and Feeding
    Target Activities and Games For Kids
    Target Activities and Games For Kids

    Target Activities and Games

    AMAZINGLY EASY Activities that we can do at home and in the clinic to help our children practise those targets!

    I bet you have wondered what amazing things are done by a therapist in the clinic that you could not possibly do at home…? Well, if so I am here to tell you that you will be absolutely fine with just a few select toys and games and you will be able to get those targets done in a jiffy!

    What we clinicians do very well and what you probably can’t do yourself is formulate and design the targets that are important for your child to practice. Once we have assessed or reviewed your child’s progress and needs we can then design the perfect next step of targets for you.

    So for example, we have decided your little one needs to be practicing their ‘r’ sounds at the beginning of short words. We decided that based on our clinical expertise and our assessment and we have already worked with your child and managed to get this tricky ‘r’ sound just about right on its own. Now we are ready for short word practice.

    It has been researched that in order for the brain pathways to re-shape or reform we need to get about 100 words in per day of our target sound. That sounds like quite a lot, right? But actually….. it’s not that bad. After all you only need to say 5-7 words about 20 times and hey presto that’s about 80-100 words.

    So here are some simple games I use in my clinic all the time and these games are easily available online or in your local toy shops and this is how to do them:

    Pop the Pirate

    Pop the Pirate, sooo good and popular:

    Lay out your target words which you will have been given by your speech therapist and put a few swords on each word.

    Each time your child picks up a sword they will need to say the target word 5 x, like:

    rip rip rip rip rip or run run run run run just like that in a row, bish bash bosh.

    Then they can stick the sword into the barrel. Onto the next sword which they can pick and then again

    race race race race race and stick in another sword

    So with this little lot I put out 5 target words and 3 swords on each.

    You will therefore get…… 15 words per picture, and that makes….75 words , there that is nearly all you need to do.

    If you then do another little game like this one:

    Magnetic board game

    This is a Magnetic Board game, and they are suddenly EVERYWHERE. But you could also just take a baking sheet and some fridge magnet you might have kicking about.

    Same principle as before, but now since this is your SECOND game of the day and you have already got 75 targets under your belt you only need to do one more round of 5 target words each:

    Each time your child picks up a magnet piece they will say the target word 5 more times:

    Ray ray ray ray ray and DONE you will now at the end of this short round have 105!! target words done with just two little fun games.

    How good is this? Your child won’t hardly notice that they are in fact doing their speech therapy homework.

    You’re welcome 🙂

    Get in touch if you would like me to help finding good targets for your child to work on. They can be speech and/or language targets with this game method.

    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.

  • · ·

    Speech sounds practice at home

    ByLondon Speech and Feeding

    Speech therapists use a variety of tools to help children master specific sounds, and then the students are sent home with some practice sheets to use daily. Parents are able to observe what we do in the session, but I know that back at home three days later they can’t quite remember what it was all about and how to do the practice.

    Here I explain the importance of visual cues, finger shapes, pictures, and semantic prompts (fancy speech therapy term for word clues!). By understanding these tools, you can turn practice time into a fun and engaging experience for both of you.

    Why Visual Cues matter?

    Imagine learning a new language just by listening. It’s tough, right? Young children learning new speech sounds face a similar challenge. Visual cues act like flashcards for their minds, giving them a clear picture of how to position their mouth and tongue.

    • Mirrors: Encourage your child to watch your face (and theirs) in the mirror as you make the sound together. This helps them see the tongue placement and lip movements required.
    • Mouth pictures: Speech therapy sheets often have pictures of mouths making specific sounds. Point to the picture and explain how the tongue and lips look, then have your child try to imitate it.
    • Your face is the best cue! Don’t underestimate the power of your own face. Over-enunciate the sound and let your child observe your mouth movements. Watch this little video clip where I am teaching the /SH/ sound to my little student. You cannot see him but we are both sitting on the floor opposite one another so that he can see me easily.

    Finger fun: making sounds with our hands

    Finger shapes are another powerful tool in my speech therapy arsenal. Think of them as fun reminders of how to position the tongue.

    • ‘Open Wide’ fingers: For sounds like /AH/ and /OH/, hold your fingers wide apart, mimicking an open mouth.
    • ‘Tongue Up’ fingers: For sounds like /T/ and /D/, touch the tip of your thumb to your other fingers, creating a little ‘wall’ like the tongue tip touches the teeth ridge.
    • ‘Snake Tongue’ fingers: For the /S/ sound, wiggle your pinky finger to represent the snake-like tongue tip.
    • In this little video clip I am demonstrating the C-shape moving forward which I had taught my child, showing how the windy sound (/SH/) travels forward with lips open and slightly pursed.

    Bringing sounds to life with pictures

    Pictures serve as visual prompts to connect the sound with a familiar word.

    • Video clip: I am using the WINDY SOUND picture and the FLAT TYRE sound picture to represent /SH/ and /S/ respectively
    • Point and Say: Point to each picture and say the word clearly, emphasising the target sound. Encourage your child to repeat.

    Unlocking sounds with semantic prompts

    Semantic prompts are fancy words for clues that help your child guess the target sound. They can be simple questions or descriptive words.

    • ‘Can you feel the wind whooshing?’ (/SH/)
    • Think of tyre going flat, or a balloon losing air, or a train coming to a slow halt (/S/)

    Practice makes progress, but fun makes it funnier!

    Remember, the key is to keep practice sessions light and engaging. Here are some extra tips:

    • Short and sweet: Stick to short practice times (5-10 minutes) to avoid frustration.
    • Make it a routine: Integrate practice time into your daily routine, like after breakfast or before bedtime.
    • Positive reinforcement: Celebrate your child’s efforts with praise and high fives!
    • Make it multisensory: Incorporate sensory activities like blowing bubbles for /F/ or feeling the wind for /SH/.

    Parents you’re a vital part of your child’s speech development, and together we can make huge progress quickly.

    Please contact me if your child has speech sound difficulties.

    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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  • · ·

    A helpful addition in my toolbox for lisp correction

    ByLondon Speech and Feeding

    Meet the MUPPY – a vestibular orthodontic plate

    I have become very well versed in Lisp Correction because so many children come to me with this problem! And I absolutely love lisp correction and Articulation Therapy! Please take a look at my blog on tips and tricks for correcting a lisp.

    The MUPPY

    Over the years I have created my unique style of remediating an Interdental Lisp and as part of my treatment I sometimes use an Orthodontic Tool, called the ‘MUPPY’, which I purchase directly from Germany. I first discovered it some years ago when working with a child with Down Syndrome. Back then I was searching for additional support with my student’s jaw grading and mouth closure difficulties and that’s when I first came across this little tool as recommended by one of my colleagues, a specialist orthodontist in Germany.

    I was a bit sceptical at first but I have used it now many times for three years on a variety of clients with varying degrees of lisps. I find it really helps together and in addition to all my other techniques which are language and motor based.

    How do I use it?

    The MUPPY is a custom-made mouth plate that gently repositions the tongue, encouraging correct tongue placement for clearer speech. It sits comfortably between the lips and teeth; a thin wire sits right behind the teeth, inside the oral cavity.

    The plate I like to use for lisp correction has a pearl in the middle. As soon as it is in situ the tongue starts fishing for the pearl and thereby keeps on moving up towards the correct place on the hard palate, just behind the front teeth. This is the place where the tongue tip needs to be for all the alveolar sounds our students find so hard to make.

    How does this help reduce a lisp?

    A lisp results mainly from incorrect tongue placement during sound production – though at times atypical dentition also contributes to the problem. Specifically, an interdental lisp occurs when the tongue protrudes between the teeth during the production of sounds like /S/ and /Z/. The tongue is often described by parents as ‘thrusting forward’ but I find that is rarely the case. Most often the tongue simply protrudes forward, which is different to tongue thrusting, a more forceful and involuntary movement. Most often I see a habitual tongue protrusion not only for /S/ and /Z/ but also for /T/, /D/, /L/ and /N/. Often /SH/ and ZH/ are also affected.

    To visualise this:

    1. A correct /S/ sound looks like this: The tongue tip is raised and touches the alveolar ridge (the bony, slightly uneven ridge behind the upper teeth). The sides of the tongue touch the upper molars.
    2. Interdental lisp: The tongue tip protrudes between the front teeth, creating a /TH/ sound.
    3. Lateral lisp: Here the mechanics of the tongue are different. But using the MUPPY can help here too. To visualise a lateral lisp, the sides of the tongue are not raised high enough, allowing air to escape over the sides. This results in a ‘slushy’ or ‘wet’ sound.

    Understanding the specific type of lisp is crucial for targeted therapy and successful correction.

    The Vestibular Plate (Muppy) HELPS to guide the tongue towards the right place from where we shape the NEW SOUND.

    Methods

    Most important to my articulation work re lisping are the motor- and language-based techniques I use, as broadly described below:

    • A thorough oral examination, tongue movements, lip closure, dentition, jaw grading, breath coordination, cheek tonicity, palatal form
    • Discussion on awareness and motivation of child to work on their speech
    • Contrasting sounds at the beginning and end of words: sing vs thing / sink vs think / mess vs mesh etc to raise awareness that it matters what sounds we use in speech and that just one sound can change the meaning of a word completely
    • Mirror work, pulling faces, moving our tongue voluntarily
    • Exploring the oral cavity and thinking about all the parts of the tongue and the palate
    • Finding the alveolar ridge and placing the tongue there at rest
    • Then working towards a good baseline of the other alveolar sounds: /T/ /D/ /L/ /N/ and from there we work towards our NEW /S/ SOUND.

    I use a variety of picture clues depending on what is most meaningful for my student:

    The child likes a train set, I use the TIRED TRAIN SOUND.

    The child knows about bike or car tyres, I use the FLAT TYRE SOUND.

    With a student who loves a balloon I might use the FLAT BALLOON SOUND.

    And we work our way from correct tongue placement to these long /SSSSSSSSS/ sounds with the help of these visual cues, but also gestural and hand cues such as Jane Passy’s Cued Articulation sound for /S/.

    I really love helping children correct their speech sound, be it an articulatory difficulty like the lisp or a phonological difficulty such as ‘fronting’ or ‘gliding’ and I also love working with motor-based speech difficulties we see in Childhood Apraxia of Speech. Feel invited to get in touch if your child needs help in these areas.

    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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  • · ·

    AAC Systems and Speech and Language Development

    ByLondon Speech and Feeding

    Introduction

    I see a lot of minimally speaking or non-verbal children in my practice. Some children are autistic and others are severely challenged with motor planning and some are both. Some children are simply delayed in their spoken language for reasons that we don’t quite know yet.

    Regardless of the causes, what is always apparent pretty quickly is that apart from the odd gestures or Makaton signs (mainly ‘more” ‘finished’ and “biscuit) we don’t have a robust alternative for speech in place. Instead, what we often have is a child with lots of frustration and tantrums and some behaviours we really don’t want like: hitting, biting, pushing, grabbing and often throwing… There are others, too many to mention, but we don’t enjoy watching our children in these states. And we are often fearful of what might happen next if we don’t find a way to calm our child.

    Fear not

    In my work, before I get to offer an alternative means of communication, I often have to work with a fair amount of resistance on the parents’ side as parents tend to feel that allowing such a system into their lives will prevent their child from speaking. They fear that their child will so enjoy pressing those buttons that they will become lazy and not talk at all.

    I totally get it!

    Parents often feel overwhelmed by the task of getting their own heads round how to use AAC, either in paper form or a computerised system. This can be a great turn-off for lots of people who feel they are not very “techy” – like myself actually! Indeed, it is true to say that I resisted operating in this field for a long time as I didn’t feel able to navigate electronic devices. But fear not. Truly, most systems are very user-friendly. The support is great. And I have managed to become quite proficient in one or two of these systems, through using it daily. It really is as simple as that.

    Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC)

    There is plenty of research on the efficacy of Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC). It is now very well understood and proven that, once we introduce our child to a good, attractive way of communicating that they can actually do, in time children who can speak will speak. Speaking is more effective than any AAC system. It is more versatile, more fun, and when human beings have discovered how to speak, most will do so in favour of any other system.

    Many children and adults, for many reasons, were never going to speak an awful lot, or with great difficulty. Or they were not going to like to speak. Or they were going to like to speak some times but not other times… And for all those people an AAC system is invaluable and a wonderful resource.

    Neuro-diversity affirming means that we do not impose one system of communication on our children (speaking with our mouth) only because it is the one we are using and most people we know too.

    Of course, we want the best for our children, and we want them to have the easiest and most straight forward existence on Earth. Of course we do. Speaking with our mouth does help with that. But we must come to understand that not all children and people feel like that and they struggle to use their mouth for talking.

    Personal experience

    I have difficulties understanding this myself, I will be very honest here. And I will say that – shoot me down in flames SLT fraternity – but I am learning to accept that using an AAC system proficiently is a very good alternative for when speech is not coming. I am learning to accept that some people are perfectly able to speak, and might do so but not always and only when conditions are right. I came into the profession as a speech therapist with the idea that I would help anybody that came to me to speak with their mouth. But I have changed my stance on that and now am happy to help anybody that comes to me to communicate most effectively with whatever works for them. I will always try for speech if I can … Just because it’s easiest!

    Acceptance

    Now I will equally celebrate a child pointing to a symbol or making a sign for something. It is a fantastic moment when it happens for the parents and me and the child! And we can always hope for more speech to come as we go. Nothing wrong with our aspirations, is there?

    The basic premise is this: accept any mode of communication as valid, as long as your communication partner understands what it means. Don’t require individuals to repeat themselves in another modality. Do model the response in the modality you are trying to teach. So, a child can point to a symbol and I will respond with speaking (with my mouth) but I will also respond by pointing to a symbol because that way I am signalling that both are ok and that I have understood and am encouraging the person to say some more.

    Here is some research;

    Binger, C., Berens, J., Kent-Walsh, J., & Taylor, S. (2008) The effects of aided AAC interventions on AAC use, speech and symbolic gestures. Seminars in Speech and Language, 29, 101-111.

    Sennott, S.C., Light, J., & McNaughton, D. (2016). AAC modelling intervention research review. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 41, 101–15.

    Dada, S., & Alant, E. (2009). The effect of aided language stimulation on vocabulary acquisition in children with little or no functional speech. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 18, 50–64.

    Contact me if you would like your child to have neurodiversity affirming speech and language therapy.

    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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  • What is Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) and what does a Speech Therapist do?

    ByLondon Speech and Feeding
    Kids Speech Therapist London
    What is Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) and what does a Speech Therapist do?

    Speech and language therapists provide treatment, support and care for children and adults who have difficulties with communication, eating, drinking and swallowing. We help children and adults who have problems speaking and communicating.

    How to find the perfect therapist for my child/client:

    There are a huge number of speech and language difficulties, or feeding and swallowing problems that we can help with and the first thing to think about is what age group the person is you are seeking help for. Most SLT’s specialise in a range of disorders and treatments and they often treat specific age ranges. This could be, for instance, very young children up to 3 years, or school aged children, adolescents or just adults. Once you have narrowed it down to age and general area of difficulty you can then go and seek your perfect SLT match.

    Generally it is my view that SLT’s with a narrow area of specialist interest are most likely to help you better if the problem you or your child/adult is having is significant and/or profound. For example, if your child has a very severe stutter/stammer but is otherwise developing fine and has good skills all round, then I would recommend to look for an SLT who only specialises in stammering/stuttering, or has only a small range of other specialist areas related to stammering , such as speech and language delay.

    The reason is that it is a tall order for any professional to stay up to date with latest research, latest clinical developments and training for more than, say, five distinct areas of interest.

    However, a more generalist Speech therapist who has lots of experience in many different areas could be a very good option for your child or adult who has more general speech and language delay in a number of areas, perhaps a global delay or a syndrome which means that their learning is delayed in general. It also means that your child might benefit from a Generalist SLT because they have many more tools in their SLT bag and your child might need a variety of approaches for several areas.

    A good place to start is www.asltip.com which is the Association for Independent Speech and Language Therapists in the UK. Any SLT registered with ASLTIP will also be registered with the HCPC (Health Care Professionals Council), as well as RCSLT (Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists). These two important UK professional regulatory bodies ensure all its members are fully qualified, and are fully up to date with latest developments within their areas of work.

    Here you can enter your post code and look for a therapist near you and you can look for specific problems such as stammering for example and narrow down your search. Most therapists have a website which you can then access too. I would recommend you speak to a few therapists on your list and then go with the person you had the best rapport with. You and the therapist will be spending a lot of time together and you will need to feel that you trust them and that you can relax into the process.

    How I can help you:

    I have 3 main areas of specialism:

    Parent Child Interaction Coaching

    Parent Child Interaction Coaching

    This is an amazing way to help children with the following difficulties:

    • Social Communication Difficulties, Autistic Spectrum Disorders and
    • Speech and Language Delay – for children under the age of 4 years old, this is my preferred way of working because it is so very effective and proven to work. If your child is not developing words or not interacting, has reduced attention and listening and you feel is not progressing or, in fact even regressing, then this way of working is the best. For anyone wanting to read a bit more about the efficacy of this method, below are some research articles. You may also like to check out www.hanen.org which is the mainstay of my work and method when it comes to Parent-Interaction Coaching. You can also look at my latest blog, entitled: Tele-therapy, does it work?

    In brief, what’s so great about Parent Coaching is that it empowers you the parent to help your child in daily life! This is where speech, language and social communication develop typically, in a naturalistic way and environment. Simple steps and strategies are discussed and demonstrated every week and you are encouraged to use these strategies with your child in daily routines: getting dressed, having breakfast, on the school run, whilst out in the park or shopping or simply playing at home or having dinner or bath time. Whatever your family routine happens to be, every strategy I teach you will help create a responsive communication environment; generally, if your child is able to develop speech then they will do so in direct response to your changed interaction style.

    Speech Sound Disorders, Verbal Dyspraxia, Phonology and Articulation

    Speech Sound Disorders, Verbal Dyspraxia, Phonology and Articulation

    I love working with children of all ages on developing their speech sounds. Whether your child has a lisp, or a couple of tricky sounds they simply cannot produce quite right, or perhaps your child is really unintelligible because he/she is having lots of different sound errors, making it really hard to understand them. I typically work on getting “most bang for your buck” , meaning I address the sounds that cause the most problems and, therefore, when they are fixed your child/person’s speech becomes that much clearer fairly quickly.

    Feeding and Swallowing Difficulties

    Feeding and Swallowing Difficulties

    Having worked for over 20 years in NHS Child Development Clinics and Special Needs Schools I trained and worked with feeding and swallowing difficulties early on in my SLT career. I later trained as a Lactation Consultant and so I am well placed helping and support all types of Infant feeding, both breast or bottle, as well as toddler weaning. I aim to ensure that your little one swallows the right kind of foods and drinks for their abilities. I am experienced in managing and supporting children with physical needs and mobility problems, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome or any other type of syndrome or presentation.

    What does a speech therapy session look like?

    All sessions differ slightly depending on the age of the child and the nature of the difficulties.

    However, mostly our sessions look like FUN! After arrival and washing hands we tend to start off with the tricky work straight away whilst our child still has energy and the will to engage. So, for speech work we will focus on the target sounds first: this could be sitting at a table doing work sheets together, playing games using the target sound and really any type of activity that gives us around 70-100 repeats of the target pattern. For example, a child who is working towards saying a ‘K’ at the end of the word I will try and get around 100 productions of words like: pack/sack/lick/ pick/bike/lake and so on.

    Then we often play a fun game where I might try for a ‘rhyming’ activity or other sound awareness type activities, for perhaps 10 minutes and within that time I aim to trial the next sound pattern we need to improve on; I will test which sound your child can do with help from me. During he last 10 minutes we might look at a book, again listening to and producing whatever sound we are working on. If I did not get 100 sounds earlier on in the session I will try and practice them now as part of the story. In total I aim to have about 40-45 minutes of activities, all aimed at the target sound we are working on.

    What does a Coaching session look like?

    During a Parent Coaching Session we meet online for about an hour and we discuss how the week has been for you trying out the strategies. Typically parents start off recalling what went well, what progress was made and what had been more tricky. We work through it all, and then follow on to the next strategies: I will show you examples and demonstrations of each strategy and I will get you to think about how you can use this with your child and in what situation you might use it. I will explain what we are doing and what the purpose is. You might want to write down what you are going to work on for the week. Over the course of about sessions we can cover all the major strategies that are proven to help kickstart spoken language and/or help your child to connect more with you. Through that connection spoken words most often develop.

    Research Papers on the Efficacy of Parent Child Interaction Coaching

    Research Papers on the Efficacy of Parent Child Interaction Coaching

    • The It Takes Two to Talk Program has been shown to be effective in changing how parents interact with their children, and that children’s communication and language skills improve as a result.
    • Baumwell, L.B., Tamis-LeMonda, C.S. & Bornstein, M.H. (1997). Maternal verbal sensitivity and child language comprehension. Infant Behavior and Development, 20(2), 247-258.
    • Beckwith, L. & Cohen, S.E. (1989). Maternal responsiveness with preterm infants and later competency. In M.H. Bornstein (Ed.). Maternal responsiveness: Characteristics and consequences: New directions for child development (pp. 75-87). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
    • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1974). Is early intervention effective? (Publication No. (CDH) 74-25). Washington, DC: Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Office of Child Development.
    • Girolametto, L. (1988). Improving the social-conversational skills of developmentally delayed children: An intervention study. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 53, 156-167.

    Sonja has been a real help for my 5 year old daughter. Due to her support, my daughter is now able to clearly and correctly enunciate ‘th’ ‘f’ and ’s’. She was also helpful in making positional changes to her seating to help her concentrate better and kept her engaged throughout all the lessons which is a feat in itself on zoom!

    Helen, Mother of Catherine Age 5.

    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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