Correcting a lisp

ByLondon Speech and Feeding March 29, 2022June 27, 2025

This is a surprisingly common speech error and it can be corrected really well in my experience. I have helped lots of children of all ages learn how to control their tongue movements and produce clear, sharp /S/ sounds and good /SH/ sounds.

Initial consideration

There are some factors which need to be considered before we can dive into therapy proper and these are they, in a nutshell:

The student is not currently displaying negative oral habits such as thumb sucking or excessive sucking on clothing. This is because thumb sucking exerts pressure on the teeth and therefore can, over time, push teeth out of their natural order/position.
The student does not have a restricted lingual frenulum or tongue tie which can cause at times restricted movements of the tongue (pending on how tight the frenulum is attaching the tongue to the base of the oral cavity); equally a labial frenulum or lip-tie can restrict lip movement and therefore physically restrict good speech sound production.
The student does not have enlarged tonsils as they can sometimes push a tongue forward and also cause open mouth posture and open mouth breathing.
The student’s motivation to change their speech pattern is high. (this is an important factor though with younger students I can get round this with a lot of fun games and good parental involvement!)

When I do an Oral Assessment of my student these are the first factors I want to look at and consider. Often I will refer to other agencies such as Orthodontists, dentists or ENT specialists to advise and help with some of these factors before we can get going. However, there are strategies that we can work on almost straight away.

Most of my Lisp students present with an open mouth posture: that is where the student has their mouth always slightly open for breathing. Over time the tongue starts to fall forward and rests on the front teeth or the bottom lip instead of finding a comfortable resting place either at the alveolar ridge (the bumpy spot behind the upper front teeth) or, alternatively, resting at the bottom of the mouth behind the lower front teeth.

Another common problem is that the tongue is not moving independently from the jaw and so is reluctant to pull back or lift up inside the mouth as the tongue is guided in movement by the jaw.

Combine those two factors and your tongue is not pulling back, or lifting up or doing very much at all without the jaw moving as well. This makes for unclear speech sounds, especially all the sounds we make at the front with our tongue or with our lips: /B/ /P/ /L/ /N/ and of course /S/ and /SH/ are particularly hard to make. We often also struggle with the /Y/ sound so ‘LELLOW’ instead of ‘yellow’.

Do not fear!

But no fear, these problems can be treated over time for sure! We often start with lip, tongue, and jaw exercises that help to move the tongue independently from the Jaw, our student learns that the tongue is a muscle and can be trained to do amazing acrobatic things in the mouth! WOW! It can actually pull back, lift up, and come down again all on its own!

We work on breathing, holding our breath for a bit then pushing it out and then holding it again.

And when it comes to the actual /S/ sound I often try and go a NEW route bypassing the Snake-Sound route if that is what had previously been tried and failed so that we can create completely new sound patterns in our brain and think about our sounds in a completely new way.

We then work on producing the sound /S/ on its own for a bit, at the end of words, then on either side of complimentary sounds, for instance : ‘EASY” – the sound patterns here are EEE-S–EE : the /EEE/ sound is complimentary to the /S/ sound as the tongue is at the right hight for the /S/ already once you have it in place for /EEE/ -……see?! EASY!

And gradually we work towards saying the /S/ sound clearly at the front of short words, then phrases and then sentences.

The process takes some time and it depends on how ready the student is. This varies of course hugely so I can never promise the exact number of sessions we will take to get that Lisp fixed. A lot depends on home practice in between sessions, and this is of course crucial to all therapy! Every day 15-20 mins practice is a good average time to aim for and when this is done it shortens the therapy block drastically.

I always give plenty of home work so there is never a chance of it getting boring or there being “nothing to do”!

Do contact me. I really enjoy working with this type of student and get a great kick out of FIXING THAT LISP!

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 and Language Therapy

Learn the benefits of Cycles Phonology Approach in Speech Therapy
ByLondon Speech and Feeding March 6, 2023February 10, 2023
Cycles Phonogogical approach

When your child attends Speech and Language Therapy, it can look like your child’s therapist is playing. Therapy needs to be fun, which means carrying out therapy through the medium of play. But remember every approach used has evidence behind it. We need to know that therapy will be successful, so an evidence-based approach is essential.

One of the approaches used for Speech Therapy (i.e., working on speech sound production) is the Cycles Phonology Approach. This approach focuses on the patterns and processes rather than each individual sound. For example, it may be working on final consonant deletion, so the omission of the final sound in words. As Speech and Language Therapists we understand that children can get frustrated and fatigued working on the same sound every day. This approach attempts to solve that. Hodson suggests, the approach is also useful for children with more speech sound errors, as therapists see progress in areas not targeted.

How does the Cycles Phonology Approach work?

Your Speech and Language Therapist will assess your child’s speech development and will then analyse the results. They will also look for which sounds they can produce with support (this is called stimulability). They will analyse patterns in the results and will formulate a plan.

The Cycles Phonology Approach intervention allows your child to work in blocks. This might mean they work for half a week for 30 minutes on (e.g., clusters). Then the next half they’ll work for 30 minutes on a different process (e.g., omission of sounds at the end of words).

Research has found that the following error patterns respond well to this approach:
- Syllables (identifying the different parts in a word e.g., “ae-ro-plane”)
- Final Consonant deletion (omission of the final sound e.g., “ca” instead of “cat”)
- Initial consonant deletion (omission of the first sound e.g., “at” instead of “cat”)
- Fronting (instead of making a sound at the back of the mouth, it’s made at the front e.g., “tat” instead of “cat”)
- Backing (instead of making a sound at the front of the mouth, it’s made at the back e.g., “gun” instead of “bun”)
- S blends (e.g., “sl, sm, sn, sk, sw”)
- Gliding of liquids (e.g., “lellow instead of yellow”, “wabbit instead of rabbit”)
What does a Speech and Language Therapy session look like when using the Phonology Cycles Approach?

The format of the session remains the same for whichever speech sound pattern your child is working on. Your child’s Speech and Language Therapist will review the previous session. Then they will use an activity to work on your child hearing the sound several times (this is called ‘auditory bombardment’). Then your child will practise saying the sound. Next, the Speech and Language Therapist will check if your child can say any of the sounds which they haven’t been able to produce before, with support. This is called a stimulability check. After this, your child will take part in an activity which builds their awareness of sounds in words (such as a rhyming or syllable activity). The session will finish with another auditory bombardment task (i.e., hearing their tricky sound repeatedly).

I will give you advice for practising at home, as it’s vital that your child learns in the correct way. We aim for 100 turns in therapy sessions, so it’s vital your child is motivated.

Contact me to improve your child’s speech sounds and improve their confidence when talking.

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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Speech and Language Therapy

What is Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) and what does a Speech Therapist do?
ByLondon Speech and Feeding September 9, 2021January 31, 2023
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

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

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

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
- 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.
READ MORE What is Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) and what does a Speech Therapist do?
Speech and Language Therapy

Cycles Approach speech therapy: Why syllables come first
ByLondon Speech and Feeding April 29, 2026April 28, 2026
and why it matters more than you might think!

If your child’s speech is difficult to understand, it can feel tempting to focus straight away on individual sounds: those tricky /S/, /K/, or /SH/ sounds that just won’t come out clearly.

But in therapy, we don’t always start there.

When a child is very difficult to understand, and I have ruled out that the underlying cause is motor-based, I often opt for the Cycles Phonological Approach. This is helpful for those kids where we can feel like we don’t know where to start! The Cycles Approach helps to generate a broad overall increase in speech clarity by sequentially targeting a variety of speech patterns over the course of 8–10 weeks.

So rather than working on one sound until it’s ‘fixed,’ we:
- Work on patterns (not just individual sounds)
- Target each pattern for a short period of time
- Then cycle to the next one
- And come back around again later
This mirrors how speech development naturally happens: gradually, with increasing accuracy over time.

Why don’t we start by fixing erroneous sounds straight away?

To use a metaphor, if a child doesn’t have a strong syllable structure, working on individual sounds is like decorating a house that doesn’t have solid walls yet.

Many children with speech sound difficulties:
- Drop syllables (e.g. ‘banana’ → ‘nana’)
- Simplify longer words
- Struggle to maintain rhythm and stress patterns
So, before we refine speech sounds, we need to build the framework of speech.

Why syllables come first in every cycle

In the Cycles Approach, we always begin with 2- and 3-syllable words, even if that’s not the main concern.

Why?

Because syllable awareness supports:
- Speech clarity (intelligibility)
- Word structure and sequencing
- Prosody (rhythm and stress)
- Motor planning for longer words
Without this, even perfectly produced sounds can still be hard to understand in real speech.

What do ‘2 and 3 beats’ mean?

When we talk about ‘beats’ we mean syllables you can clap.

Try it:
- ‘Table’ → ta-ble (2 beats 👏👏)
- ‘Banana’ → ba-na-na (3 beats 👏👏👏)
In therapy, we help children:
- Hear the beats
- Feel the rhythm
- Produce the full word (without dropping parts)
What this looks like in therapy

In my sessions, this part of the cycle is active, visual, and repetitive.

You might see me using:
- 👏 Clapping or tapping out syllables
- 🧩 Using visual supports or blocks for each beat
- 🎲 Play-based repetition of target words
- 🎯 High-frequency practice (lots of turns!)
I also keep the focus on success and flow, rather than correction.

If you’re watching the video clip I’ve shared here, you’ll notice:
- I’m not over-correcting every sound
- I’m prioritising getting the whole word out
- I’m building rhythm, confidence, and consistency
Why this stage is so powerful

It can look simple, but it’s doing a lot of heavy lifting.

Working on syllables helps children:
- Say longer words more clearly
- Reduce ‘mumbling’ or collapsing of words
- Improve overall intelligibility quickly
- Prepare for more precise sound work later
Often, parents notice early wins like:

✨ ‘They’re easier to understand already’

✨ ‘They’re saying longer words!’

✨ ‘They’re more confident speaking’

And that’s before we’ve even fully targeted specific sounds.

But will my child still learn their sounds?

Yes. Absolutely.

The Cycles Approach is structured so that after syllables, we move into:
- Early developing sounds
- Then more complex patterns (like fronting or clusters)
And importantly, we come back around again.

Nothing is missed. It’s just sequenced in a way that supports success.

A different way of thinking about progress

One of the biggest mindset shifts with the Cycles Approach is this:

👉 We’re not aiming for perfection straight away

👉 We’re aiming for gradual system-wide change

That means:
- Your child doesn’t need to ‘master’ something before moving on
- Progress builds across cycles
- Speech becomes clearer over time, not overnight
So, to sum up

Starting with syllables might seem unexpected but it’s one of the most powerful foundations we can give a child whose speech is hard to understand.

By building rhythm, structure, and confidence first, we make everything that comes next more effective.

If your child is starting speech therapy and you notice we’re clapping words like ‘banana’ or ‘elephant’, there’s a very good reason for it.

We’re not going backwards.

We’re building from the ground up.

We’re making later sound work more effective and more likely to generalise into everyday talking.

Next steps:

If you’re concerned about your child’s speech clarity or wondering whether they might benefit from a structured approach like this, feel free to get in touch. I offer individualised assessments and therapy plans tailored to each child’s speech profile whether that’s early sound development, phonology, or motor speech difficulties.

Sonja McGeachie

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Owner of 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.

Parent FAQ section

Why is my child practising words like ‘banana’ instead of sounds like /K/ or /S/?

Because your child first needs to be able to hold and produce the full shape of a word. If they’re dropping syllables (e.g. ‘banana’ → ‘nana’), working on individual sounds won’t carry over into real speech. We build the structure first, then refine the sounds.

What if my child can already say some long words?

That’s great. But we’re looking for consistency and clarity across many words, not just a few familiar ones. This stage helps stabilise that skill so it becomes reliable in everyday talking.

How long will we stay on syllables?

Usually, this is a short but important phase within each cycle. We revisit it regularly, but we also move on to other patterns (like specific sounds or sound processes) within the same therapy block.

Will this delay my child learning their sounds?

No. In fact, it often speeds things up overall. Once the syllable structure is in place, children are much more able to use correct sounds in longer words and sentences.

What can I do at home?

Keep it simple and playful:
- Clap out words together (e.g. ‘el-e-phant’)
- Emphasise full words naturally in conversation
- Repeat back what your child says with the full structure (without pressure)
Consistency and exposure matter more than correction.

My child gets frustrated. Will this help?

Yes. Many children become frustrated when they’re not understood. Improving syllable structure often leads to quick wins in clarity, which can boost confidence and reduce that frustration.

Building clearer speech: Why we practise syllables first

What are syllables?

Syllables are the ‘beats’ in words.
- ‘Table’ = 2 beats (ta-ble)
- ‘Banana’ = 3 beats (ba-na-na)
Why is my child working on this?

If your child:
- Drops parts of words (‘banana’ → ‘nana’)
- Mumbles longer words
- Is hard to understand
…then we need to build the structure of words first.

This helps your child:

✔ Say longer words clearly

✔ Be easier to understand

✔ Feel more confident speaking

What does this look like in therapy?

We practise:
- Clapping or tapping out beats 👏
- Saying full words with rhythm
- Repeating target words through play
- Using visuals or actions to support learning
How you can help at home

Keep it light and playful, little and often!

Try this:
- Clap words together أثناء play (e.g. toys, food, animals)
- Model full words naturally (‘Yes, ba-na-na!’)
- Repeat and expand what your child says
Example:

Child: ‘nana’

You: ‘Yes! Ba-na-na‘

Important to know
- This is a key first step in speech therapy
- We will move on to sounds—but this helps them stick
- Small changes here can make a big difference in clarity
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Autism Therapy · Neurodiversity · Printables · Speech and Language Therapy · Top tips

Let’s ditch the ‘Fix-It’ approach to autistic play and stimming
ByLondon Speech and Feeding December 8, 2025December 8, 2025
December is often presented as a time of perfect, reciprocal play. Children are supposed to be unwrapping toys, sharing, and engaging in imaginative scenarios with family. But for parents of young autistic children, this high-pressure, socially demanding period can often feel like a battleground.

If you’ve been told to interrupt your child’s stimming, push for eye contact, or force them to play ‘functionally’ with toys, it’s time to take a deep breath. Those traditional approaches are not only stressful—they often miss the point of your child’s communication.

As a neurodiversity-affirming Speech and Language Therapist, I want to encourage you this December: You are allowed to follow your child’s lead, validate his or her unique interests, and trust that his or her play and movement are profoundly meaningful.

1. Stimming: not a distraction, but a regulator 💡

Stimming is short for self-stimulatory behaviour and includes repetitive movements or sounds like hand flapping, humming, rocking, finger flicking, or repeating phrases (called echolalia).

For years, parents were incorrectly advised to block or eliminate these behaviours. The neurodiversity-affirming view tells us the exact opposite: Stimming is a vital and essential tool for your child’s self-regulation.

Think of stimming as an internal volume dial:
- Too loud/overwhelmed: Your child may stim to reduce incoming sensory input (e.g., rocking to ground himself or herself in a busy room).
- Too quiet/under-stimulated: Your child may stim to increase sensory input and focus (e.g., running back and forth to maintain alertness).
The shift: validate, don’t block

Instead of saying, ‘Stop flapping your hands’, try to understand the message behind the movement.
- Observe: When does the stimming happen? Is it before a meltdown? When your child excited? When your child is bored?
- Validate: Name the need, not just the behaviour. You might say, ‘I see your body needs to move fast right now. That helps you calm down!’
- Co-regulate: If the stim is unsafe (e.g., head-banging), help your child find a safer, alternative stim that meets the same sensory need (e.g., pushing hard against a wall, squeezing a stress ball).
By validating your child’s need to regulate, you are building trust, reducing anxiety, and teaching him or her critical self-awareness.

2. Autistic play: Meaningful, even if it’s monologue

The traditional idea of ‘good play’ often involves turn-taking, pretending, and specific toy functions (e.g., pushing a train around a track). When an autistic child spends 30 minutes lining up cars, spinning their wheels, or scripting whole scenes from a favourite movie, it can often be dismissed as non-functional or repetitive.

In neurodiversity-affirming practice, we recognise that autistic play is authentic play. These activities are crucial for learning, deep focus, and imaginative development.
- Lining up toys may be an exploration of patterns, visual organisation, and order.
- Spinning wheels may be a deep interest in cause-and-effect and visual sensory input.
- Scripting is often a way to process language, regulate emotions, and practise complex social situations in a safe, controlled way.
Make a change: Join your child’s world, don’t drag them to yours.

Stop trying to force the ‘right’ way to play. Instead, try these neuro-affirming strategies:
1. Be a co-regulator, not a director: If your child is lining up cars, sit down next to him or her. Instead of moving a car, try handing him or her another car to line up. Focus on the shared interest rather than forcing interaction.
2. Narrate (don’t question): Avoid constantly asking, ‘What are you doing?’ or ‘What does this car say?’ This puts pressure on your child to perform. Instead, narrate your observations using his or her interest: ‘I see you made a long, straight line of red cars. Look at all the wheels spinning!’
3. Validate the interest: Show genuine appreciation for your child’s focus. ‘Wow, you know so much about how magnets stick together! That’s incredible.’
3. The communication revolution: Honouring gestalt language processing

Many young autistic children communicate in ways that don’t fit the traditional model of building language word-by-word. Many use Gestalt Language Processing (GLP).

A gestalt language processor learns language in chunks or scripts (e.g., ‘what’s-in-there?’ or ‘ready-go!’). These chunks (or gestalts) are not random; they are often tied to an emotional memory or meaning. Over time, the child breaks down these big chunks into individual words then learns to recombine those words creatively.

If your child repeats movie phrases or whole sentences that seem unrelated, he or she is likely a gestalt language processor!

Affirm the script, then model something useful.
1. Affirm the script: When your child says a script, respond to the meaning or emotion behind it, not the literal words. If he or she says, ‘We’re going to need a bigger boat’, and he or she is looking at a messy toy pile, he or she may be trying to express overwhelm or a need for help. You can affirm: ‘That pile is too big! I can help you move it.’
2. Model new ‘mix and match’ scripts: To help your child move from whole scripts to single words, you can model shorter, slightly changed versions of the script, also called ‘mitigated gestalts’. If they say, ‘I want to go home now’, you might model, ‘Let’s go home, now’ or ‘I wanna go home’.
By honouring your child’s communication style, you validate his or her experience and naturally support his or her path to language development—a core part of neurodiversity-affirming SLT.

Your December gift to your little one:

This December, stop trying to make your child fit into a neurotypical box. Instead, make your home a safe space where he or she can be his or her authentic selves.

Prioritise regulation and connection over compliance.

Trust that when your child is regulated, his or her communication, learning, and engagement will flourish naturally. This is the true gift of neurodiversity-affirming practice.

Download and print my neuro-affirming quick reference guide and keep this guide handy on your fridge and/or in your child’s play area for a quick reminder to prioritise connection over conformity.

Sonja McGeachie

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Owner of 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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Autism Therapy · Neurodiversity · Speech and Language Therapy · Top tips

The quiet power: Why silence and responsiveness boost communication in children with delays
ByLondon Speech and Feeding June 9, 2025June 9, 2025
Supplied by Sonja McGeachie, Practice Owner

As parents and caregivers, our natural instinct when interacting with a child, especially one who struggles with communication, is often to fill every silence. We might ask lots of questions, offer constant commentary, or try to prompt him or her to speak. Our hearts are in the right place. We want to help him or her communicate! However, for children with language delays or those on the autism spectrum, this well-intentioned approach can sometimes inadvertently create more pressure and fewer opportunities for them to truly initiate and develop their own communication skills.

What if I told you that one of the most powerful tools in your communication toolkit is often silence? And that responding to your child, rather than always initiating, can unlock incredible potential?

Let’s explore why these seemingly simple strategies are so profoundly beneficial.

The unspoken benefits of silence

In our fast-paced world, silence can feel awkward, but for a child who is processing language differently, it’s a gift:
1. Time to process: Children with language delays often need more time to process what they hear and to formulate their own thoughts or responses. When we bombard them with words, we don’t give their brains the crucial milliseconds they need to catch up. A pause of 5–10 seconds can make all the difference.
2. Reduces pressure: Constant questioning or prompting can feel like a test. Silence removes this pressure, creating a more relaxed environment where the child feels safe to communicate without fear of being ‘wrong’ or rushed.
3. Creates opportunity to initiate: If you’re always talking, when does your child get a turn to start the conversation? Silence opens up a space for him or her to initiate, whether it’s through a sound, a gesture, eye contact, or a word. This is vital for developing spontaneous communication.
4. Encourages independent thinking: When a child is given space, he or she is more likely to try to figure things out himself or herself. This fosters problem-solving skills and reduces reliance on adult prompts.
5. Prevents overwhelm (especially for ASD): Many children on the autism spectrum can be sensitive to auditory input. A constant stream of language can be overwhelming, leading to withdrawal or challenging behaviours. Strategic pauses can help them regulate and engage more effectively.
The power of responding (not just initiating)

Think of a tennis match: if only one person serves, it’s not a game. Communication is a rally, a back-and-forth exchange. When you primarily respond to your child’s communication attempts, you’re teaching him or her the rhythm of conversation:
1. Follow the child’s lead: This is a cornerstone of effective language intervention, famously championed by programs like Hanen’s ‘It Takes Two to Talk’. When you respond to what your child is already interested in or doing, the interaction becomes immediately relevant and motivating for him or her.
2. Validates his or her attempts: Every sound, gesture, glance, or partial word your child offers is a communication attempt. By responding to it, you’re telling him or her, ‘I see you. I hear you. Your communication matters.’ This builds immense confidence and encourages him or her to try again.
3. Builds confidence and motivation: When a child feels understood and successful in his or her communication, he or she are more likely to communicate more often. It’s a positive feedback loop.
4. Teaches turn-taking naturally: By taking your turn after his or hers, you model the natural flow of conversation. He or she learns that communication is a shared activity, not a one-sided lecture.
5. Makes interactions meaningful: When you respond to his or her interests, you’re talking about things that are inherently motivating to him or her. This makes the language you use more easily understood and remembered.
Practical strategies for parents: Observe, Wait, Listen (OWL)

The Hanen Centre’s ‘Observe, Wait, Listen’ (OWL) strategy perfectly encapsulates these principles:
- Observe: Watch your child closely. What is he or she looking at? What is he or she doing? What sounds is he or she making? What gestures is he or she using?
- Wait: After you’ve observed, wait. Give him or her time. Resist the urge to jump in with a question or comment immediately. Count to five (or even ten) in your head. This silence is an invitation for him or her to communicate.
- Listen: When he or she does communicate (in any way!), listen intently. Try to understand his or her message or intent.
Beyond OWL – More tips:
- Reduce questions, increase comments: Instead of ‘What’s that?’ try ‘Oh, a big red ball!’ or ‘The car is going fast!’ Comments provide language models without demanding a verbal response.
- Expand, don’t just prompt: If your child says ‘Car’, you could respond with ‘Yes, That’s a big car!’ or ‘It’s really fast!’ You’re building on his or her communication with a slightly richer language model.
- Create opportunities for communication: Place desired items slightly out of reach. This creates a natural reason for your child to communicate his or her wants (e.g., reaching, pointing, vocalising).
- Respond to all communication: Don’t just wait for words. If your child points, look where he or she is pointing and comment. If he or she makes a sound, imitate it or respond with a related word.
In summary

Embracing silence and prioritising responsiveness might feel counterintuitive at first, especially when you’re eager for your child to talk. However, these powerful strategies create a nurturing, low-pressure environment that encourages spontaneous communication, builds confidence, and truly meets your child where he or she is. By giving your child the space and the meaningful responses he or she needs, you’re laying a strong foundation for his or her communication journey.

Try incorporating these ‘quiet powers’ into your daily interactions and watch your child’s communication blossom.

Sonja McGeachie

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Owner of 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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Autism Therapy · Neurodiversity · Printables · Speech and Language Therapy · Top tips

What to do when words don’t come fast enough
ByLondon Speech and Feeding November 26, 2025November 26, 2025
When children find talking hard, parents often face a difficult question: ‘Should we wait and keep encouraging speech? Or introduce something like AAC?’

AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) can sound intimidating, but it simply means any way we support or replace spoken words, from simple gestures and picture boards to high-tech speech-generating devices. Far from ‘giving up on speech,’ AAC often becomes the bridge that helps children find their voice, in whatever form that takes.

💡 What is AAC, really?

AAC is a spectrum of tools and strategies that help people express themselves when speaking is difficult. It might include:
- Low-tech supports: Gestures, key word signs (like Makaton), picture symbols, or printed boards
- High-tech systems: Apps on tablets that speak aloud when pictures or words are tapped
AAC is not just for children who will never talk. It’s for anyone whose speech isn’t meeting their communication needs right now.

🤔 When to introduce AAC

There’s a common myth that you should only try AAC after ‘exhausting’ other speech therapy options. In fact, AAC can be introduced at any stage, even alongside speech development.

Here are some helpful signs that AAC might support your child:
- Your child understands much more than they can say.
- They rely on gestures, sounds, or behaviour to communicate.
- They become frustrated trying to express themselves.
- You find yourself ‘reading their mind’ to interpret needs.
- Speech progress feels slow or inconsistent.
If you recognise these patterns, AAC isn’t a ‘last resort’. It’s a communication support, not a replacement for speech.

Recent research consistently shows that AAC does not stop children from talking. In fact, it can encourage speech to develop. A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders found that children who received interventions combining naturalistic developmental behavioural approaches with aided AAC showed improved language outcomes, and that AAC ‘does not negatively impact speech development and may even facilitate spoken language growth’ (Smith et al., 2024).

🌉 How AAC supports speech development

Speech and AAC aren’t competing paths: they’re parallel tracks that often feed each other.

Here’s how AAC helps speech grow:
1. Reduces frustration: When a child can express their needs, they’re more relaxed and ready to learn.
2. Provides a visual model: Seeing symbols or words while hearing spoken language strengthens understanding and word recall.
3. Builds consistent language structure: AAC systems follow the same grammar and word order as speech, helping children internalise how sentences work.
4. Encourages turn-taking and social connection: AAC lets children join conversations even before speech is fluent, giving them more practice in real communication.
AAC is not ‘giving up on speech’. It’s giving a child more ways to succeed while speech continues to develop.

🧩 How to introduce AAC gently and effectively
1. Start small and meaningful: Begin with a few key messages your child wants to say, not just what adults want to hear. Think ‘I want’, ‘stop’, ‘help’, ‘more’, ‘all done’, ‘no’, ‘again’. These are powerful words for real interaction and autonomy.
2. Model, model, model: The most important part of AAC success is modelling—using the system yourself as you talk. For example: ‘You want banana 🍌’ and you tap the ‘want’ and ‘banana’ symbols. Children need to see and hear AAC used naturally before they try it themselves.
3. Use it throughout the day: AAC isn’t a therapy tool to take out once a week. It’s a living part of communication. Model a few words during mealtimes, play, and routines. The more consistently it’s embedded, the more fluent both you and your child will become.
4. Keep it accessible: If using a device or picture board, make sure it’s always nearby. If it’s in a bag or drawer, it can’t be used in real moments.
5. Celebrate all communication: If your child points, signs, uses a sound, or taps a symbol, it all counts. Respond warmly and naturally to reinforce communication in any form.
🧠 What parents often worry about
- ‘Won’t AAC stop them from talking?’: No. Research shows AAC use either has no negative effect on speech or leads to increased spoken output (Smith et al., 2024). When children feel understood, their motivation to communicate grows.
- ‘What if I model it wrong?’: There’s no perfect way to start. Your effort and consistency matter far more than accuracy.
- ‘Will they get ‘stuck’ using pictures?’: Some children do continue using AAC long-term; others move naturally toward more spoken language. The goal is always functional communication, not replacing one form with another.
🪞 Bringing AAC into daily life

Here are a few simple, parent-friendly ideas:
- Create visual spaces: Post symbols or core words on the fridge, mirror, or play area.
- Narrate routines: Use AAC during toothbrushing, dressing, or mealtimes; consistent contexts build understanding.
- Pair speech and touch: Always say the word aloud when you point to or tap a symbol.
- Involve siblings and friends: Model how they can respond to AAC too. ‘Oh, you said go! Let’s go fast!’
- Use shared books and songs: Pause and model key words in stories or songs.
🌱 The takeaway

AAC doesn’t mean giving up on speech; it means opening more doors to communication. When words don’t come easily, AAC gives children a way to connect, share, and be heard.

It helps parents move from guessing to understanding, and gives children the power to express themselves on their own terms.

If you’re unsure where to start, reach out to a speech and language therapist experienced in AAC. Together, you can find a system that fits your child’s strengths, build confidence in modelling, and help every word (spoken or tapped) feel like a step forward.

And download and print my one page summary.

Because when communication is possible, everything else begins to grow.

Sonja McGeachie

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Owner of The London Speech and Feeding Practice.

📚 Reference

Smith, K., et al. (2024). The Effect of Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions and Aided AAC on the Language Development of Children on the Autism Spectrum with Minimal Speech: A Systematic Review and Meta‑Analysis. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 55, 3078–3099. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06382-7

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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READ MORE What to do when words don’t come fast enough