Paediatrics

Articulation/Speech Sound Disorders

An articulation disorder is based on your child’s difficulty in learning how to physically produce different speech sounds –  such as using their tongue and teeth to make the sound ‘th’. 

Young children often make speech errors such as using a ‘w’ sound for the ‘r’ sound (e.g., ‘wed’ for ‘red’) or they may leave sounds out of words altogether, such as ‘nana’ for ‘banana’.

Your child could have an articulation disorder if these errors continue past the expected age.

Neurodivergence including autism, ADHD & complex PTSD, intellectual disability (ID) and developmental language disorder (DLD)

Difficulties and differences may include, but are not limited to:

  • Receptive Language

    This refers to your child’s understanding of spoken language and includes the ability to follow spoken instructions, and understand a range of different spoken sentence and question forms.

    For example if you ask them to put away their toys, they just look at you blankly.

  • Expressive Language

    This refers to language production and includes your child’s ability to use the correct words in spoken sentences. This includes the ability to connect ideas together using conjunction words (‘so’, ‘and’, ‘because’), and responding appropriately to spoken commands.

    For example, your child struggles to ask for help when they need it, or cannot independently tell a story with all the words/ideas in the right order.

  • Phonological Awareness/Literacy Skills

    Phonological awareness is the understanding that words are made up of smaller units such as sounds and syllables. There is a strong link between phonological awareness and the development of spelling and reading. When there is a breakdown in phonological awareness, your child may:

    • be inaccurate in producing long, multi-syllabic words such as ‘cimanom’ for ‘cinnamon’; ‘bersketti’ for ‘spaghetti’; and ‘hostibal’ for ‘hospital’.

    • confuse similar sounding words such as ‘see’, ‘tea’ & ‘she’

    • have problems recalling words – especially names

    • have difficulty remembering word sequences such as rhymes, songs and letters of the alphabet

Understanding Neurodivergent Pragmatics & Play

Neurodivergent children generally enjoy playing, but the way they play may differ from their neurotypical peers. Autistic children might favour a small selection of toys or play in a repetitive way. For example, your child might like spinning the wheels on a toy car and watching the wheels rotate, while a neurotypical child might pretend to drive it. Your neurodivergent child might prefer to complete a puzzle in the same order every time, and might become distressed if the routine changes.

Each neurodivergent child is different from the next. We like to take the time to get to know your child and work out what their strengths and interests are. This can help your child to build trust and rapport, and increase their engagement in play-based intervention.

 

ESL/Second Language Acquisition  

Tutoring available upon request, including IELTS preparation, functional role plays, and accent reduction.

Voice Disorders

Voice disorders are medical conditions involving abnormal pitch, loudness or quality of the sound being produced by the larynx (voice box), consequently affecting the production of speech. Signs of a voice disorder may include:

  • vocal hoarseness

  • increased vocal effort

  • limited pitch range

  • limited volume range

Social Skills – PEERS Groups

 

Swallowing/Mealtime Difficulties

Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) means it takes more time and effort to move food or liquid from your mouth to your stomach. Dysphagia may also be associated with pain, and in some cases, swallowing may be impossible.

Signs & symptoms associated with a swallowing disorder may include:

  • coughing or gagging when swallowing

  • drooling

  • dysphagia – difficulty with swallowing food, drink and saliva

  • eating soft food – such as soup or puddings, avoiding certain food or cutting food into smaller pieces because of difficulty swallowing

  • frequent heartburn – a burning sensation in your chest

  • odynophagia – pain while swallowing 

  • regurgitation – bringing food back up 

  • the sensation of food getting stuck in your throat or chest or behind your breastbone (sternum)

  • vocal hoarseness – you sound like you’re losing your voice

  • weight loss – unexpected & unwanted 

Want to learn more?