LOUISE KEMP
Credentials: Specialist Speech and Language Therapist
Treatment Locations: School, Client’s Home, Client’s Preschool/Daycare
Name of Practice: Horsham Talk Time Ltd
Address:
128 Brighton Road
Horsham, West Sussex
RH13 6Ey, United Kingdom
Phone: +447552673276
Email: louise@horshamtalktime.co.uk
Website: http://www.horshamtalktime.co.uk
Percent of CAS cases: 51-75%
Overall Treatment Approach:
I have met lots of little ones with CAS and have worked with some children for years, experiencing their progress, achievements and success. This has given me the ability to tell parents that their child will make progress, they will learn to communicate and therapy really works. When I first meet a child, I am sensitive to their personality and awareness of their speech needs. Some children are very shy or can be reluctant to speak. At these times, what is most important is to develop a relationship with the child and their family so that they trust me and find sessions fun and engaging. Once settled, a small number of target words are chosen for practise, that are functional and are meaningful for the child and their family. Words such as ‘mum’, ‘car’, ‘me’ or ‘bye’ may be chosen. I explain how speech sounds are made and how we can help cue a child to make these sounds in syllables, including gestures and tactile prompts, as well as ‘saying it together’ versus ‘saying it on imitation’. Sometimes sessions are arranged without the child so that parents can understand what CAS is and what therapy will look like.
Community Involvement:
I run a small private Speech Therapy Practice and have specialised in working with children with CAS over the past 7 years. I mainly assess children for their Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) or carry out the speech and language provision listed on a child’s EHC Plan, working within mainstream schools. I see children with CAS at least twice a week for direct therapy. Where possible, I try to answer parents questions about CAS, provision or EHCP’s on forums and social media as the process to secure therapy can be incredibly confusing in the UK. I recently attended the Apraxia Awareness Day for professionals and families, run by Mikey’s Wish Foundation.
Parent Involvement:
Parents are always involved in choosing target words for their child when they are young. They are encouraged as much as possible to use a total communication approach with their child, whether it be with pictures, signing or with an ipad or similar AAC device. Sometimes activities are suggested for parents to practise with their child, but this often depends on their confidence to do so. Within a school setting, sessions are often not delivered with parents attending so additional practise is delivered by a named TA who attends all therapy sessions and targets and strategies can be frequently demonstrated for them. The frequency of sessions allows the TA to become well-trained, with on-going coaching and direct support.
AAC Use/Implementation Expertise:
For young children, it is always useful to sign or encourage the use of gesture to communicate. We make an ‘all about me’ book for the child, which is then updated each week with pictures of things the child likes, people in their family, toys and games they like to play etc. We also ask the parents to add photographs of where the child has been or who they have seen so that they can share these experiences with their teachers and peers at nursery e.g. ‘The day out to Legoland’ or ‘the child’s sister’s birthday party’. Aided Language Boards, that contain pictures of vocabulary a child may want to use within specific games, are encouraged at both home and nursery. More often than not we encourage the use of an iPadwith AAC software on, so that the child has access to a wider range of vocabulary than we may be able to make pictures for.