All Posts By

Steph Black

Neurodiversity affirming language in the workplace

How would you describe yourself using only positive affirming language? This was the question I posed to attendees at the Rise & Shine Breakfast Networking Club as I began my talk on neurodiversity-affirming language in the workplace, first describing…

What is selective mutism?

Selective Mutism (SM) is an anxiety disorder where a person is unable to speak in certain social situations despite being able to communicate freely in other situations. Selective Mutism is a phobia of talking and, like any phobia, being…

Vegetables

When you don’t have the energy to clean up the mess of real peas… When learning language it is always best to see/feel/experience the real thing so you fully understand. However, that’s not always possible (zoo animals) or practical…

All the Bears

Brown Bear, Brown Bear If you and your little one love bears as much as me, you’ll love some of these resources used in sessions. They’re a great way to expand your child’s language by talking about different animals,…

Talking Toys: Treasure Baskets

This blog series will take you through some of the best toys to use to support speech, language and communication development. All of the toys recommended are used in signing classes, for individual therapy or with my own daughter…

Talking Toys: Grimm’s

This monthly blog series will take you through some of the best toys to use to support speech, language and communication development. All of the toys recommended are used in signing classes, for individual therapy or with my own…

How to help my child understand emotions

Children, young people and even adults often struggle to express their emotions. This year during Mental Health Awareness Week we are all being encouraged to talk about our feelings. This can be really difficult for those of us that…

The Magic of Story Sacks

It is so important to foster a love of language and learning from a young age. An amazing way to do this is using story sacks! Pick your child’s favourite book and put a bag together with relevant objects…

What is Teletherapy?

Teletherapy in the speech and language world is simply therapy from a distance. ‘Tele’ is derived from the Greek for ‘far off’! I do my therapy sessions via Zoom, which allows me to share pictures, games and other resources…

The Power of Words

There has recently been a surge in articles about the so called ‘vocabulary gap’ that exists in children starting school. A recent study in the UK proved this point, with findings that almost half of UK pupils are at…