We currently have a limited number of slots free for the Learning How to Talk Programme.

Late Talkers - Learning How To Talk Programme

It’s not uncommon to feel a little anxious if your child is not yet speaking. That anxiety itself can change the way you communicate. If you’re a parent who feels this way, we would recommend you consider The Learning How to talk (LHTT) programme!

The LHTT programme shows you exactly how to get your child talking through all day long therapy.

You are with your child every minute of every day - so YOU are the best person to work with your child to encourage them to talk. As Speech & Language Therapists, our role is to empower and equip you with all of the tips, tricks and strategies we use in therapy but tailor this to YOUR child’s communication and interaction style.

Over the last 10 years, Laura has taken an interest in ‘late talkers’ and has been working with Queen Mary University London Language Lab as a clinical collaborator. She has just finished working with the University, piloting the LHTT. Here’s what our parents had to say:

Testimonials

"Thank you so much for all your help and support over the last few months. I'm so pleased I was able to get this advice and support from you and I'm really pleased with the progress N had made over this time. ."

"Thank you so much for everything, we found the programme so helpful; and C’s communication has really exploded since we started - I can’t believe the progress he’s made….so pleased we were to be part of the programme it was so effective!"

"We really appreciate your time, advice and guidance in regards M’s speech development. We are so lucky to have had this opportunity, at such early age for M…so thank you. You have been amazing and we will continue to implement all the tips you have given."

"Thank you so much. It’s been an amazing journey seeing J develop so much within a short space of time. Without your help I would have not been unable to help him!"

What Is It?

Learning How to Talk is an intervention programme specifically designed for the needs of young children who are slow to start talking. It is based a well-known and evidence-based intervention approach that speech therapists use regularly with children who are slow to start speaking.

It designed to target the specific role that parents play in developing children’s language speech, and can be delivered in a short time frame.

All LHTT sessions are carried out using video conferencing with Laura Dawson and sessions run with parents during the day and evening to fit around work and child-care commitments. Don’t worry about being tech savvy. All you need is a phone for recording and video calls and we’ll help you with the rest.

How Much Does It Cost

The cost of the programme is £300. It includes an hours initial assessment and a follow-on session and includes time taken for Laura to analyse your video and plan bespoke therapy. There are no standard worksheets in bespoke therapy – this is about your interaction and your child..

In our experience from using the programme in the research project, most parents felt they gained the most benefit from the first two sessions of therapy.

Some parents found the ongoing monthly support really helpful for them and their child. Ongoing sessions (including video analysis time) are charged at £100/30mins..

Crtieria

A late talker is defined as a child with less than 50 words, aged 24 months. Sometimes children who are not speaking are told by their doctor or nursery that their child has a speech and or language delay and these children would also benefit from the LHTT programme.

Whilst the programme works best for children who have no wider diagnosis, it can still helpful for children who have global delay/autism. If you join the programme and Laura feels the programme is not right for you, she will advise you before the initial assessment is arranged.

For this reason it is really important you tell us everything on your questionnaire so we can make an informed decision about whether your child is suitable. It may be more appropriate for you to be seen by another therapist in clinic where different face-to-face intervention approaches can be carried out that will benefit your child.

How Does It Work

Step 1: You complete a case history questionnaire that is reviewed by Laura. This means we can save some time in our session to focus on how to help rather than info gathering! If we have any questions, we’ll come back to you.

Step 2: You send us a 5minute video of you interacting with your child using secure platform. I analyse the video and look at your child’s speech language, attention, play skills in a natural environment. Believe me, 5 minutes seems like a short amount of time but A LOT of information can be gleaned in a short amount of time. After watching thousands of parents play and interact with their children, Laura’s pretty spot on at identifying what small and almost invisible changes may help your child to start speaking. .

Step 3: We have an online 1 hour consultation to talk through your concerns and discuss the changes and strategies she thinks will help move your child on with their speaking. We’ll talk through a laser sharp plan of what you’re going to do for the next 3 weeks.

Step 4: You send through another video which Laura analyses again and you’ll meet again to debrief and tell you your next steps.