Speech therapy after brain injury

Posted on August 17 2015 by The Speech Therapy Practice

I work with a young man who has made a terrific recovery after a severe head injury he sustained a couple of years ago. He continues to have some problems with word finding and explaining himself but most people wouldn’t notice these problems if they met him socially.

When he began a phased return to work a few weeks ago it threw up further word finding problems.

Experienced working with tools he found he knew what the tools were but couldn’t name them or describe what they are for.

We implemented a period of therapy specifically looking at the vocabulary that he needed for work and then started working on his abilities to verbally explain the function of these tools.

Neither myself nor his support staff could be considered experts in the area of the toolbox and this presented itself as a great opportunity for my client to place himself in the “expert” role and use his verbal naming and explanation skills to teach us about things that are important in his work.

Our ongoing targets will include being able to explain the different steps in each aspect of his job and increasing his vocabulary retrieval within the work place.

After Traumatic Brain Injury people may need on going help at different times of transition throughout their rehabilitation.

A functional practical approach to therapy tasks helps keep people motivated, engaged and builds their confidence

I can now differentiate between a Ratchet and a nut spinner but think I’ll stick to my day job!

Frequency of child speech therapy sessions

Posted on June 21 2015 by admin

The frequency and length of time your child will come to therapy will be led by you. People access our services for many different reasons and at different times throughout their child’s life.

Some people come to us for an assessment and advice and need no further input from us.

Some people access our therapy on a weekly or fortnightly basis whilst they are waiting for statuary services.

You may come for a couple of sessions and then be given targets to work on with your child and then come back after you have achieved these targets.

The most important thing to remember is that our relationship with you and your child is a partnership. We will work together to meet the needs of your child and the needs of your family. The frequency and length of your attendance at therapy will be based on therapy targets and goals to enable your child to meet their communication potential.

Client testimonial:

“I’d also like to say how fabulous your therapist is. She is clearly experienced but also has a wonderful way with my son.”

What to expect

Posted on June 18 2015 by The Speech Therapy Practice

Many people are unsure what to expect when they bring their child to see our speech and language therapist.

  • Will my child speak during the session?
  • Does the therapist have experience with the kind of problems my children has?
  • How long will the session last?
  • What happens after the session?

All of our therapists are experienced specialists working with children with a variety of difficulties. Some of our therapists have particular interests and specialities and we will talk to you about your concerns so that we can match up your needs to the right therapist. Our therapists are very used to meeting children who are shy and unwilling to talk to new people. They will make sure that the session is relaxed and non pressured for your child. We will use games and techniques to engage your child. We will gather information from you and make sure that your child has an opportunity to demonstrate what they can do as well as what they are finding difficult.

The initial session will last between 45 minutes and an hour. We will use a range of formal and informal methods to assess your child depending on the needs of your child.

At the end of the session we will discuss with you our findings and recommendations. We will then write a  short report outlining our findings and recommendations.