Your child's speech & language skills don't seem on par with other children their age? You're worried about the impact on friendships and Education?
You want to help but you’re not sure what to do for the best? You've followed advice from friends, professionals, family members, and spent time searching online. Nothing seems to be working. You’re still just as worried, more confused than ever, and your gut feel is telling you that some of the strategies you’re trying are actually making things worse? Your child seems frustrated, and the communication problem seems to be causing issues with their behaviour too...
So, you need help. Something different. Something that will work for you and your child.
You're not alone and you've come to the right place...
“...when our daughter was nearly two and a half. I was at a total loss as to how to encourage speech and felt that everything I was trying instinctively was somehow aggravating my lovely girl. She seemed often to be frustrated and not regulated which I put down to the communication difficulties she was facing. Once we started using VERVE I could quite quickly see how positively she responded… But the biggest positive I found about using Gillian was looking at my daughter with a 360 degree vista, looking at every aspect of her life, day to day routines, what makes her happy, what motivates her etc and working speech and language therapy into everyday life. A year on from starting VERVE with Gillian the success is not simply ‘we now have verbal communication’, it’s so much more complex - I know her better, I interpret her better, she is SO much happier and more relaxed…” Google Review
Children. Mostly 18 months to 5 years old. I am happy to discuss concerns relating to older children.
These children often have difficulty staying on one activity for any length of time, and with listening and understanding what is said to them. They often have no words, few words, or less words than others their age. Their communication signals are often unclear and others outside the family struggle to understand them. They may show frustration. Some don’t seem interested in interacting with other people and seem to prefer to play alone. Some are having problems with their ‘behaviour’ which seem to relate to communication.
Some terms associated with the children I work with: attention difficulties, language delay, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), DLD associated with autism or Down Syndrome, speech delay/disorder, stammering.
I can usually offer an initial assessment within 4 weeks. Therapy, if required, can start 1 - 2 weeks after the initial assessment.
I can be available for telephone calls and consultations in the daytime, evenings and at weekends. I keep my caseload small so that I can provide the level of support each family needs.
See Services & Fees for a guide to costs.
We start with 4 sessions of VERVE Child Interaction Therapy which works beautifully for ALL families who are facing speech, language, and communication challenges.
"...It is much more empowering to be given the tools to help your child with their communication rather than taking a backseat and letting the therapist lead... "
"“…our sessions with Gillian (have) been invaluable. We have learnt so much which has enabled us to help our son… She is incredibly supportive and is clearly very experienced. We could not recommend her service enough.”" -
"“We’ve gone through 4 weekly sessions and have already seen a massive improvement”"
A review appointment every 4 - 8 weeks (if required) allows us to monitor, celebrate and build on your child’s progress. You decide how much support you need.
When a child is having difficulty with speech & language it's natural to assume that they need expert help. Someone to teach them the skills that they just don’t seem to be picking up from everyday conversations. In fact, a lot of traditional therapy approaches have historically been based on exactly that assumption. What we now know is that ALL children learn language through real life interactions with their key communication partners, especially those they are most attached to – parents - but the timing of those interactions breaks down when the child presents with a speech, language, or communication difficulty, leaving the adult unsure what to do and how to respond.
I have 30+ years’ experience as a Speech & Language Therapist and have trained in both traditional (‘behaviourist’) and 'interactive' approaches (including Intensive Interaction, and Parent Child Interaction Therapy). In 2020 I trained in VERVE Child Interaction Therapy and it has proved the most effective approach, and has offered the best clinical outcomes for ALL of my clients, regardless of age or diagnosis. Parents bear witness to this in their testimonials.
I was trained, in VERVE Child Interaction, by Keena Cummins. She is the Speech & Language Therapist who developed this approach and continued to evolve it to reflect the latest findings from the fields of child development and neuroscience. In 2021 Keena published a new book which describes this approach.
"This book is not an argument for the use of video in therapy to support and facilitate children's development through the skills of their parents. That is an argument...proven a long time ago, and which should no longer need to be debated...learning with and working through the skills of parents through video has transformed our understanding of how behaviour and communication develop" - Keena Cummins, Speech & Language Therapist, (VERVE also known as Video Mutual Face Watching Therapy).
Rather than focus on what your child can’t do we will focus on what they can do and look at how you can shape their emerging skills, every day, through activities your child enjoys. You will receive a detailed written summary after each session detailing the plan we have agreed together, so you will be confident that you know exactly what to do.
I work in accordance with the ‘best practice guidance’ from the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists to challenge and reject the myth that children should only receive therapy in the language in which they are going to be Educated (the language which is used in school). I help parents understand the risks of abandoning their home language (including rapid loss of home language skills, or understanding, but not speaking, their home language). You will be working directly with your child every day, with my guidance and support, and you can do this in your home language. Ultimately, the choice of which language to speak with your child will be yours.
Parent feedback on this site and in my Google Reviews is from parents whose children have a range of communication needs, including those associated with Additional Learning Needs.
“VERVE is a great way to interact with your child because you can do it all the time, it becomes second nature. Its really great to know that G is leading the session and wants to communicate with me rather than me pushing it onto him. It’s so rewarding when he is clearly enjoying interacting.” - Mum of a child with autism.
"Yes, I would recommend VERVE to other parents as this has made me listen more and given F the ability to talk and communicate effectively without me talking for her, she has definitely become more confident and the clarity of words and sounds has improved greatly." - Mum of a child with Down Syndrome.
Many therapists, including occupational therapists and physiotherapists are moving away from ‘behaviourist’, ‘medical’ or ‘impairment based’ therapies in response to our growing understanding of the central role of ‘regulation’ ‘self-regulation’ and ‘co-regulation’ in brain and child development. This shift in practice is welcomed by the adult autistic community.
Whilst I can only give professional advice relating to behaviour/regulation and communication, I am always happy to listen and be aware of other challenges you are facing. I can signpost you to other professionals who can help if your questions are outside of the scope of my professional knowledge and expertise. I also signpost parents to additional sources of information which will complement our work together, for example many parents have found this book, Uniquely Human, (and the podcast of the same name) helpful in understanding autism.
Families who work with me find that, after the first 4-6 sessions, a review every 6-8 weeks is plenty to enable them to support their child effectively and witness exciting progress. I will be guided by you, and your child, and you will get as much support as you need.
"The VERVE sessions have given us as parents a really active part in helping him to develop his speech, which felt lacking in the traditional therapy delivered via school. We are seeing huge development in our son’s speech since undertaking VERVE, this is something school has also commented on, so we would have no hesitation in recommending VERVE to other parents, it is a natural, soft approach to SLT that has huge benefits.. the child doesn’t even recognise that its therapy!" - You can read more parent feedback here or see my Google Reviews.
I work predominantly with families in Rugby and the surrounding villages and these families have their sessions in their own homes, where their child is most at ease. Your child’s own toys and favourite activities are the tools we work with. I also offer telehealth, and some local parents opt to have some of their sessions via video calls so that they can fully engage with me in discussion and can concentrate on watching their videos of interaction between them and their child. Trying to do this while the child is present can be tricky if your child finds if difficult to regulate when they don’t have your full attention! A combination of home visits and telehealth sessions can give us the full benefits of both.
Parents who want to work with me but are more than 30 minutes’ drive from the centre of Rugby have all of their sessions via video call.
"Our regular telehealth sessions via Zoom with Gillian have been invaluable. We are seeing quicker results than we thought possible even with direct therapy!"
“The fact we haven’t met Gillian in person has not taken away from the wonderful progress our son has made...having sessions via video call has given us extra flexibility. It has been such a beneficial and positive experience for our family...”
There are lots of great websites full of play ideas, but their ethos, and advice, is often not aligned with what science tells us about true play. The National Institute for Play tells us…
“Parents mean well when they direct young children toward specific outcomes like stacking blocks or saying a certain word. But research confirms that guiding children this way (instead of letting children guide themselves) stifles self-reliance, resilience, and the desire to learn. Adult direction creates “good” kids — kids who want to please authority figures (extrinsic motivations) — but free play creates self-motivated problem solvers (intrinsic motivations).”
“U.S. families are increasingly crowding out free play time with “structured activities that are designed to promote academic results.” In their drive to help their children succeed, some families begin these adult-directed activities in preschool, or even earlier. In an attempt to counter this trend, the American Academy of Pediatricians has published several clinical reports, the latest titled “The Power of Play,” encouraging pediatricians to explain to parents the critical importance of free play.”
Sadly, the same is happening in the UK, with parents often feeling the pressure to get their children 'school ready' by focusing on learning colours and numbers, pencil skills and reading.
“Helping your child pursue their innate interests, and validating their interests and gleeful engagement, will do more for your child’s future than all the flashcards and learning toys you could possibly buy.” - National Institute for Play.
For children with a ‘mild – moderate’ speech/language/communication delay a course of VERVE is enough to give parents the skills and confidence they need to support their child’s development and for the child to make sufficient progress so that additional support in the educational setting is not needed.
For a child with more complex needs the first block of VERVE therapy might be just the start of our work together to help them reach their potential. Many parents like to have a review session every 4-6 weeks and are delighted with the progress they make through working together in this way. Where needed, we can also use visual approaches such as Makaton, visual symbols and Objects of Reference to support your child's communication.
We can meet with others who support your child – for example, your child’s teacher, key worker, Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo), Learning Support Assistant/Teaching Assistant (LSA/TA) and NHS Speech & Language Therapist - to ensure that we are all working together in a consistent way to support your child. We can create a ‘Communication Passport’ which sets out clearly what each person who works with your child can do to help them develop their skills.
I also provide VERVE training for staff in Early Years settings (day-care or nursery) and schools.
"Gillian has been a fabulous help to our setting with a child requiring support with SEND. Gillian has shared her knowledge of SaLT and VERVE which has positively impacted the outcomes for the child we are supporting. We have found VERVE very interesting and very useful. - Nursery Manager, Daventry.
Through shifting my clinical practice to a fully interactive, parent led approach I have recognised some of the limitations of traditional target setting. Targets tend to be based on how your child performed on a test. Parents do their best to help their child meet these targets too, but often tell me that ‘trying to get them to do their Speech Therapy' is challenging. Their child does not find it engaging. I also notice that these targets often don’t really address the things that parents are worried about – confidence, social interaction, using words to communicate in real life situations, awareness of the listener, and (especially for older children) independence.
The joy of VERVE is that the child often surprises us by surpassing our expectations. This is because we are creating the conditions which unlock their full potential, not setting limits on them through prescriptive attainment targets.
No, not as a one off piece of work.
For children who are long term clients I support their parents with the EHCP process guided by their needs at that time.
You have two options.
What do you have to lose...apart from confusion, frustration, sleepless nights worrying about your child, (yep, I'm a mum as well as a therapist)...?
You are the expert on your child, and your child is unique. Every step will involve shared decision making. Your perspective, priorities and preferences will be at the heart of everything we do - combined with my 30 years+ experience as a Speech & Language Therapist. I look forward to hearing from you.
Full details of services available, terms & conditions and fees can be provided with no obligation.
Enjoy the rest of the website, which has been designed to provide everything you need to know about me and what I offer.
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