“If they don’t learn the way you teach, it’s time to teach the way they learn. (O.Ivor.Lovaas)”
Child Speech Therapy
My name is Gemma Lester and I am a specialist speech and language therapist working in the Tameside area.
I work closely with the charity HOPE whose trustees (Kelly Wray and Anita Cottam) have worked tirelessly to raise funds to establish and maintain further speech therapy services to their children and parents, alongside their current NHS provision. This has involved jointly identifying communication targets for the families and their children in their homes, running social interaction groups, alongside one to one sessions with parents and children (these are especially beneficial to children which speech, language and communication needs).
New Book now available
Please click the image or anywhere on this text to purchase our new book
This book explores how speech and language therapists can use a wide range of multi-modal therapy techniques to elicit speech sound. Due to the nature of the approach, there is a limited evidence base in the area, so this book draws on the authors’ extensive experience, as well as testimonials from families who have been successfully supported by the approach, to offer a new and unique perspective for therapy. By using a total communication approach, the book provides clinicians with the confidence to be more open and experimental in their practice, when traditional routes are proving unsuccessful, to best meet the needs of clients with more complex clinical backgrounds.
Chapters include the following:
- Setting the scene.
- Persistent speech sound disorders.
- Popular techniques.
- Adding the extra dimension.
- Case studies.
- How to run a Total Speech group.
Total Speech shares success stories of how well-known techniques can be blended to achieve progress and results. It will be a useful addition to any speech and language therapist’s therapy toolkit.
I believe communication is everything and will do all I can to enable a child to communicate effectively.
I am particularly experienced in supporting children with mild/moderate/severe learning difficulties and also do a lot of work for children with Autism and I am passionate about enabling successful communication by supporting:
1 – the child,
2 – the people around the child (including parents and teaching staff) and
3 – the environment in which they function.
My services include assessing and providing therapy to children with the following needs:
Learning difficulties (from mild to complex)
Language delay/impairment
Speech sound difficulties
Autism
Hearing impairment
Supporting children who have Alternative or Augmentative Communication (AAC) needs
