Taylor Swift themed Speech, Language and Communication Activities Perfect for Swiftie's

Taylor Swift themed Speech, Language and Communication Activities (Magic Words’ Version)

Are you a Swiftie at heart, eager to infuse some Taylor Swift magic into your speech, language, and communication sessions? Or are you working with a keen Swifite and are looking to really engage them? Look no further! We've curated a list of engaging activities that capture the essence of Taylor's music while working on a range of Speech, Language and Communication Skills.

LYRIC ANALYSIS

Use Taylor’s song lyrics to explore language concepts like vocabulary, figurative language, and social pragmatics. Break down lyrics of her songs and discuss the meanings of metaphors, similes, and idioms. This can help individuals develop their understanding of language in context.

SONG PARODIES

Write your very own song parodies based on Taylor Swift's music with your child or client. This activity can support creativity, wordplay, and rhyming skills. You can modify lyrics to reflect your own experiences or therapy goals, making the process personalised and engaging.

ARTICULATION

Choose Taylor Swift songs with repetitive lyrics and use them for articulation practice. Focus on specific speech sounds by practicing articulating the target sounds while singing along to the songs. This can make repetitive drills more enjoyable and motivating.

NARRATIVE BUILDING

Taylor Swift's songs often tell stories. Encourage your child or client to listen to a song and then retell the story in their own words. This can help with sequencing, organising thoughts, and improving storytelling skills.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Taylor’s music is popular and widely recognised. Use her songs or recent news about her as conversation starters to work on social communication. This can help improve conversational skills, turn-taking, and topic maintenance.

Unmasking Neurodivergence: Acceptance and Building Self-Esteem

By Laura Boutarfa

Magic Words Speech and Language Therapy Apprentice Practitioner

Society expects all people to conform to behavioural norms: unwritten rules that, if broken, cause the person to be labelled as “strange” or “other”. But this idea in and of itself is flawed – we as a human race are a diverse population of different languages, cultures, religions, and values and inherently we are all unique. So, how can we expect all individuals in a society to follow the norm, and who even decides what this norm is? 

For many years, therapies have tried to cure or lessen neurodivergent traits in children and young people. Approaches such as Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) have sought to withhold items from a child in order to get them to complete a task in the way the therapist wants. Often, this will result in the child complying out of fear or a desire to get a certain item, but there is no intrinsic motivation to learn the new skill. As a result, they do not generalise the skill, and in many cases, we see the child in fight or flight mode, ready to escape or attack whenever they feel threatened. Many autistic adults report suffering with PTSD in adulthood because of such therapies.  

Unfortunately, many approaches used with autistic children, or children with other neurodivergences such as ADHD, are deeply rooted in ABA. Sticker charts, work-reward systems, Now and Next boards, Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)… all of these involve withholding something the child wants or needs, such as a sensory accommodation, until they do what an adult is demanding of them. We would not withhold physical accommodations such as a wheelchair from a child, so why are we withholding ear defenders, fidgets, or trampolines? 

When we aim from early childhood to make a child appear “less autistic” or “behave normally”, we are feeding into a life-long narrative for them that they are deficient in some way. That they are not enough. This message often becomes internalised and leads to children, especially those with low support needs, masking their neurodivergence to fit in and make friends. And if they cannot mask, they are frequently ostracised from society.  

Neurodivergence does not have to be a disability – society is what makes being neurodivergent a disability, because society is ableist and geared towards neutotypicals, with the onus on neurodivergents to request accommodations and change themselves to fit in with the norm.  

Take away messages:  

Let’s reframe how we talk about neurodivergence from the very beginning – no-one is flawed because of how their brain works. All differences should be accepted and celebrated, and therapy should be person-centred.  

When working with a child or teenager who has a history of masking, let’s work on building self-esteem and exploring unmasking.  

And let’s start talking to all children about the importance of being accepting of all people, regardless of their neurotype. Below are some great TV and book recommendations to start having these conversations at home:   

• "Mister Rogers' Neighbourhood" is a classic children's show that promotes kindness, empathy, and understanding of differences.   

• "How to Be a Superhero Called Self-Control! Superpowers to Help Younger Children to Regulate their Emotions and Senses" by Lauren Brukner - this is a book that provides practical strategies for children to regulate their emotions and senses, which may be helpful for the client.   

• “Young Sheldon” is a TV programme where we see Sheldon’s journey through school and trying to make friends and navigate relationships when he was younger. Young Sheldon never explicitly mentions autism so it’s not specific.   

• “A Kind of Spark” is a CBBC TV show that uses neurodivergent actors.   

• "The Autism Acceptance Book: Being a Friend to Someone with Autism" by Ellen Sabin - this is a children's book that introduces autism and emphasises the importance of acceptance and understanding.   

• "All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome" by Kathy Hoopmann - this is another children's book that uses cats as a metaphor to explain some common traits of people with Asperger's (which is on the autism spectrum).   

• "The Reason I Jump" by Naoki Higashida - this is a memoir written by a young man with autism who shares his experiences and insights.   

• "NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity" by Steve Silberman - this is a comprehensive history of autism and advocacy for neurodiversity.   

• "Sesame Street" has a character named Julia, who is a Muppet with autism. The show has resources available for families and educators to learn about autism and how to support children on the spectrum.   

• "Atypical" is a Netflix series that follows the story of a teenager with autism navigating high school and relationships.   

• "The A Word" is a British TV drama series that depicts a family's journey after their son is diagnosed with autism.   

• "Speechless" is a comedy series that follows the story of a teenager with cerebral palsy and his family.   

• “Pablo” is a TV programme on CBeebies, the characters are voiced by Autistic Actors. There are different characters that portray different aspects of Pablo's personality.    

• “The Big Bang Theory” is a TV programme where one of the characters has a very literal and direct communication style.   

Diwali Themed Speech and Language Therapy Activities

Diwali Themed Speech and Language Therapy Activities

By Larisa Vaz

Magic Words Speech and Language Therapist 

As the festival of lights, Diwali, fills the air with joy and vibrancy, it presents a wonderful opportunity to infuse speech and language therapy with a touch of cultural celebration. By embracing the spirit of Diwali, speech and language therapists can create engaging and purposeful activities that not only captivate the attention of their clients but also contribute to their speech and language development. Let's explore some Diwali-themed speech and language therapy activities.

1.     Storytelling Diyas

Foster narrative skills by engaging in a storytelling activity centred around Diwali. You can choose any topic for example, the story of Rama and Sita. This activity is fun when done with a group of children. Provide the children with a set of diya-shaped cards, each containing a different story element. Encourage them to take turns selecting cards and weave a cohesive story incorporating the elements they've chosen. This activity not only enhances narrative skills but also encourages creativity and expressive language.

2.     Articulation Rangoli

Transform the traditional art of rangoli into a fun articulation activity. Create a large rangoli outline with various speech sounds written in each section. Choose speech sounds that your child might be working on in speech therapy sessions (your child’s speech and language therapist can help you with this) As children practice their target sounds, they can fill in the corresponding areas with colourful materials like sand, rice, coloured paper or even playdough. This is a fun activity, and your child can also practice speech sounds in a fun way.

3.     Diya Descriptions

Improve your child’s conceptual language skills by helping them describe and compare different types of diyas. Encourage children to use descriptive words such as ‘beautiful’, ‘bright’, ‘shiny’, and ‘colourful’. You can also introduce size-related concepts like ‘big’, ‘small’ and ‘medium’ as well as location-based concepts like ‘near’, ‘far’, etc.

4.     Sweet Sensory Sensations

Dive into the world of sensory exploration with a Diwali sweet tasting activity. Introduce your children to traditional Indian sweets like laddoos, barfis, chum chums, jalebis etc. As they savour the yummy flavours, guide them in expressing what they feel. For example, if your child is savouring a jalebi, you can ask them questions like “Is it crispy or soft?” If they were eating a chum chum, you can ask, “Is it juicy or dry”? This activity not only enhances descriptive language skills but also encourages children to try new tastes and textures.

5.     A Pataakaa (Firecracker) Guessing game

This game requires quite the creativity skills. Adults would need to craft a guessing game related to the different Diwali firecrackers. For example, "I'm bright and loud, in the night sky, I make a sound. What am I?" Encourage children to guess the answer. You can even help them create their own guessing game.

6.     Language Lanterns

Combine creativity and language skills by making Diwali-themed language lanterns. Help children decorate paper lanterns with words related to Diwali such as colours, glitter, decorations etc. As they create their lanterns, encourage them to discuss their choices. For example, “Why did you choose the red colour?” or “Where do you want to put the glitter?” etc. This activity is particularly useful when targeting various ‘Wh’ questions and narrative speech generation.

7.      Multilingual Greetings

Diwali is a festival celebrated across the entire Indian subcontinent and among people from various linguistical backgrounds. Help children embrace the linguistic diversity of Diwali by practicing greetings in various languages spoken during the festival. Create flashcards or a poster with greetings like "Happy Diwali (English)," "Shubh Deepavali (Sanskrit)," or “Deepavali Shubhashayagalu (Kannada)." This activity promotes multicultural language exposure.

8.     Diya Dot Art

Engage young learners in a Diya dot art activity. Provide them with a diya made from clay or any other material. You can also use a black and white picture of a diya. You will also need colourful dot markers. These can be colouring paints in tubes or even sketch pens. As children they dot along the diya, encourage them to name the colours they're using, fostering colour concepts. You can also mix some colours and use the mixed colours to colour the diya.

9.     Singing Diwali Rhymes

Introduce Diwali-themed nursery rhymes or songs to young children. If you are looking for some, there are various ones available on the internet. For example, you can find rhymes like "Diwali Twinkle Twinkle" or "I am a little diya."Sing together and incorporate gestures or simple dance moves. This activity promotes language development and imitation skills.

These tailored Diwali-themed activities for young children aim to make speech and language therapy both educational and enjoyable. By integrating play, creativity, and cultural elements, therapists and adults working with children can create a positive and engaging learning environment for their little learners.

Halloween Themed Speech Therapy Activities

Halloween Themed Speech Therapy Activities

By Larisa Vaz

Magic Words Speech and Language Therapist 

As the leaves change colour and the air becomes crisper, it can mean only one thing: Halloween is just around the corner. This spooktacular holiday offers an excellent opportunity for speech therapists to engage their young clients in fun and educational activities. Halloween-themed speech therapy activities are not only a blast for kids but can also be incredibly effective in improving speech and language skills. Let's delve into some ghoulishly good ideas to enhance communication while embracing the Halloween spirit.

1. Pumpkin Patch Pronunciation

Create a "pumpkin patch" with paper pumpkins, each displaying a different word with a specific speech sound. For example, if your child is not able to say the ‘s’ sound, you can use words beginning with ‘s’ such as sun, soap, etc. Children can choose a pumpkin, say the word correctly, and place it in their "basket." This hands-on approach helps practice their articulation skills while having a pumpkin-tastic time.

2. Monster Mouth Movement

Encourage children to create their very own "monster mouths" using construction paper and markers. Then, have them describe their monsters in detail. This activity is fantastic for improving expressive language skills, as kids describe their monster's features and characteristics.

3. Spooky Storytelling

Gather around a "campfire" (a flickering LED candle will do) and encourage kids to tell spooky stories. You can set up various topics like a spooky house story or a ghost story. This activity helps children develop their narrative and descriptive language skills while fostering creativity and imagination.

4. Zombie Pronoun Play

Use zombie-themed visuals to work on pronouns. Place zombies in different locations and have children describe where they are using pronouns like "he," "she," or "they." This activity helps reinforce pronoun usage while adding a fun, creepy twist.

5. Vocabulary Costume Party

Host a vocabulary costume party where each child dresses up as a word they've learned. They can explain their chosen word's meaning and use it in a sentence, helping to reinforce vocabulary and expressive language skills.

6. Ghastly Guess the Sound

Fill containers with various Halloween-themed items, such as candy, small toys, or even spooky sound recordings. Kids can listen to the sounds, guess what's inside, and practice their expressive language skills by describing the item or sound.

7. Witch's Brew Word Blending

Create a pretend witch's brew by blending Halloween-themed words. Children can combine words like "spider" and "web" to make "spiderweb" and describe what the concoction does. This activity enhances phonological awareness and word blending skills.

8. Monster Emotion Matching

Use pictures of friendly monsters displaying different emotions. Children can match the monster to the corresponding emotion card, describe why they think the monster feels that way, and talk about times they've felt the same emotions.

9. Trick-or-Treat Articulation

Incorporate speech sounds into a trick-or-treat game. Place candy or small toys in a bag with pictures or words containing the target sound. Children take turns drawing an item from the bag and practice saying it correctly before receiving their "treat."

10. Witchy Word Puzzles

Create word puzzles, like crossword puzzles or word searches, using Halloween-themed vocabulary. Kids can have a blast solving the puzzles while expanding their vocabulary and word recognition skills.

11. Spider Web Speech Sounds

Draw a spider web on a whiteboard or paper, with different speech sounds at various points. Children can take turns throwing a sticky toy spider onto the web and practicing the speech sound it lands on. It's a fun way to work on your child’s articulation skills.

12. Jack-o'-Lantern Categories

Carve a pumpkin with various category labels, such as "animals," "fruits," or "colours." Children can name items that belong to each category, expanding their sorting and categorization skills.

13. Mummy Memory Game

Create a memory game using Halloween-themed cards. Players take turns flipping over two cards, describing what they see, and trying to find matching pairs. This game helps memory, concentration, and descriptive language skills.

Halloween-themed speech therapy activities not only make learning more engaging but also instil a sense of excitement and enthusiasm in children. By incorporating these spine-tingling exercises into your speech therapy sessions, you can help kids develop essential communication skills while enjoying the magic of Halloween. So, embrace the spirit of the season and watch your young learners become spellbound by the world of speech and language.

Speech Therapy Activities You Can Do On Your Holidays

By Larisa Vaz

Magic Words Speech and Language Therapist

Summer holidays are the perfect time for relaxation and fun, but that doesn't mean you have to put learning on hold! For children who are receiving speech therapy, the summer break provides an excellent opportunity to incorporate enjoyable activities that can help improve speech and language skills. These interactive and engaging speech therapy activities will not only boost communication abilities but also make learning a delightful experience. So, let's dive into some exciting activities that can be easily incorporated into your summer holidays.

1. Nature Scavenger Hunt.

Head outdoors for a nature scavenger hunt to explore the beauty of the summer season whilst working on their speech and language skills. Create a list of items for them to find (e.g., red flower, smooth rock, tall tree). For a child who is working on their speech skills, you can create a list of words beginning with a speech sound that they are working on, for example ‘b’ and practice these words. For a child that has difficulties with language, encourage the child to describe what they see using sentences that include descriptive words, e.g. ‘I see a fluttery butterfly’ or ‘there’s a shiny silver car’. This activity promotes vocabulary expansion and encourages communication through observation and description.

2. Beach Ball Articulation

Grab a beach ball and write different speech sounds or words containing target sounds on to its sections. Toss the ball to each participant, and when they catch it, they have to say the sound or word closest to their thumb. This interactive game makes speech sound practice enjoyable and can be done at the beach, in the park, or even in the garden.

3. Summer Themed Board Games

Board games like "Beach Ball Bingo," "Ocean Adventure Charades," or "Summer Charades" can make speech therapy more exciting during the summer break. These games incorporate speech and language therapy activities in a playful and fun-filled way while also keeping children motivated and engaged while they practice their communication skills.

4. Water Balloon Phonics

Combine water play with phonics practice! This game can be used while playing with children who are just learning phonics. Write letters or words on water balloons. When tossing the balloons, the children have to say the sound or word they catch. For added fun, use water guns to pop the balloons and then create sentences with the words they have collected.

5. DIY Storybooks

Encourage children to create their own summer-themed storybooks with colourful illustrations and narratives. Using this activity, children can work on speech and language skills by writing stories and narrating the plots that they've come up with. This activity fosters creativity and storytelling skills

6. Summer Recipe Book

Create a summer recipe book together. This is a very fun activity and can be done with small groups of children and will have to be led by an adult. Let each child contribute a favourite ingredient, recipe or a description of a summer treat they enjoy. You can create new recipes by having each child choose an ingredient or use a well-loved summer recipe. Create a list of ingredients and follow the recipe based on the instructions. This activity encourages thinking skills, following instructions, sequencing skills, and expressive language. It also creates a multisensory learning experience for the children.

7. Picture Postcards

During summer vacations or outings, encourage children to take photos or draw pictures of their adventures or things or places they have seen. Later, they can turn these images into picture postcards and write short messages on the back. You can also use this opportunity to talk about the various things that you see in the postcard for example, Name all the colours you can see on the postcard. This activity reinforces thinking skills, creativity and writing skills.

8. Outdoor Story Chain

This is a super fun activity to have while at a picnic or camp and can be done with a group of children. Sit in a circle outdoors and start a story with a single sentence. Each child then takes turns adding a sentence to continue the narrative. The larger the group of kids, the better the story gets. This activity promotes creative thinking, turn taking skills, and storytelling skills.

Summer holidays don't have to be a break from speech therapy progress. By incorporating these fun and interactive activities into your summer break, you can continue to work on speech and language skills while having a blast. Whether it's playing with beach balls, going on scavenger hunts, or creating DIY storybooks, these activities will not only enhance communication abilities but also create lasting memories. So, let this summer be an exciting journey of learning and growth for speech therapy participants of all ages.

If you have any queries about using these activities, please contact your child’s speech therapist. They will help you to use these activities to support and individualise these activities based on your child’s needs.

The key to successful collaborative working: communication, compassion and compromise.

By Chloe Keech

Magic Words Speech and Language Therapist

As a Speech & Language Therapist, I spend a large part of my day working with other professionals and adults who provide support and input for the children I see. Whether that's teachers, TAs, family members or carers. I spend my days collaborating with others to support the children I see in more than just a 1:1 capacity. Recently I've been reflecting on our work as Speech and Language Therapists collaborating with teachers in schools. In particular, when it works, and when it breaks down. As with any working relationship, things are continually shifting changing and adapting. What I want to make sure in my work with teachers is that they're changing and adapting for the better.

 In society as a whole, interactions can so often become 'what I need vs what you need' or equally 'what I need vs what you will give'. How many times have you left an interaction feeling frustrated that the other person didn't seem to get it, was in the way of what you needed to do, or simply didn't help you get there? Sometimes this can be due to personality clashes, but other times it's due to people having differing agendas. What I want from the exchange differs from what you want. When working in schools, the thing that sometimes slips my mind but that helps to bring me back in is reminding myself that our goals are the same. Whenever I am working alongside a teacher, I know that my goal of supporting the child to progress is their goal too. Yes, it sits on a backdrop of a range of other responsibilities, roles to fill and of course never-ending paperwork, but in amongst all those other factors that sometimes muscle into the interaction, I can always come back to that...we want the same thing.

So, with that in mind, and with a range of experiences of these situations, I have vowed to bear these three things in mind to continue to progress in what we can achieve when working with teachers.

The first one is communication. Yep, that thing we do day in and day out, the thing we support other to do, the thing that feels second nature. The thing that sometimes we can overlook. When I approach a discussion with another professional, if I don't share my reason for choosing an approach, you won't know what the importance of it is. Equally, if there's a reason that you can't do it or don't understand what I'm asking, we'll end up going around in circles. But if we take time to share what we want doing, why, any obstacles there might be, we end up having so much more success. So often it can seem like what needs time, but so often I need more because I need you to believe and invest in what I'm

working towards.

The second point is compassion. As teachers and Speech & Language Therapists, we end up with so many things that we have to check off our to do lists. Outside of the time with the young people, we also have notes, planning, liaising, marking...the list is endless. We often aren't compassionate towards ourselves (though that's a separate topic) and so often though we're thoughtful and compassionate and kind, we don't always have the time to stop and think. We power on through because we want to check things off our lists, but sometimes when we stop and put ourselves in the other person's shoes, the time we do put in goes so much further, because we can check our expectations, and share them in a more considerate way.

The final point is compromise. A little compromise can get us a long way. If we've taken the time to be compassionate and think about the other person's point of view,

things really fall into place. I know what I want to happen, but when people are stretched and busy, sometimes we get so much more when we give a little (on both sides).

I genuinely feel with these three things in mind, the only way for collaborative working to go is up. How do you feel about working with others? When does it work and when doesn't it? We're always open to feedback and reflections, so please share with us if any of this strikes a chord with you!

Unmasking Neurodivergence

By Laura Boutarfa

Magic Words Speech and Language Therapy Apprentice Practitioner

Society expects all people to conform to behavioural norms: unwritten rules that, if broken, cause the person to be labelled as “strange” or “other”. But this idea in and of itself is flawed – we as a human race are a diverse population of different languages, cultures, religions, and values and inherently we are all unique. So, how can we expect all individuals in a society to follow the norm, and who even decides what this norm is? 

For many years, therapies have tried to cure or lessen neurodivergent traits in children and young people. Approaches such as Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) have sought to withhold items from a child in order to get them to complete a task in the way the therapist wants. Often, this will result in the child complying out of fear or a desire to get a certain item, but there is no intrinsic motivation to learn the new skill. As a result, they do not generalise the skill, and in many cases, we see the child in fight or flight mode, ready to escape or attack whenever they feel threatened. Many autistic adults report suffering with PTSD in adulthood because of such therapies.  

Unfortunately, many approaches used with autistic children, or children with other neurodivergences such as ADHD, are deeply rooted in ABA. Sticker charts, work-reward systems, Now and Next boards, Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)… all of these involve withholding something the child wants or needs, such as a sensory accommodation, until they do what an adult is demanding of them. We would not withhold physical accommodations such as a wheelchair from a child, so why are we withholding ear defenders, fidgets, or trampolines? 

When we aim from early childhood to make a child appear “less autistic” or “behave normally”, we are feeding into a life-long narrative for them that they are deficient in some way. That they are not enough. This message often becomes internalised and leads to children, especially those with low support needs, masking their neurodivergence to fit in and make friends. And if they cannot mask, they are frequently ostracised from society.  

Neurodivergence does not have to be a disability – society is what makes being neurodivergent a disability, because society is ableist and geared towards neutotypicals, with the onus on neurodivergents to request accommodations and change themselves to fit in with the norm.  

Take away messages:  

Let’s reframe how we talk about neurodivergence from the very beginning – no-one is flawed because of how their brain works. All differences should be accepted and celebrated, and therapy should be person-centred.  

When working with a child or teenager who has a history of masking, let’s work on building self-esteem and exploring unmasking.  

And let’s start talking to all children about the importance of being accepting of all people, regardless of their neurotype. Below are some great TV and book recommendations to start having these conversations at home:   

• "Mister Rogers' Neighbourhood" is a classic children's show that promotes kindness, empathy, and understanding of differences.   

• "How to Be a Superhero Called Self-Control! Superpowers to Help Younger Children to Regulate their Emotions and Senses" by Lauren Brukner - this is a book that provides practical strategies for children to regulate their emotions and senses, which may be helpful for the client.   

• “Young Sheldon” is a TV programme where we see Sheldon’s journey through school and trying to make friends and navigate relationships when he was younger. Young Sheldon never explicitly mentions autism so it’s not specific.   

• “A Kind of Spark” is a CBBC TV show that uses neurodivergent actors.   

• "The Autism Acceptance Book: Being a Friend to Someone with Autism" by Ellen Sabin - this is a children's book that introduces autism and emphasises the importance of acceptance and understanding.   

• "All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome" by Kathy Hoopmann - this is another children's book that uses cats as a metaphor to explain some common traits of people with Asperger's (which is on the autism spectrum).   

• "The Reason I Jump" by Naoki Higashida - this is a memoir written by a young man with autism who shares his experiences and insights.   

• "NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity" by Steve Silberman - this is a comprehensive history of autism and advocacy for neurodiversity.   

• "Sesame Street" has a character named Julia, who is a Muppet with autism. The show has resources available for families and educators to learn about autism and how to support children on the spectrum.   

• "Atypical" is a Netflix series that follows the story of a teenager with autism navigating high school and relationships.   

• "The A Word" is a British TV drama series that depicts a family's journey after their son is diagnosed with autism.   

• "Speechless" is a comedy series that follows the story of a teenager with cerebral palsy and his family.   

• “Pablo” is a TV programme on CBeebies, the characters are voiced by Autistic Actors. There are different characters that portray different aspects of Pablo's personality.    

• “The Big Bang Theory” is a TV programme where one of the characters has a very literal and direct communication style.   

Autism Parent Support Group

By Bhavini Vithlani

Magic Words Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

I am proud to say that Magic Words have officially completed the first parent support group, put together to help and empower the parents of our young autistic clients.

So, where did the idea for this group come from?

After working in our Newport Pagnell clinic for almost a year, I noticed an ongoing similarity between a range of my sessions. I was carrying out individual sessions focusing on intervention for autistic children under 5, helping them to develop their communication skills and increasing parents’ confidence in how to embrace their child’s unique styles of communication. The similarity I found, was each parent expressing to me how isolating it can be to be a parent of a child with additional needs. This can stem from older generations in the family having difficulties understanding how we approach autism in modern day society and the advances in research and intervention techniques, to having friends with typically developing children who can’t fully understand the challenges of having an autistic child. In both of these cases, it is not always for want of trying.

What happened next?

After hearing how the parents were feeling, I felt like I was in a position of being able to administer change and provide support. I was aware that my colleagues also saw clients who were in a similar position to my own. I approached my line manager with the idea to organise a support group for the parents of autistic children; to help them realise they are by no means alone in their journey and to create a platform where they can talk with other people who can really and truly relate to their positions. I was surprised and extremely grateful when I received the go ahead from my line manager after she had consulted our brilliant Directors. This was in July at the end of the school year in 2022, so I planned to start organising the logistics of the group as soon as we started back at work in September 2022.

How did the group develop?

As the school year started, my timetable became very full, very fast. Between working in my contracted schools and managing my clinic clients, it was hard to find the time to work out the logistics of the group as quickly as I had wanted to, but I didn’t let that stop me. When some time was freed up unexpectedly, I used this to work on the group. I set up a spreadsheet where my colleagues could let me know if they had clients who would be interested in attending, unsurprisingly to me, this filled up quickly. I tested various platforms to see which one would work best and decided that conducting the group online would give our clients from all clinics and geographical areas the best chance of being able to attend. Once I found time in my schedule, I started to send out the emails to inform the interested parents about the group.

How did it go?

The group started well, I introduced the basic rules and intentions of the group and encouraged parents to share their thoughts, hardships, and successes with the group. I emphasised that this was the parents’ space to talk openly and advise each other based on their own experiences, not to be led by the therapists. After some time, this is exactly what started to happen. As it continued, I almost couldn’t believe what was transpiring in front of me. The result of one idea which I took a chance on. The result of the support I received from Magic Words to follow through with my idea. The result – parents sharing their troubles and receiving advice from other parents who have been in their shoes. It was positively overwhelming and very moving for me to witness.

The group is now running monthly. I know myself and the other members of the Magic Words team are invested in continuing to provide support to our parents – they are after all the ones who spend the most time with their children and we will do whatever we can to empower them.

Daria's Story

Hello, I am Daria Horbachova and I am a Speech Therapist. My journey is a little different to most, so here is my story.

I was born in Ukraine, Kyiv. I have lived there all my life.

From as early as I can remember, I always looked up to my mother and grandma, who were also speech therapists. I played with them, spent a lot of time observing their sessions with children, and watched them deliver amazing speech therapy. They really inspired me, and I was 100% sure that Speech and Language therapy was exactly what I wanted to do in my life and that it was the profession for me. I love kids with all my heart, and I love being able to help those who need it. It just felt like the perfect career.

So, in 2007 I passed my exams and began my journey of studying Speech and Language therapy. After 5 years I had graduated and was officially a fully qualified SLT!

Since then, I have worked in many different places and settings: nurseries, schools, hospitals and even had private practice. Although, like everyone, Covid had changed a lot for me! Everything was closed – the only option I had was online sessions with children. So, I started to practice online which was a great opportunity for everyone. I was happy with this decision. At that time, I had fully booked days and it was perfect. Children were still able to access the therapy they needed, and I was able to keep doing what I love. Covid slowly started to calm down and life began to resume as normal.

But one day , absolutely everything in my life changed.

It was 24th of February 2022. The day when every single person had heard the news about the war in Ukraine… We were so shocked and I’m not sure we even realized truly what was going on, or how bad it was.

Everything was cancelled, everyone had stopped, and it seemed like our life was on pause.

After 1 month of uncertainty, worry and danger, I decided to pack my suitcase and go abroad. I applied for a UK visa and came here on the 22nd of April. Since arriving here in the UK, I have lived with a British family in Newport Pagnell. My host Sarah knew that I am a qualified SALT in Ukraine, so she helped me with my CV and she helped me search for a job. I wanted to continue working in Speech and Language Therapy as it’s what I’m most passionate about. We found a role with Magic Words Therapy so I applied. I passed my interview in May, and from 1st of September I started to work with Magic Words. It was an incredible feeling, because after everything I had experienced, and all the change that had happened, all I wanted at that moment – was to continue my normal life.

As I’m currently writing this, the day is the 22nd of November – which means I have spent 7 months in UK and nearly 3 months at Magic Words. As I reflect on these months, I am so grateful for all of the kind people I have met. The Magic Words team is fantastic, and I feel everyone is always willing to help me and I really feel so supported.

Now I’m working 3 days a week. I have 2 schools and 1 nursery where I’m delivering therapy and I also have clients in the clinic who come and see me too. I have a great opportunity to help multiple children and improve their knowledge every day. For me, it’s an incredible feeling and I’m so glad I could continue doing what I love, here in the UK.

I am so very grateful to the Magic Words directors, Eleanor and Frankie and also the team for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to develop in my profession and move on, despite all the difficulties and unfortunate circumstances I have been through.

Thank you for reading my story.

The Importance of SaLT in Schools

By Bhavini Vithlani

Magic Words Speech and Language Therapist

The Importance of SaLT in Schools

As Speech and Language Therapists, we work to identify whether a child or adult has any speech, language, or communication needs (SLCN) which may result in requiring intervention to help improve their skills in various areas and consequently improve their quality of life too. We also check for eating, drinking or swallowing difficulties. As therapists we have a range of skill sets which we can employ in various ways. One of the most beneficial settings we work in is education. From nursery through to college, we will assess, plan intervention and support the pupils who may otherwise struggle to access the curriculum or be severely misunderstood.

“Speech, language and communication needs are the most common type of special educational need in 4-11 year old children” (RCSLT, 2012).

One of the joys in working in a school is sharing our specialist knowledge with the teaching staff. Very often, I have experienced staff questioning whether a child should be referred to a Speech and Language Therapist or not. It gives me great pleasure to be able to guide them in what to look out for and how to support the children with SLCN in school, often resulting in the staff themselves becoming more confident and comfortable working with these children.

Being able to intervene early with children with SLCN generally gives a huge boost to their progress. We educate teaching staff and parents about what to look out for, meaning that there are less children who are likely to go under the radar and struggle for longer and later in life. With regular input, we can track the child’s progress and alter their targets throughout the year using informal and formal assessment. In some instances, the ‘naughty child’ can be acting out as a deflective strategy, so their difficulties in accessing the schoolwork are less apparent as their behaviour becomes the primary concern. We can help children to access the key language in the curriculum, with hopes that this will increase their confidence and self-belief.  

“More than 60% of young offenders can have difficulties with speech, language or communication.” (Bryan, Freer and Furlong, 2007)

Having a Speech and Language Therapist in school regularly allows for a number of pupils to have access to direct or indirect input. Direct therapy involves the child being seen regularly by the therapist, for this we will generally prioritise the children with the most specialist needs. For pupils with more general needs, we offer training or shadowing opportunities to school staff in order to empower them to provide indirect intervention with the continued support of the therapist. Indirect therapy may look like running groups to pre-teach vocabulary to those struggling with language or leading a Lego Therapy group for children with social communication difficulties. We work to support staff and parents to work with the children we don’t see for 1:1 therapy, as regular input is reflected in the rate of progress in most cases.

“In some socially deprived areas upwards of half of children may start school with impoverished speech, language and communication skills.” (Locke, Ginsborg and Peers, 2002).

Research shows that children with SLCN are more at risk of experiencing difficulties with their literacy development, facing lower chances of employment later in life and experiencing poor mental health. Depending on their particular difficulties, it may be hard for them to express their feelings or to form and keep friendships. These are just some of the reasons why having a Speech and Language Therapist is so crucial. Some children can mask their difficulties well and without specialist input their challenges may go unnoticed. We work to give each person a voice, an outlet, a means to be seen and heard and develop an understanding that their difficulties are okay and we are here to help.

So, what is an EHCP anyway?

By Helen Croucher

Magic Words Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

If a professional has said your child may benefit from an EHCP, or if your child has special educational needs (SEN), this post is for you!

The other day I was working with a child with significant speech, language, and communication needs, who has just got an Education and Health Care Plan, or EHCP for short. His Mum told me that now she has the document in her hand, the main thing she feels is relief. Relief that it is done, and reassurance that her child can access the coordinated support they desperately need. She told me with a sigh that it had been a learning curve applying for the EHCP, which was daunting and stressful at times. Now she is at the end of the process, she is still getting to grips with everything involved and learning where to get help when needed. She is not alone in feeling like this. In March 2022, the government’s review of the national SEND provision found that families across the country are finding it challenging to navigate our SEND system. This inspired me to write a post to help families starting their EHCP journey, and hopefully answer some initial questions families may have.

So, what is an EHCP anyway?

An Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) is a legal document describing the special education, health and care needs of the child or young person relating to their disability or differences. It outlines all the extra help, care and support they will need to access learning.

How do I know if my child needs one?

If your child has significant, long-term difficulties affecting their health and learning and has been assessed as needing additional support, they may meet the criteria for an EHCP. Usually, the child’s education setting or a healthcare professional will discuss with you if they think your child may benefit from one. Your child’s education setting should have tried all available resources to support your child first before considering an EHCP.

What is the benefit of having an EHCP?

An EHCP outlines a child or young person’s current needs and what exactly is needed to meet their needs. It may include specific input, for example, that the child needs 10 hours of direct speech and language therapy a year. It may help inform school placement (e.g.: whether a mainstream or specialist setting is more appropriate). How successful an EHCP is in practice depends on how specific it is regarding the amount of care needed, what the care should look like, what training is needed etc., plus how it is delivered in the setting. It’s important that EHCPs are reviewed regularly to make sure they reflect the child’s changing needs. This is done via annual reviews of their progress every 12 months minimum.

How do I apply for one?

There are 2 ways:

1.  Directly via your local authority: 

https://www.gov.uk/children-with-special-educational-needs/extra-SEN-help

2.     Ask your child’s school or nursery to apply on your behalf

What is the process?

The process may vary slightly from one local authority to another, but the general process is:

1.     Gather evidence and apply it either directly or via your child’s education setting.

2.     Send reports or assessments from your child’s speech and language therapist, education setting, and other professionals involved, plus information from the parent or carer.

3.     The local authority acknowledge receipt and will pass the application to the “panel”. The panel decide if an EHCP will be made for your child. It may include professionals from the following areas.

·       Special Educational Needs (SEN) Team

·       Educational Psychology (EP) Service

·       Specialist Teaching and Advice Service

·       Local mainstream, special schools or further education providers

·       Social care

You should know within 16 weeks if an EHCP will be made for your child. If the application isn’t accepted you can challenge the decision or gather more evidence to reapply.

4.     If accepted, your child will be allocated a SEND caseworker. The SEND caseworker will ask professionals involved to assess your child, outline their strengths and needs, and document the exact care needed to meet these needs.

5.     The SEND caseworker will compile the information and results into a draft document and send this out to you to review around 14 weeks into the process.

6.     Parents and carers need to review the content and respond to the draft within 15 days.

7.     Once parents/carers have approved it, the document will be finalised and distributed to all involved.

How long does it take?

Approximately 20 weeks from application to finalised EHCP.

How can Magic Words Therapy help?

We support hundreds of children with speech and language therapy specified in their EHCPs in a range of settings across London, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridge, Birmingham, and Northamptonshire. We help families by:

-        Helping them navigate the application process

-        Signposting to resources and information

-        Consulting with professionals supporting your child

-        Providing detailed assessments and reports for the application and EHCP writing process

-        Delivering quality and tailored speech and language therapy as specified in individuals’ EHCPS, when the local authority cannot provide it.

-        Providing second opinions and medico-legal reports for challenges to the EHCP and for tribunals

Contact Magic Words Therapy to discuss your child’s individual needs and how we can help.

Useful links and resources

• Your local authority website

•  https://www.ipsea.org.uk/pages/category/education-health-and-care-plans

• https://www.gov.uk/children-with-special-educational-needs/extra-SEN-help

We've opened a new clinic! ⭐️

The home of the Bullring, Peaky Blinders and UB40… guessed it yet? 

Yes, Birmingham! Not only is it home to all of these, but it is now also home to the newest Magic Words clinic space.

We are so excited to announce that Magic Words are now operating our award-winning service in Birmingham and its surrounding areas. Lauren Taylor will be our head therapist based in the Birmingham clinic, and we are so excited to see this clinic blossom and grow with Lauren’s incredible passion and knowledge!

Below we asked Lauren some questions about this new venture, keep reading to find out why she's looking forward to the challenge!

Q) What are you most excited about?

A) I’m so excited about the opportunity Magic Words have given me to work with them in Birmingham. I love a good challenge, and I’m looking forward to working with people from all walks of life to help them overcome their communication barriers through Speech and Language Therapy. I am most excited about having a space to see clients, and all the potential the space has in terms of functionality. 

Q) Where do you see yourself / the clinic in a year’s time?

A) I envision that we will have a team of Magic Words therapists in Birmingham and we will be providing outreach support to a range of settings in the city and the surrounding area including nurseries, schools, care homes, rehab units and businesses. We’ll be diffusing our knowledge and expertise out into the local community and helping people of all ages with speech, language and communication needs.

Q) Why do you think Magic Words is a good addition to a city like Birmingham?

A) Birmingham is a great location for Magic Words, it is a big city meaning that there will always be clients in need of support. I feel very lucky to be a part of this service, being involved in developing it further and watching it evolve and grow. 

We can’t wait to see Lauren excel and the Birmingham branch blossom, what this space!

Best Independent Speech & Language Therapy Provider of the Year - 2022

Wow! We have been officially named "Best Independent Speech & Language Therapy Provider of the Year - 2022 UK” by M&A Today Global Awards.

We are incredibly honoured and grateful. Thank you to every one of our clients, and every single member of our amazing team; we couldn’t have done it without you!

We are proud to be continuing to lead the way in providing award-winning Speech & Language Therapy services across the UK. We are passionate about our role in supporting and empowering people with speech, language, communication, feeding and swallowing needs and their families.

Once we have finished celebrating, we will be straight back on our mission to provide safe, evidence-based and effective support delivered by our highly skilled therapy team. We’ve currently got some very exciting ideas and projects in development that we can’t wait to share with you. Watch this space!

Since 2013 we have been grafting at building and nurturing our small business into the sizeable community it is today; we now have 7 clinics across the UK and are providing specialist input into hundreds of nurseries, schools, care homes and rehab units. We are continuing to grow steadily and sustainably. This award is a testament to how far we have come as an organisation over the last 10 years but also motivation to all of us at Magic Words because we know how much more there is still to achieve in terms of providing the best support to people with speech, language, communication and swallowing needs across the country.

Speech and Language Therapy in Schools – a Model

By Eleanor Harris

Magic Words Director & Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Working as a Speech and Language Therapist in schools can be demanding, with a high number of children with speech, language and communication needs. Many of the schools that commission our service have a very high level of need which can translate to high caseload numbers. This is inevitable as 1 in 10 children are thought to have a speech, language or communication difficulty; that’s 3 per classroom.

Managing high caseload numbers can be a challenge and requires a problem-solving approach.
The model of Speech and Language Therapy service delivery in the large mainstream primary school that I work in with my colleague, Hannah Anthony, has been tailored to that particular school’s needs and preferences, however, I am often asked to share the model of delivery as it is a successful one. So, here it is!

UNIVERSAL LEVEL: School training needs are identified at the start of term in collaboration with the SENCO and SLCN training days, training is booked into the school’s CPD calendar to be delivered by the Speech and Language Therapy team. The school also has access to our online training hub that contains a range of online, on-demand training webinars our therapists have created that school teams can access in team meetings or twilight training. Recently added topics are ‘How to support pupils with Selective Mutism’ and ‘Comic Strip Conversations’.

TARGETED LEVEL: The school have a trained TA who screens children in the Reception/Foundation year using the TALKBOOST programme and delivers intervention as indicated. An allocated TA works with the Speech and Language Therapy team delivering SaLT therapy programmes to an identified caseload of children on at least a weekly basis. The SaLT reviews those programmes and outcomes periodically, and the TAs approach the therapist for review and new targets when they feel targets have been achieved. 1:1 TAs also deliver intervention programmes for their 1:1 children following the programme set by the SaLT e.g. Attention Autism, Black Sheep Press programmes, iPad programmes using specialist speech and language therapy apps etc.

SPECIALIST LEVEL: Children that require regular specialist input from the Speech and Language Therapist directly are seen for weekly 30 minute sessions 1:1, or 1 hour sessions as part of a small group working towards identified targets. When children are assessed, they are placed into a number of groups which change depending on the current demand, but always include the following groups run on an ongoing basis:

·       Blanks and Brown’s level 1 language

·       Blanks and Brown’s level 2 language

·       Blanks and Brown’s level 3 language

·       Blanks and Brown’s level 4 language

·       Phonology and articulation

The Blanks and Brown’s level language groups are based on the work by Marion Blanks et al (1978) which looks at developmental levels of abstract language comprehension, and the work done by Brown (1973) identifying developmental stages of morphemes in spoken language.

Referrals to our service are handled in the following way:

Step 1:  The SENCo identifies children that the school are concerned about, using a referral screening checklist.

Step 2: The SENCo obtains consent from the parent and a background information form is completed by the parent and/or SENCo.

Step 3: The SaLT conducts a parental interview, face to face or via video-conferencing and gathers background information from the SENCo and teachers at the school.

Step 4: The SaLT conducts a classroom observation (where clinically indicated) and informal and formal assessment.

Step 5: The Speech and Language Therapist writes an initial assessment report detailing strengths, difficulties, advice and management. At this stage, the client is either discharged (if no SLCN is identified or therapy is not indicated), placed onto a targeted intervention run weekly by a TA, or placed into an appropriate group as above or 1:1 therapy slot for the therapist to see weekly for intervention. The SENCo of the school can use the reports, which are detailed, to support EHCP applications and reviews. All reports and goals are shared with parents, teachers and relevant involved medical professionals.

Step 6: All clients seen by the TAs and the Speech and Language Therapist are dynamically reviewed as therapy progresses and there is a formal annual review with a review report every 12 months. Pupil reviews are staggered throughout the year, with reviews being seen at the start of every term. 

We like to keep a high level of parental involvement and use the See-Saw platform to share goals, progress and carryover work with parents so that they can still be actively involved in their child’s therapy programme even though it is delivered at school.

We have found that this model works well for this particular school, but each school is different and I would encourage every Speech and Language Therapist to sit down with their school SENCo at regular periods to review the needs of the school and how best to support those needs. Good luck in creating a successful model for your school!

A review of 2021

By Eleanor Harris

Magic Words Director & Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

2021 has been a year of tentative recovery for the nation with people emerging from the lockdowns to begin to enjoy an almost ‘normal’ life again.

Speech, language and communication needs did not disappear, or stop, during the lockdowns. With the hugely increased pressure on the NHS system, including Speech and Language Therapy, demand for the skills and knowledge of the Speech and Language Therapists within our service has never been stronger and shows no signs of dropping.

We are so very proud of our team, delivering excellent care and guidance for people of all ages with SLCN over 2021 with resolve and fortitude despite the often-challenging circumstances. Our therapists have been working flat out to ensure that as many people are seen as possible for badly needed speech and language therapy input. They are exhausted, but looking forward to a well deserved break over the Christmas period!

Our therapists have helped an additional 883 children, young people and adults with speech, language and communication difficulties such as Selective Mutism, Aphasia (speech and language difficulties post-stroke), Autism Spectrum Condition and Developmental Language Disorder among many, many other conditions. Along with the exceptionally hard work put in by all of our clients, the input from our therapists has achieved lots of positive and effective outcomes for our service users over 2021, leading to better communication and better mental health for 2022!

We have welcomed 15 new therapists into the Magic Words family over 2021, and promoted 3 more of our therapists into management positions to create a strong leadership team. Our team is all the richer for this and the support and camaraderie among the team is lovely to see.

Our new permanent clinic bases in Cambridge, St Albans and London Archway were set up and opened, our new counselling service with fully qualified and supervised counsellors was set up and ‘went live’, and we donated books and resources to accompany the books to schools in need. We also received training on setting up research projects to add to the evidence base for speech and language therapy with Essex University.

Phew!

We are going to build on all we have learned during 2021 to create an even better 2022. We are looking forward to developing our Autism Service, ‘Empower Autism’ and to opening up access to quality therapy for even more people at our new permanent clinic bases in Cambridge, St Albans and London Archway. We have a fantastic schedule of continuing professional development courses for our team to look forward to, managed by the wonderful Kate Eden, which will continue to grow the outstanding levels of skills and knowledge we require of our team. We will be designing and carrying out research projects and we look forward to continued work with Essex University. We will also be implementing our own new bespoke system of outcome measures designed and managed by the wonderful Katie Wilkins.

We do all this for our clients and we know that a happy, motivated and skilled up team ultimately means better outcomes for communication and mental health for our service users.

So we want to say a huge thank you to every single team member, and every single client, for making 2021 a good year despite all of the adversity. Here’s to 2022!

Being in the Moment

By Liz Gow

Magic Words Online Counsellor

Last month, my fellow Magic Words Counsellor, Kaylea Mitchell-Simon wrote a blog about creatively connecting with nature and the importance of being present with it too.

Being in the moment is for some not always an easy thing to do, there is noise externally or internally or both. It takes time and practice to be in the moment.

Giving ourselves permission to take time. To stop. Research states that those who live in the moment tend to be happier, calmer, and more appreciative. So why can this sometimes be so hard? Sometimes not being in the moment can be a way in which to avoid the difficult feelings, keeping busy to distract ourselves. Our bodies can hold the stress, presenting itself in physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach aches and other aches.

Let us try to be in the moment.

I have a cup of tea; I am sitting with a blanket and enjoying the feeling of being warm and settled.

I have pressed pause on my thoughts and my tasks for the time being. They will still be there when I have had 10 minutes to be in this moment.

My phone is on silent as I need to be free from disruptions.

I will start by focussing on my breathing, I am inhaling for a count of 4…ready?

1, 2, 3, 4

And hold….and again.

1, 2, 3, 4

And exhale for 4.

1, 2, 3, 4

Repeat for 4.

This will hopefully be the first step in helping you to feel calm and regulate your autonomic nervous system, it can also be done easily and anywhere.

Body scans are a good way to check in with how you are feeling and to bring awareness to the present moment by being in tune with your body.

Sit back for a moment and focus on how your body feels. Continue to concentrate on your breathing.

Move your attention from your head to your toes, taking a mental note of any feelings and sensations.

Keep returning your attention back to the body when your mind begins to think about other things.

Body scans can help you to improve your focus, reduce stress and help you sleep.

Later, I will be writing a few words about my day. Thinking about what the day held, how I was feeling and why? What was challenging and what went well? This can help us to slow down and reflect on our emotions. 

For now, our time together has come to an end, but going forward have a think about what being in the moment means to you, which parts of your life you would like to be more present in, would this be in your family relations, career, friendships, self-care? How might you be able to become more present?

Make time each day to practice one of the techniques that we have tried together. If you are finding it difficult ask yourself;

“What are you holding onto that’s holding you back?”

Dealing with Overwhelm and Burnout

By Rachel Roberts

Magic Words Online Counsellor

Firstly, what does it feel like to be overwhelmed and what’s the difference between that and burnout?

Being overwhelmed is feeling like everything is on top of you, like the world feels very heavy. It's all down to you. If you don’t get that huge to-do list done, something bad will happen. It’s about a loss of control, and you’re desperately grasping it back. When you are overwhelmed, often your emotions are at full speed - anything can make you burst into tears, lash out in anger or generally feel on edge 100% of the time.

Burnout, however, often feels the opposite. Your emotions are blunted, and many people find that they ‘just don’t care anymore’. You feel like you’ve given up, you’re tired, emotionally drained, you don’t want to be around people and when you are, you’re in shut down mode.

So, how can I deal with these feelings?

First, figure out if it’s burnout or overwhelm. They have similarities, so defining them can be that first powerful step towards taking back control of your emotions. Check if you’re trying to do everything (overwhelm) or avoid everything (burnout).

Second, realise that the to-do list is not you. You are not defined by the jobs you do. Instead, you are defined by what makes you so special; your heart, soul, sense of humour, the joy you give to people around you. So what if the dusting doesn’t get done… Did you make someone laugh today? Did you give someone a hug that made them smile?

Third, recognise that you are not perfect. Once we get into our minds that we must be spot on with everything, overwhelm is right around the corner. When perfection creeps in, we find ourselves taking on much more work because we want to make sure everything is ‘just so’. Who has had the thought ‘oh I’ll just do it myself. They will get it wrong anyway’? I know I have! This can mean you are so overloaded with work, you can become numb - here comes burnout! But you have to think, sometimes other people do get it wrong and that’s ok. The world is complicated, off-kilter, and that’s what makes it so unique and interesting. Let others take the job every now and then and give yourself a break. I promise it’s ok.

Finally, figure out a way to control your breathing. When we are in overwhelm and burnout, it’s pretty much the modern equivalent of fight/flight or freeze mode. This means our breathing changes dramatically because our bodies work a different way - it’s preparing to (for example) run away from that tiger. Breathing exercises can be very simple - box breathing is a good one to do at your desk, while watching TV or while lying in bed.

You breathe in for a count of 4, hold for 4, breathe out for 4 and then hold the out breath for 4. A few rounds of this will reset your breathing, which clears your mind.

There are plenty of breathing exercises that you can try, here are some yogic breathing practices which can help calm down that overwhelmed state of mind: 9 Yogic Breathing Practices

If you take nothing else away from this blog apart from one thing, please let it be this: Perfection is impossible, and trying to be so will cause you distress. Take that imperfection and enjoy it, celebrate it and honour it. That’s what makes you wonderful.

Creatively Connecting with Nature

By Kaylea Mitchell-Simon

Magic Words Online Counsellor

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvellous
”

— Aristotle

I know for some the word ‘creativity’ can seem quite daunting, however there are no expectations being set here, this exercise is merely an opportunity to connect with nature and instil some calm and self-care into your life. Being creative in nature is known to decrease anxiety and reduce levels of stress, giving a much needed boost to our mental health. All I ask is you keep reading and give it a go, requiring only a pen and paper and a willingness to try. You never know, you may surprise yourself! 

Life is often so demanding, without realising it we are frequently not present in the moment, focusing on tomorrow, next month, or even next year. This ‘busy mind’, although useful for planning and organisation, can often increase stress and anxiety as we find ourselves stuck in a vicious cycle of behaviour. Consequently, we forget to slow down and take care of ourselves, running the risk of impacting our mental health, making our difficulties even worse.  

Why is it, if we had pain or discomfort in an arm or a leg, we would aim to do all we can to make it better, yet we often do not approach our mental health in the same way? By listening to both our body and mind we can implement the self-care we need to support our mental health. This exercise invites you to slow down your busy mind and be present and creative in nature by following the steps below: 

1. You don’t have to climb a mountain to be present with nature, simply do whatever is right for you. You can connect with nature by travelling to a park, sitting in your garden, or even looking out of your window. Once in your space, sit comfortably or lie down, and help instil calm by closing your eyes and taking a few slow deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.

2. Be present and take in your surroundings by spending at least five minutes paying attention to your senses. Focus on what you can see, smell, hear, touch and taste, as you soak up your environment.

3. Grab your pen and paper and split your page into five sections, with one of your senses written in each (as demonstrated below). Make a note of all sensations, trying to write at least one sense in each box, using describing words where possible.

4. If you feel comfortable doing so, write about your experience, perhaps creating a piece of descriptive writing, a poem, or even journaling your sensations. However, for those seeking a little guidance, perhaps attempt an acrostic poem, which is described below along with an example.  

Whatever you choose to write, don’t worry about structure or spelling, and don’t believe the myth that all poetry must rhyme! Use the exercise as a chance to connect with your environment creatively, not focussing too much on ‘getting it right’ but just giving it a go.  

5. Once you have finished, try to read your poem aloud, really listening to your words. Then sit back and be present, enjoying your surroundings.  

Finally, there are so many ways to be creative. If writing isn’t for you, perhaps try something else, such as photography, drawing or colouring. Everybody is different, so find what works for you, and whatever you choose, take care of your mental health by being present and creative in nature. 

Speech Therapists and Counsellors Join Forces!

By Specialist Speech and Language Therapist Frankie Paterson

Speech Therapists and Counsellors Join Forces!

As a busy Speech and Language Therapy service providing support to over a thousand people, our team at Magic Words Therapy have been struck by the increase in mental health needs amongst people of all ages using our service. This has always been a noticeable trend but since the global Coronavirus pandemic took hold last year, we have observed a stark increase in mental health concerns amongst our clients.

Our observations are shared by other independent speech and language therapists in our network and back up what is being found on a national scale:

1. According to the Office for National Statistics ‘Opinions and Lifestyle Survey’ covering January to March 2021, around 21% of adults experienced some form of depression in early 2021; more than double what was observed before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic (10%).

2. 67% of young people surveyed in January 2021 by the Young Minds charity believed that the pandemic would have a long-term negative effect on their mental health.

3. The Children’s Commissioner reported a 35% increase in referrals to children’s mental health services in 2019/20.

The fact that there is a mental health crisis in this country is undeniable but fully explainable, given the current global backdrop of climate change, social inequality, and the Coronavirus pandemic.

Let’s come back to the mental health threats often posed by communication difficulties. Children with unclear speech often struggle to be understood by those around them and can experience isolation and frustration, which sometimes becomes an issue in itself. Adults that have had strokes or other forms of brain injury can experience much the same but with an added sense of loss and grief for the person they were before their brain injury. Autism can be accompanied by mental health struggles as the person negotiates the challenges of their condition such as hypersensitivity and anxiety and the struggle to function in a world that sadly is all too often not inclusive of Autistic or other neurodiverse people.

Some communication challenges have a psychological as well as a neurological origin. For example, stammering. Stammering is known to be caused by a combination of factors, including psychological, environmental, and neurological. Selective Mutism, when an individual has a phobia about speaking in certain environments with particular people, is also known to be partly psychological in origin.

Since the lockdowns began, we have seen a growing number of cases of both Selective Mutism and stammering that have arisen in people seemingly as a reaction to the strain that this worrying time has had on these individuals.

We know from the various institutions we work in, such as schools, care homes and private and public workplaces, that they have been inundated by rising numbers of people needing mental health support. Sadly that need is often not getting met due to the sheer numbers of people needing help.

Magic Words has provided Online Speech and Language Therapy since before the pandemic began and this has seen a huge growth in popularity during lockdowns and beyond. We have recently set up an Online Counselling service to do our bit towards easing what would seem to be a mental health crisis in the UK.

We’re excited about the launch of this service and are looking forward to learning from the very experienced and talented group of Counsellors we have recently welcomed to our Magic Words team. We envision that working alongside them will enhance and develop our practice as Speech and Language Therapists and that this will be a two-way growth opportunity! Exciting times ahead!

Office for National Statistics: ‘Opinions and Lifestyle Survey’ January to March 2021. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/coronavirusanddepressioninadultsgreatbritain/januarytomarch2021

Coronavirus: Impact on Young People with Mental Health Needs Surveys conducted by ‘Young Minds’, January 2021. https://youngminds.org.uk/about-us/reports/coronavirus-impact-on-young-people-with-mental-health-needs/#covid-19-january-2021-survey

Children’s Commissioner report ‘The State of Children’s Mental Health Services 2020/21’, January 2021

COVID-19’s calamitous effect on our children’s language development: bridging the language gap

By Specialist Speech and Language Therapist Eleanor Harris

COVID-19’s calamitous effect on our children’s language development: bridging the language gap

Today it has widely been reported that the successive COVID-19 lockdowns may have caused a 25% increase in the number of children with SLCN (speech, language and communication needs) in our reception classrooms (4 and 5 year olds). The data has come from from SpeechLink and has supported earlier findings from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) study of 50,000 pupils. These findings mirror what our speech therapists are seeing in the schools that we work in. Higher referrals, higher SLCN and higher caseloads.

Why is this?

This is not fully clear, however, we can postulate. Over time, fewer words heard in interactions and conversations equals fewer words learned and used by the child. Less sentence structure and word grammar heard by the child around them in conversations and interactions equals less chances for the brain to hear and develop word and sentence grammar. Lockdown has meant parents juggling full time work and educating their children. Many parents (including me) have found this extremely hard and have resorted to a variety of screens to ‘babysit’ the children whilst trying to hold down a job during the lockdowns. Grandparents, family members, friends, who normally pop in for conversations and cups of tea have not been round. All those chances for word learning in overheard conversations and direct interactions have been lost. Depressed parents equals fewer words spoken, equals less language heard by the child.

What does this mean for our children?

Research tells us that there is a strong correlation between the language levels of a child starting school and their academic and eventual career achievements. Starting school with lower language levels than they otherwise should have done because of the COVID crisis may place these children at a disadvantage. This disadvantage could be long lasting.

Research about the ‘critical period hypothesis’ by Friedman and Rusou (2015) showed that in order to successfully learn a first, native language children must have a ‘neurologically prepared mind’ (i.e. well-functioning brain prepared and ready to take in the language stimulus). In addition to this they must also be exposed to sufficient syntax (simple and complex sentence structures) before the age of 12 months old, otherwise they will be at risk of syntax difficulties as they get older (difficulty arranging words into simple and complex sentences).

The good news is that this critical period is longer for word and vocabulary learning, with very rapid word learning up until the age of 5 and continued rapid learning through to puberty. This means that although the lack of language input and stimulus caused by the national lockdowns may have set back some children’s vocabulary development, with appropriate strategies to enrich their word learning and the introduction of some appropriate catch-up interventions, children with lower vocabularies due to this lack of language exposure could catch up. Thankfully this current research by EEF and by SpeechLink has shone a light on this concerning problem allowing schools to make use of the £1 billion of catch-up funding that the government is making available to schools.

Bridging the language gap

Generic interventions such as the ‘Nuffield Early Language Intervention Programme’ or ‘Talk Boost’ have good evidence behind them for improving early language skills. Schools can get their staff trained to deliver these programmes. Often ongoing, more individually tailored and personalised language development programmes devised by a Speech and Language Therapist may be necessary to address this gap. More and more school settings are commissioning their own in house speech and language therapy service to advise them on the best ways to support their pupil’s SLCN.

The future

The worry for me as a Speech and Language Therapist is not just the children starting school now with lower language skills than they should do because of the lockdowns, which is a big worry of course. More concerning to me are the young babies born in 2019 or 2020 that may have missed out on quality syntactic (sentence structure) input in their first year of life due to decreased language exposure during the year of lockdown. These will be the children that we will need to monitor closely as they develop their language skills over the next few years to make sure that their language learning skills have not been effected. Some of these children may need specialist support as they go through their education.