Speech & Language Therapy for Children with Complex Needs and Autism
At Unlocking Language, we diagnose children with complex needs and autism, offering them tailored support to guide their journey towards confident communication.
Speech and language therapy is a specialised form of therapy designed to help individuals improve their communication skills. For children with complex needs and autism, effective communication is crucial for their overall development and quality of life. They face a blend of cognitive, sensory, and emotional challenges, alongside specific autism-related behaviours.
SLT focuses on enhancing both verbal and non-verbal communication, helping children express their thoughts and feelings more effectively. At our SLT clinic, we understand the unique challenges these children face and provide tailored support to enable them to communicate with confidence, ensuring holistic care.
“Overcoming Challenges
Complex Needs
In the context of speech therapy, ‘complex needs’ in children refers to a combination of communication challenges that might stem from multiple sources, such as cognitive, physical, sensory, and neurological factors. These children require multifaceted, often interdisciplinary approaches to effectively address their speech and language development.
What we will do
- Conduct a comprehensive assessment to understand the unique combination of challenges faced by the child.
- Design an individualised therapy plan that addresses each facet of the child’s complex needs.
- Collaborate with other professionals, such as occupational or physical therapists, to ensure a holistic approach.
- Equip caregivers with tools and strategies to support the child’s communication development in daily life.
- Continuously adapt the therapy approach based on the child’s progress and evolving needs.
Autism
In the context of speech therapy, autism is often defined as a developmental disorder characterised by challenges with social communication, repetitive behaviours, and restricted interests. Children with autism may:
- Struggle with understanding and using verbal and non-verbal communication.
- Have difficulty reading and interpreting social cues, facial expressions, and emotions.
- Exhibit echolalia (repeating words or phrases) or have unique speech patterns.
- Experience challenges in initiating and maintaining conversations.
- Find it hard to understand abstract language, sarcasm, or idioms.
What will we do?
A speech therapist will assist individuals with autism in the following ways:
Social Communication Skills: They will offer training in recognising and appropriately responding to social cues, understanding facial expressions, and managing conversational turn-taking.
Language Development: Therapists will help in expanding vocabulary, understanding and using complex sentences, and improving overall language comprehension and expression.
Speech Clarity: For those with articulation challenges, therapists will provide exercises and techniques to improve speech sound production.
Understanding Non-literal Language: They’ll assist in deciphering idioms, sarcasm, and abstract concepts, which can often be challenging for those with autism.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC): For non-verbal individuals or those with limited speech, therapists might introduce and train in the use of picture symbols, communication devices, or sign language to facilitate communication.
Reducing Echolalia: Introducing strategies to transform repetitive or echoed speech into functional communication.
Enhancing Play Skills: Especially for younger children, therapists may guide structured play sessions to boost symbolic play and social interaction.
Supporting Caregivers: They’ll offer guidance to parents, teachers, and other caregivers on how to support and reinforce communication skills in everyday settings.
Madeleine Swan
Emma Hudson
Meera Mehta
Sana Mahmood
Principal Speech and Language Therapist
Madeleine Swan
She/Her
Madeleine graduated from City University in 2011 with a Postgraduate Diploma in Speech and Language Therapy (Distinction) and has been working at Unlocking Language since 2015.
As the Clinical Lead for mainstream schools, Madeleine manages a team of therapists, supporting their clinical development and ensuring a high quality service. She also oversees our company supervision policy. Madeleine specialises in working with students aged 3-11 who attend mainstream schools, providing assessments and interventions for students with speech sound disorders, Developmental Language Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder amongst other diagnoses. She also delivers training and works closely with other members of staff to support the communication development of targeted students.
Madeleine has furthered her knowledge by attending additional training on Makaton, VERVE, Michael Palin PCI and school-aged therapy approaches, Word Aware, Shape Coding, Attention Autism, the evidence base for Developmental Language Disorder and Supervision.
She has experience with a wide range of therapy approaches including PECS, Intensive Interaction, SCERTS, Colourful Semantics and Talkabout.
Her favourite thing about working at UL is ‘My colleagues! I love working with such a supportive, diverse and talented group of people.’
When she’s not working, you can find Madeleine reading, watching independent films, and doing pen drawing.
Phone:0207 536 9299
Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist
Emma Hudson
She/Her
Emma started working at Unlocking Language in 2015 after graduating from City University London with a Postgraduate Diploma in Speech and Language Therapy. Prior to this she studied Psychology (BSc) at the University of Leeds.
She is particularly interested in early years speech and language development and specialises in working with complex needs and ASD in toddlers, as well as primary aged children with DLD, Speech Sound Disorders and ASD. As a clinical lead, she also supervises a team of therapists.
Emma’s training includes: Shape-Coding, Word Aware, Lego Therapy, Selective Mutism, Nuffield Dyspraxia Programme, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2), Phonological Awareness, Attention Autism and Cued Articulation. She is experienced with a variety of approaches such as PECS, Parent Child Interaction, Intensive Interaction, Colourful Semantics, Zones of Regulation, Talkabout and Makaton.
Emma believes in the importance of early assessment and intervention to help support children with speech, language and communication needs reach their full potential. She works closely with parents to ensure parent child interaction techniques are being used in the home to further develop language.
On working at UL: ‘I like working with a range of different clients and families and helping support them reach their potential.’
When she’s not working, you can find Emma meeting friends and family, reading, swimming or travelling to new places.
Phone:0207 536 9299
Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist
Meera Mehta
She/Her
Meera completed a Bachelor’s of Medical Sciences in Speech Science at the University of Sheffield in 2015. She is also a qualified Orofacial Myologist, having completed her training at the Australian Academy of Orofacial Myology in August 2019.
As a mainstream and special schools therapist, Meera specialises in working in both settings with students aged 3 – 12 years. Her professional interests lie in oro-motor, oro-facial myology, tongue ties, Talk Tools and autism and mainstream schools.
Meera is passionate about and experienced in training educational professionals and parents. She has been involved in developing online training tools for schools, as well as developing and providing training within school settings to support staff in carrying out a universal and holistic approach. She has supported schools to gain their communication friendly accreditation.
Meera has been trained in: Talk tools, Zones of regulation, Lidcombe programme, speech and language support for specific learning difficulties (Elklan), Speech and Language support for complex needs (Elklan).
On working at UL: ‘The fact that I have been able to learn so much from different schools and clients together with the non-clinical side of being a speech therapist is great. The diversity in this team is excellent.’
When she’s not working, you can find Meera painting, dancing and singing.
Additional Languages:Gujarati, Kiswahili (semi-fluent), knowledge of Hindi
Phone:0207 536 9299
Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist
Sana Mahmood
She/Her
Sana completed her BSc (Hons) Psychology and worked as speech therapy assistant for an Adult speech and language therapy service in the NHS. This led her to pursue a career as a speech and language therapist (SLT) and complete her MSc in Speech and Language Sciences with Merit. She qualified as an SLT and began working at UL in 2015 with a mixed adult caseload. She has developed as an SLT over the years and is now the Clinical Lead of the Adult Team.
As the only therapist on the team who has worked solely with an adult caseload since starting, Sana’s specialist interests include Neurorehab – including both complex communication and swallowing disorders and stammering. She also has experience in working with voice clients, ALD, and mental health.
She uses a client centred approach with goal setting and works closely with families and staff. Sana ensures her therapy is functional, meaningful and empowering.
Sana’s work has been presented at the Annual RCSLT Conference in 2017.
Her favourite thing about working at UL is ‘the diverse client group I get to work with both in terms of their medical diagnoses and personal backgrounds. It constantly challenges me and motivates me to keep developing my clinical and professional skills.’
When she’s not working, you can find Sana going for regular sushi outings with her friends or painting by numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What techniques are effective in speech therapy for children with autism?
There are several engaging speech therapy exercises that can be beneficial for children with autism, including:
- Making animal noises to stimulate verbal engagement.
- Teaching essential words for everyday communication.
- Using favorite toys and snacks as motivational tools.
- Providing positive reinforcement to encourage progress.
- Offering multiple choices to promote decision-making skills.
- Playing sorting games to enhance categorization skills.
- Reading short stories together to improve language comprehension.
- Engaging in sensory activities to support overall communication skills.
What are typical objectives of speech therapy for children with autism?
Speech therapy goals for children with autism often focus on enhancing verbal communication, which can include improving spoken language. Additionally, goals may involve mastering nonverbal communication skills, such as using signs, gestures, or alternative communication methods like pictures or assistive technology.
When do children with autism typically achieve fluent speech?
Research indicates that about 24% of children diagnosed with autism and 59% of those diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) achieve fluent speech by the age of 9. Fluent speech is defined as the ability to form complex sentences and discuss topics beyond the immediate physical context.
How is speech delay treated in children with autism?
Although there is no cure for autism, early intervention is crucial for treating speech delay in autistic children. Effective treatment usually includes a combination of therapies such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, and behavioural therapy. These interventions aim to significantly enhance communication skills.
Speak to us today about your Child's SLT needs
Contact us today to learn more about how our speech and language therapy services can make a difference in your child’s life. Whether you have questions about our services or want to schedule an appointment, our friendly team is here to help. Together, we can support your child in developing the communication skills they need to thrive.