Speech & Language Therapy
Helping children find their voice, with warm, playful therapy that involves you every step of the way.
How we help
Early communication
For babies and toddlers who are late to talk, or who aren’t yet babbling, pointing or using first words.
Language
Helping children understand what others say, and put their own thoughts into words and sentences.
Speech sounds
For children who are hard to understand, or who find certain sounds tricky to say clearly.
Feeding
Support for children who struggle with chewing, swallowing, new textures or a very limited range of foods.
Auditory processing
For children who hear well but struggle to make sense of what they hear, especially in noisy places. As both an audiologist and a speech therapist, we look at the full picture.
Literacy
Building the sound and language skills that reading and spelling depend on, for children who are finding literacy a struggle.
Children we work with
We support children with a wide range of needs, including those with hearing loss, Down syndrome, autism and cerebral palsy. Every child is different, so therapy is always shaped around your child’s strengths, needs and personality.
Signs your child may benefit from speech therapy
- Not babbling, pointing or responding to their name by around 12 months
- Few or no words by around 18 months
- Not joining two words together by 2 years
- Speech that is hard for others to understand by age 3 to 4
- Difficulty following simple instructions
- Gagging, coughing or real difficulty with eating and drinking
- Hears well but struggles to follow instructions or conversations in noisy places, or often asks for things to be repeated
- Finding it hard to learn letter sounds, read or spell, despite plenty of practice
- A gut feeling that something isn’t quite right. Trust it, and let’s chat.
Dyslexia assessments
Is your child finding reading and spelling harder than expected, despite real effort? Megan is a qualified Stark Griffin™ Dyslexia Academy (SGDA) Diagnostician, and assesses children from Grade 3 and up. An assessment gives you clear answers, a detailed report, and practical recommendations for home and school.
Signs to look out for include difficulty learning letter sounds, trouble with rhyming, slow or effortful reading, and spelling the same word differently each time.
Hearing comes first
Children learn to talk by listening, so even a mild or temporary hearing difficulty can affect speech and language. Because we’re also an audiology practice, we can check your child’s hearing right here, making sure nothing is missed before therapy begins.
PROMPT therapy
Megan is PROMPT-trained. PROMPT is a hands-on approach that uses gentle touch cues on the jaw, lips and face to guide the movements needed for speech. It’s especially helpful for children who know what they want to say but struggle to coordinate the movements to say it, including children with motor speech difficulties such as childhood apraxia of speech.
What to expect
1. Assessment
Depending on your child’s age, we use a mix of play, conversation and standardised testing to build a clear picture of their strengths and needs, and we listen carefully to your concerns.
2. A clear plan
We explain what we found in plain language and set goals together that matter to your family.
3. Therapy together
Engaging sessions matched to your child’s age and interests, with practical strategies for home and, where helpful, ideas to share with their teacher.
Little Voices, Big Milestones
Our parent workshop series gives you practical, everyday ways to support your child’s communication, with sessions for parents of babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Places are limited, so booking ahead is essential.
Medical aid
We ask that accounts be settled at the time of your visit, and we’ll give you a detailed statement so you can claim back from your medical aid. Private patients are very welcome. Cover for speech therapy varies from plan to plan, so it’s worth checking your benefits with your scheme.
Not sure if your child needs speech therapy?
We’re happy to chat through your concerns.
073 941 8059 · megan.auby@hotmail.co.za
2 Grasvoel Crescent, Liefde-en-Vrede, Johannesburg