Mid Ulster Private Speech Therapy

03/03/2026

Stammering clinic for children 21st March
Kathryn our senior fluency specialist is running a stammer clinic with assessment and therapy support using the Lidcombe programme, a bespoke fluency intervention
NHS therapists in NI aren’t routinely trained in this so we are very lucky to have her.
DM for more information

17/02/2026

This image from Chat GPT is almost like a photo of me waking up Church Street this day three years ago 😂

Four weeks postpartum in 2023, I set myself a goal: walk into town and get pancakes. That was it. I just had to get dressed, put some makeup on, and leave the house.

I cried getting ready.
I cried doing my makeup.
I cried most of the walk there.

But I was determined to feel some small sense of normality again.

It was the first time many people had seen me since he was born. I remember the “oh my god, you look great!” and smiling politely, while inside I was thinking, I haven’t showered in three days and I’m finding this so so hard.

I got the pancakes. I walked home. I felt proud in a way that’s hard to explain unless you’ve been in the thick of early motherhood.

Looking back now, it seems like such a small thing. But at the time, it was enormous. It was proof to myself that I could still show up, even when everything felt overwhelming.

And the Nutella pancakes really really helped.

16/02/2026

Thank you for sharing this incredibly powerful visual. I’ve seen this a lot. Parents unaware/ not recognising autistic traits in their second child because they are so different to their first diagnosed child. It can be a hard thing to chat through, especially if there were challenges getting the right support for the first child. My view stands the same “ I have a duty of care to your child to talk to you about my observations and give you recommendations but ultimately you know your child best and will know what is right for them moving forward” ❤️

26/01/2026

Maybe being a bit too honest here? Haha

The sleep thing is very up and down like last night was good but who knows what tonight will bring 😴

23/01/2026

Anybody else’s house like this or just mine? 😂😂

22/01/2026

I’m so excited to be involved with this initiative! Come and get an opportunity to ask us anything !

💜🧡𝙈𝒐𝙧𝒆 𝒊𝙣𝒇𝙤𝒓𝙢𝒂𝙩𝒊𝙤𝒏 𝒄𝙤𝒎𝙞𝒏𝙜 𝙨𝒐𝙤𝒏🧡💜

The Sensory Submarine Mid Ulster Private Speech Therapy SperrinSoul Smartphone Free Childhood - Northern Ireland

22/01/2026

Private speech therapy a waste of time and money in this case..

Emotional wellbeing always comes first!!

20/01/2026

Listen up!

But my child’s on the waiting list Sarah what do you expect me to do??!

Phone! Write a letter! Call into the clinic! Whatever it takes and if still nowhere.. seriously considering going private even one appointment will get you started!

Too many wee ones going into P1 with little or no previous input for speech sound disorders

19/01/2026

I missed an event yesterday that I had been looking forward to for months. It was a business and mindset networking event in the Europa Hotel. I knew it was going to be a fantastic opportunity to push my business forward in 2026 but I decided not to go the night before.

I had worked my normally working week then on Saturday I attended a retirement lunch in Belfast for a good friend. Going away for the day on Sunday again would mean I had two full days in a row away from the kids at the weekend and honestly the guilt was too much.

I don’t say that as badge of honour or “mum of the year award” I’m saying it because I know many other mums are like me, living with a constant push and pull inside.
Little hands that need me now, and a vision that keeps calling me forward.

Some days I’m fully present in the mess, the noise, the magic of raising my babies. Other days I’m carving out quiet minutes to build something that’s mine .. a career, a business, a future version of myself.

I am trying everyday to get the balance. Sometimes I do. Most times I don’t 😅

I know I made the right decision yesterday. There’ll be more networking events but little faces that will only be this small once.

17/01/2026

My sister got me this mug in my final year of uni and I was buzzing lol

It’s clearly been very used 😂

Some reflections from the past 11 years

1. A parents gut feeling is worth more than clinical research sometimes
2. A thorough assessment is ESSENTIAL to effective therapy
3. Children now are growing up in a completely different world to when we were kids, take that into consideration
4. Wear old clothes to work ( IYKYK)
5. It’s ok to shed a tear in a session (happy tears always!)
6. It’s ok to hug parents (I never did this in my NHS but my parents now are like my friends - is that weird? lol)
7. When giving advice think, “what would I do if this was my own child?”
8. Emotional wellbeing over perfect speech anyday
9. Sometimes a child is just not ready for input and that’s ok
10. It’s the best fun, most rewarding job in the world

12/01/2026

I could write a book on this one topic!!

Playing with your child is hard and boring, I’ve heard it all before! And then you read how important play is and you’re riddled with guilt that you don’t enjoy it all the time 🫠🫠

But like anything, it’s a skill that can get better with practise and time.

Some tips to get you started

06/01/2026

If your pre schooler seems more tired, more sensitive, or “not themselves lately,”
It could be autism burnout

Burnout happens when a child has been coping, masking, and pushing through demands for too long. School expectations, sensory overload, social pressure, even “fun” activities can add up for an autistic nervous system.

Now the child needs less pressure.
More rest. More predictability. More safety. More understanding.