Emma B Speech Therapy

04/03/2026

It’s no secret that I (and most speech therapists!) LOVE bubbles! 🫧 they are magical and mesmerising 😍 Just look at my little friend H proudly achieving his bubble blowing today! He’s not long turned 2!!! 🤩

BUT did you know that bubbles are also great for early speech development?

🫁 1. Builds Breath Control
Speech requires controlled airflow from the lungs. Blowing bubbles teaches children how to:
🫧 Take a deep breath in
🫧 Control how slowly or strongly they blow air out
🫧 Coordinate breathing with mouth movements

👄2. Strengthens Oral Muscles
Blowing bubbles works the lips, cheeks, and jaw — all important for producing sounds like:
🫧 p, b, m (lip sounds)
🫧 rounded sounds like “oo” and “w”

🦻3. Supports Sensory Awareness
The feel of air moving across the lips and the visual feedback of bubbles forming helps children:
🫧 Understand cause and effect
🫧 Become more aware of how their mouth moves
🫧 Connect physical movement to sound production

🗣 4. Creates Natural Opportunities for Language
Bubble play is interactive and motivating, which encourages:
🫧 Turn-taking (“My turn!”)
🫧 Requesting (“More bubbles!”)
🫧 Labelling (“Big bubble!”)
🫧 Imitating sounds (“Pop!”)

💡 Bonus: It Boosts Joint Attention!
Looking at bubbles together and reacting to them supports shared attention — a key foundation for communication!

📸 Photos shared with kind permission from H’s mum 🩷

02/03/2026

It was a successful Speech & Language Therapy drop-in this morning at 🤩 thank you for having me guys!

One of the things I was talking to a parent about was Phonological Memory, so I thought I’d do a post about it!

Phonological memory is the part of our memory that temporarily stores speech sounds (phonemes) in the order we hear them. It lets a child hold onto sounds long enough to:

⭐️ Understand spoken sentences
⭐️ Learn new words
⭐️ Repeat unfamiliar words
⭐️ Connect sounds to letters when learning to read

Think of it as the brain’s short-term “sound buffer.”

When a child hears a word like “hippopotamus”, phonological memory briefly stores the sequence of sounds while the brain processes meaning and structure. Strong phonological memory supports:

💪 Vocabulary growth
💪 Accurate speech production
💪 Following multi-step verbal instructions
💪 Decoding words in reading

The IMPACT of poor phonological memory…children may:

🗣️ Struggle to learn new words → they can’t hold the sound pattern long enough to store it;
🗣️ Mispronounce longer words → sound sequences drop out or get rearranged;
🗣️ Have trouble following spoken directions, especially multi-step ones;
🗣️ Show slow language processing → they need more time to respond;
🗣️ Repeat sentences inaccurately → parts get omitted or changed.

This can make conversations frustrating because your child may understand ideas but lose the sound details needed to express them clearly.

LITERACY CHALLENGES:
📚 Difficulty learning letter–sound relationships;
📚 Trouble blending sounds into words;
📚 Weak phonological awareness skills;
📚 Increased risk of reading difficulties.

IN THE CLASSROOM:
Because so much teaching is verbal, children may:
🧑‍🏫 Struggle with spelling (can’t hold sound sequences);
🧑‍🏫 Forget verbal instructions quickly;
🧑‍🏫 Find note-taking from speech difficult;
🧑‍🏫 Have trouble learning different languages;
🧑‍🏫 Show slower academic progress despite average intelligence.

CONTINUED IN THE COMMENTS!…..

02/03/2026

What a start to Monday! 🤩
The sun is shining ☀️
I have a chai latte in my hand ☕️
I’m ready to talk all things speech, language and communication 🙌🏼 (one of my favourite things to talk about!)

Pop in for a cuppa and a chat - I’m at until 11.30am this morning 🌅

24/02/2026

🤐

18/02/2026

For autistic children, communication grows fastest when it’s driven by their own interests and purposes—not just adult prompts. Intrinsic motivation matters because communication is fundamentally about wanting to share, connect, or get needs met.

✨ Communication becomes meaningful, not performative
If a child communicates to achieve something they care about (a favorite activity, a sensory need, a shared interest), the behavior is purposeful. Purposeful communication is more likely to repeat and expand.

✨ More spontaneous language
Externally prompted responses (“say ___”) can produce correct forms in the moment but don’t always generalise. When motivation is internal, children initiate more—requesting, commenting, protesting, or sharing—across settings and communication partners.

✨ Better engagement and attention
Many autistic children show deep focus on preferred topics or activities. Tuning in to those interests increases connection, shared joy, turn-taking, and time-on-task—conditions that support language learning.

✨ Reduced stress, increased regulation
Pressure to perform can raise anxiety or shutdown/avoidance. Motivation that comes from the child’s own goals supports regulation, making it easier to process language and practice new skills.

✨ Stronger self-advocacy and autonomy
When children learn that communication works for them—to get help, set boundaries, or share joy—they build confidence and independence.

How we can support intrinsic motivation:
✅ Follow the child’s lead and build goals around preferred activities;
✅ Create real communication opportunities (choices, problem-solving moments);
✅ Acknowledge and honour all communication forms (speech, AAC, gestures, sign);
✅ Accept attempts and intent, not just “perfect” production;
✅ Keep goals functional, meaningful and relevant to daily life.

14/02/2026

Happy Valentines Day ❤️

11/02/2026

A lady I could listen to for houuuurs! (Seriously, her Irish accent and charisma are infectious!) 🤩

I was THRILLED tonight to finally hear Emma Ahern from talk about emotional expression beyond the limitations of language, where she also presented her new tool, the ECM (The Emotion Communication Map) 📍

This workshop was so thought-provoking and insightful. I was thinking of and reflecting on different clients of mine the whole way through! This is a must for any therapist who prioritises client-led care and seeks to understand how their neurodivergent clients’ experience the world ❤️

Thank you so much, Emma! ✨

03/02/2026

Seeing this more and more 😢

03/02/2026

Thank you to everyone who came over to chat to me at my very first Speech & Language Therapy drop-in 🤩 I am very passionate about my job 😆 so I was in my element!

I love that the drop-in sparked interest and conversation about speech therapy with members of the general public too - I had a few questions about speech therapy and what it is (and isn’t!) ✨ you’ve inspired this little post!

My next drop-in will be Monday 2nd March, 9.30-11.30am ⭐️

Does your child/grandchild…

🌈 Have difficulty getting their words out?
🌈 Mispronounce words?
🌈 Need help putting words together to make sentences?
🌈 Need support for their communication?

Then pop along for a cuppa and a chat! ✨

02/02/2026

01/02/2026

Friday 11th April 2026 is the day of Joshie’s 3rd colour walk around St Neots 🤩 raising money for the National Autistic Society ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🩷

Please share, donate or even join in if you can 🥰

Help TEAM JOSHIE raise money to support National Autistic Society