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Sparking Speech

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Sparking Speech

Aoife Tierney - Senior Speech & Language Therapist
Paediatric SLT - Neurodiversity Affirming

24/04/2026

Have you heard of fluctuating capacity?

It's when a child's ability to do certain tasks changes from day to day, or even hour to hour.

They might be able to do a certain task one day but struggle with it the next.

Why does this happen?

Fluctuating capacity can be due to:
👉 Sensory overload
👉 Difficulty regulating emotions
👉 Low energy levels
👉 Increased demands
👉 Health

If you notice this happening, there are ways to support your child or student.

✅ Follow their lead
✅ Meet them where they are today
✅ Prioritise sensory needs and regulation
✅ Reduce demands when needed

Understanding fluctuating capacity helps you support your child or student in the way they need.

Have you experienced fluctuating capacity with your autistic child or student?

Let me know in the comments how you supported them. 👇

17/04/2026

🌟 Free Live Masterclass! 🌟

On Tuesday, April 21st, I’m hosting a live masterclass with Julie Holmes () for parents and carers who want to learn more about GLP and AAC.

The masterclass, “Rethinking AAC & GLP: Moving Beyond Traditional Strategies,” will show you:

✅ How Speech & Language Therapy has changed approaches.
✅ The importance of neurodiversity affirming practice.
✅ The power of presuming competence.
✅ Real life AAC & GLP case studies that put this into practice.

If you’ve ever felt confused by conflicting advice, unsure how to support your child, or like the “traditional” approaches don’t always suit your child…

This masterclass is for you.

Our goal is to help you, as parents and carers, to better understand the range of support available to you and your child.

So you can feel more confident in how you approach your child’s language and communication development.

And! ✨️

Everyone joins us live on the masterclass will receive access to a special €50 discount and instant access for the upcoming intake of the next Let’s Communicate Together course.

The details you need 👇

🗓️ Tuesday, April 21st
⏰ 8pm
📹 Zoom
🎟️ Free

Click the link in bio to register today!

15/04/2026

“Will AAC stop my child from talking?”

This is a valid and common worry for parents and carers when they first hear about AAC.

However, AAC is all about supporting your child’s communication development.

AAC:
👉 Is a communication tool.
👉 Supports language development.
👉 Doesn’t stop mouth words (spoken words).
👉 Creates opportunities.

For some children, AAC will support access to mouth words.

For others, AAC becomes their primary way of communicating.

And both are absolutely ok because communication is the main goal of AAC.

AAC gives your child a way to be heard, feel understood and to create connections.

If you’re feeling unsure or nervous about AAC, you’re not alone.

🌟 Save this post for when you need a reminder or some reassurance.

13/04/2026

I’m often asked about the long term goal of AAC.

It’s for an individual to communicate what they want, with whoever they want, whenever they want to.

Ultimately, it’s all about creating connections and supporting autonomy.

When an individual has access to AAC, they can:
✨ Express their thoughts, feelings, and ideas.
✨ Ask questions and make choices.
✨ Connect with friends, family and the wider world.
✨ Build confidence and independence.

Every step of the AAC journey is about developing communication.

So the AAC user can feel heard, understood, and valued.

If you’re supporting someone using AAC, remember: the goal isn’t just speech or words.

🌟 The goal is communication.

10/04/2026

The best way to start supporting your GLP with AAC? 👇

Start with observation to figure out which stage your child is at.

✨️ Are they using full original stage 1 gestalts?
✨️ Are they mitigating gestalts at stage 2?
✨️ Are they combining noun phrases at stage 3?
✨️ Or are they stages 4-6 creating more original phrases using complex language?

Once you can figure out how your child is communicating and at which stage, you can start to support them better.

For example, adding certain phrases or clips to their AAC device.

Have any questions about supporting your GLP with AAC?

Save for later and follow for specialist AAC content.

08/04/2026

April is Autism Awareness Month and a lot of AAC apps have discounts to celebrate. 🥳

If you have been looking to get an AAC system for your child, this can be a great time to purchase a robust AAC system or you can use Weave Chat for FREE all year round!

Swipe through the carousel to see which apps have offers this month.

And keep an eye on our socials for a update you won’t want to miss! 👀

06/04/2026

It’s finally happening! 🙌

Together with our charity partner Barretstown, we’re hosting Ireland’s first AAC Camp in Barretstown this December, welcoming 30 families for a fun filled weekend of connection and support.

This camp will give AAC users and their families:
✨ Speech & Language Therapy support.
✨Exciting, inclusive activities that aren’t always accessible.
✨ Overnight stay in Barrettstown family lodges.
✨Specialist AAC training and support.
✨ Opportunity to meet other families who use AAC.

But I need your help to get us there.

We need to raise €15,000 for this camp to happen.

Every donation, no matter how big or small, will help us create something really special for these families.

If you’d like to support this camp and help make it possible, please click the link in bio to donate.

All money raised through iDonate goes directly to Barretstown.

Thank you! ✨️

02/04/2026

Today is World Autism Day!

A reminder to celebrate autistic individuals not just today, but every day.

Here are a few more reminders to take with you:
♾️ Respect all forms of communication equally.
♾️ Always presume potential.
♾️ Listen to autistic people sharing their lived experiences.
♾️ Focus on connection and relationship over compliance.
♾️ And remember that the language we use matters.

Real support shows up every day in the words we use and the actions we take.

01/04/2026

Don’t forget, doors are still open to join us at The AAC Advocates! 🙌

Here’s what we’re getting up to this April.

Members will have access to a brand new masterclass covering GLP stages 3 & 4 and how to best support your child with their AAC.

Plus, additional masterclass resources parents can use throughout these stages.

The goal of The AAC Advocates is to help parents and carers feel more confident and capable in supporting their child.

As well as these new additions, members also get access to:
✅ Members' live Q&A and power hour editing calls
✅ My self-paced, AAC modelling parent course.
✅ A growing library of AAC Masterclasses & paper-based AAC resources
✅ Full library of How-To video guides for various AAC devices
✅ Private WhatsApp community to connect with other parents and carers.

If you’d like to join us and get all of this dedicated, specialist AAC support in your pocket for less than €15 per week…

That can be claimed back monthly on your health insurance! 🌟

📧 DM “AAC” or click the link in bio today.

⏰️ Doors close on Friday, April 3rd and won’t reopen again until at least June.

So now’s your chance to start building your AAC knowledge with guided, evidence support.

31/03/2026

One thing you can do to support your GLP with AAC today?

Become a language detective! 🕵️

When your child uses gestalts through AAC or mouth words, there’s meaning behind what they’re communicating.

And when you learn how to spot the clues, understand the message, and model language back to them

It makes a big difference to your child’s communication development as they start to feel heard and understood.

This is the support we focus on inside The AAC Advocates Membership.

If you’re looking for:
✨ Clear, evidence based AAC guidance.
✨ Practical strategies you can actually use.
✨ Expert input from a highly specialist AAC Speech & Language Therapist.

You’ll find it all and more inside our online community hub!

📣 Doors are open now, but only until April 3rd. 📣

For less than €15 a week, you’ll get the support, advice and reassurance you need to feel more confident helping your child communicate.

🌟 Plus, your membership fee can be claimed back through health insurance.

DM “AAC” or click the link in bio to join before doors close on Friday.

29/03/2026

🌟 We’re looking for your help! 🌟

As you may know AAC has been a passion of mine for a long time now, and is so important to me that everyone has access to robust communication.

An AAC Family Camp had been on my vision board for a few years now and I am so excited that it is finally happening!

The AAC Family Camp, the first of its kind in Ireland, is taking place in Barretstown this December.

We have 30 families joining us from around the country for fun, communication and specialised support, care and guidance.

But, we need your help to get us there!

Together with our charity partner Barrerstown, we’re raising funds to bring this inclusive joy filled camp experience to life!

The camp will give:
✨Children with complex communication needs an opportunity to have fun at this immersive camp with their family and other AAC users.
✨ Parents and siblings hands on support and a sense of community so they can become more confident communication partners.

And it creates a sense of belonging that AAC users don’t often get a chance to feel in their everyday lives.

Any support you can give is greatly appreciated, no matter how big or small!

We want to create a safe space for families to take a break from constantly advocating for their child.
And experience the support they’re struggling to get on their own.

Click the link in bio to share your donation.

All money raised through iDonate will be sent directly to Barretstown.

Thank you for your support! ✨

Address

Eblana House, 11 Eblana Avenue
Dublin
A96N7F2

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 6pm
Tuesday	8am - 6pm
Wednesday	8am - 6pm
Thursday	8am - 6pm

Website

https://linktr.ee/sparkingspeech

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