Happy Speech

Happy Speech Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Happy Speech, Westport.

Let’s clear things up 🤍These are some signs your child may benefit from speech & language therapy around age 2. With so ...
19/03/2026

Let’s clear things up 🤍
These are some signs your child may benefit from speech & language therapy around age 2. With so much well-meaning advice coming from all directions, it can feel overwhelming. But the most reliable guidance will always come from a speech & language therapist.
Many children develop communication skills in their own time—but if support is needed, early intervention makes a real difference. If you’ve been considering a referral, trust your instinct. Getting an expert opinion can bring clarity, reassurance, and a plan if needed.

It’s hard not to feel overwhelmed while waiting…wondering what’s happening and thinking too far ahead.But this is someth...
18/03/2026

It’s hard not to feel overwhelmed while waiting…
wondering what’s happening and thinking too far ahead.
But this is something I’ve learned:
you can’t rush this process.
You can be doing everything right, showing up fully—and still, the timing has to be right.
So when it feels out of your control, come back to what is in your control.
Take one small step. Then another.
It all adds up… I promise 🤍

Development of communication can be look different when a child’s brain and nervous system have competing challenges. Wh...
16/03/2026

Development of communication can be look different when a child’s brain and nervous system have competing challenges. When we are in a stress response or having to put our attention elsewhere we can’t access our language or learn. I’d argue that any child with a sensitive nervous system who has difference in acquiring language has a nervous system rather than a communication difficulty as its root cause, and that is where we need to put our attention first.

What are your thoughts?

15/03/2026

Happy Mothers Day to the incredible mothers who share this space with me, mothering hard, mothering messy, mothering via google but most of all mothering with deep love

27/02/2026

Thank you to Tommy Marren and Mid West Radio for having us on Friday, 27th February, to speak about our free advice clinic event.
We really appreciate the opportunity to discuss the support available, and to help spread the word to the wider community.

✨ Free Parent Consultation Event – Registration Now Open ✨We’re so excited to announce that registration is now open for...
31/01/2026

✨ Free Parent Consultation Event – Registration Now Open ✨
We’re so excited to announce that registration is now open for our free online parent consultation event taking place on 28th February.
Occupational Therapists and Speech & Language Therapists have generously volunteered their time to support families in Mayo currently on CDNT waiting lists.
🕒 45-minute online parent consultations
📍 First come, first served
💛 Completely free
To register your interest, please fill out the registration form (link in bio).

14/01/2026

✨ Talk in the first person, not the third ✨
If your child is a late talker, how you talk matters just as much as how much you talk.
👉 Instead of saying:
“Do you want the car?”
“Tell Mammy what you’re doing.”
Try modelling it in the first person:
🗣️ “I want the car.”
🗣️ “I’m driving the car fast!”
💛 Why this helps:
• It models exactly what your child could say
• It gives them a ready-made sentence to copy when they’re ready
• It takes the pressure off — no questions they might not yet have the language to answer
• It supports language learning through connection, not demand
Your child doesn’t need to perform.
They need to hear language that fits comfortably in their mouth.

This is a tried and tested method with parents saying it was a shift that worked well for them 🌱

If this is content you resonate with please like, save and share it so you get more and it helps to spread the word to those who might need it. Thank you 💙💛

A different kind of post today…I often hear “we went to you as a therapist because we heard how compassionate you are”. ...
06/01/2026

A different kind of post today…I often hear “we went to you as a therapist because we heard how compassionate you are”. The reality is it’s easy to be compassionate when you “get it”. Becoming a Mum 8 years ago completely transformed me as a therapist.

I went from being highly functioning to struggling to keep all balls in the air. Work might be going well but family got the worst of me etc.

And as life came so did a variety of curve balls as a Mum (pregnancy losses, serious pregnancy worries, developmental concerns).

Now we have 3 epic boisterous children the “to do” list is never ending. I’m supposed to be implementing therapy plans in my home and I can barely find time to do it. I’ve been lucky to have access to information and therapists when I need to ask a question and know I urgent that felt for me. But I’m also aware that depending on the season of my life I can sometimes afford to pay others and sometimes I can’t. It’s why my “compassion” comes from knowing in some way what it feels like to need help but have very little bandwidth! It’s why I want to share information that I have with others who might find it helpful.

Thanks for being here and muddlingly through this parenting thing together.

19/12/2025

Day 4/365 ✨ Exclamations count as words! ✨

Words like “uh-oh,” “wow,” “oops,” and “yay!” may seem small but they’re quick wins for early words and can help build longer words.

🧠 Here’s why exclamatory words are so powerful:
• Easy to understand – They’re short, simple, and paired with actions or emotions, making them easier for children to process.

• High engagement – Exclamations grab attention and keep children interested in the interaction.

• Often a child’s first words – Many children say exclamatory words before longer or more complex speech. They are also great opportunities to practice a variety of speech sounds and combinations.

• Easy to take a conversational turn - exclamations are short, making it easier for a child to be successful at taking a turn with speech in an interaction.

🎉 How to use them:
Narrate play and daily routines using exclamations.
“Uh-oh, it fell!”
“Wow, big tower!”
“Yay, you did it!”

📌 Please Save this for later or share with someone who would find it helpful!

When can you use exclamations in your day?

18/12/2025

Day 3/365 🎵 It’s so obvious but yet so under utilised!

So many of us feel awkward singing which is such a shame because it’s the kale of language development in my opinion.

Singing helps children:
✨ Pay attention (and where our attention goes our energy flows)
✨ Auditory processing: hear words more clearly with rhythm and melody.
✨ Vocabulary development: they’re repeatable, they allow for the use of gestures, they introduce new words.
✨ Social interaction: take a turn in a song, join in with others.

This tip applies to any child learning language! I’ve been listening to and I get her songs in my head and all of a sudden I’ve learnt new Irish words. She also uses visuals and gestures which is a story for another day!

What do you notice if you sing to your child?? Try it and let me know…ah go on!

17/12/2025

Day 2/365 🌿 I didn’t teach these words, nature did!

Real life, hands-on, multi sensory experiences are ideal learning environments. Outside we touch, see, hear, smell. We’re relaxed and in a state of learning. Our attention is captured. Our memories linked with an experience.

The outdoors offers a language learning opportunity on speed and it’s free and fun.

Building language learning opportunities can include:
1. Label what your child is looking at or touching.
2. Find items in the same category (different leaves).
3. Use describing words (crunchy, wet, dry, hollow, squelchy)
4. Use verbs in movement (walk, hop, sit, climb, hit)

The best language lessons don’t happen at a desk.
Where does your child talk the most—outside 🌿 or inside 🏠?

16/12/2025

Day 1/365 👶💛 The face carries so much!

Did you know that getting down face to face with your child plays a huge role in their speech, language, and interaction skills?
When your child can see your eyes, mouth, and facial expressions, they:
🗣️ Learn how sounds and words are made
👀 Pick up on social cues and non-verbal communication 
🤝 Feel more connected and engaged
🧠 Build stronger communication and interaction skills

So next time you talk, try getting down to their level. For example, lie on the floor in front of them when playing; sit them looking at you when sharing a book; sing together; play horsie horsie 🌟

Instead of prompting them to look at you leave a moment of silence to see do they look at your face when you speak…because connection comes before communication 💕

Address

Westport

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Happy Speech posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share