Bespoke Speech Language Therapy

14/10/2025

Some early thoughts on screens and language development..

A new study shows that children’s screen time has gone up 52% since the pandemic. Many parents wonder what effect this might have on their child’s language development, and whether the child’s age or the type of programming makes a difference. Read on to find out: https://bit.ly/43QZUAM

19/09/2025

Did you know? #5
Speech language therapists can help with social communication skills. Think an adult with a head injury, or a child with autism, for example. It’s not just about the speech – we help with the non-verbal stuff too. This may include learning to take turns in conversation, understanding what is appropriate and what isn’t, making eye contact and holding appropriate body language. Communication isn’t just about the sounds we make and the words we say, it’s so much more.

18/09/2025

Did you know? #4
Speech language therapists can also work at the other end of the life spectrum, in palliative care. Conditions such as motor neurone disease, or cancers of the head and neck, can cause difficulties with both speech and swallowing.

Speech language therapists are here to help people and their families to communicate as best as possible, sometimes using devices to assist, and to eat and drink safely for as long as comfortably possible.

16/09/2025

Did you know? #3
Speech language therapists work with babies. Yes, that’s right!

Most would assume that it’s not until children are older and learn to speak that they may need a speech therapist.

But did you know that SLTs are experts in swallowing? Babies with trouble feeding either via breast or bottle often need support from a speech therapist, to help with development of those essential skills and tricks to manage a weak or ineffective suck and swallow. You’ll often find an SLT as part of the NICU team in hospitals.

Sometimes children develop aversions to eating, or can be termed as ‘picky eaters’ – SLTs can help with that too!

15/09/2025

Did you know? #2
Speech language therapists sometimes use what we call FEES (fibre endoscopic evaluation of swallowing) to assess swallowing. We place a small camera in through the nose and down into the top part of the throat to visualise what happens when food and drink is swallowed.
The camera can also be used for assessing voice function with an ENT specialist and this is typically what you should expect if you need to see an ENT for your voice (promise it’s not as scary as it sounds!).

14/09/2025

SLT Awareness Week - Did you know? #1

Speech language therapists treat disorders of the larynx (the voice box) for both adults and children and we often work closely with ENT surgeons/laryngologists. This can include:

👅Voice Difficulties – Loss or change in voice including strain, weakness or hoarseness.

🗣Chronic cough or throat clearing, hypersensitivity of the throat.

🫁Upper respiratory conditions - for example PVFM (paradoxical vocal fold movement) or ILO (inducible laryngeal obstruction), which is where breathing inwards becomes tight and the upper airway (vocal cords) close.

Laryngeal conditions can be caused by a number of things – nodules, cysts, thyroid conditions, incorrect use of the voice, muscle tension, surgeries, paralysed vocal cords, laryngeal trauma, head injuries or neurological conditions, congenital (from birth), cancer – the list goes on. Equally often, there can be no anatomical cause.

The good thing is that many of these problems respond well to SLT treatment. Hope you've learnt something today!

14/09/2025

It’s Speech Language Therapy Awareness week this week! So I’m going to share 5 things I’ll bet you didn’t know speech therapists do. Our job title isn’t really an accurate representation of our role, and over the years speech language therapy has evolved a lot. So keep an eye out this week for some SLT facts!

04/09/2025

Introducing myself and Bespoke Speech Language Therapy (finally!)

My name is Amy - I'm a Speech Language Therapist and owner of Bespoke SLT in Invercargill. There's always been a massive need in Southland for speech language services and after becoming a Mum and many years working in hospitals, I decided to take the plunge into private practice.

Here to help with speech, language, voice and swallowing concerns, so do reach out!