Rebecca Wakeford Speech Therapy

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Rebecca Wakeford Speech Therapy

Paediatric speech therapy practice in Sinoville, Pretoria. Practices in Pretoria East (Die Wilgers) and Pretoria North (Sinoville).

Services in English and Afrikaans.

12/03/2026

Children learn by doing and not by being told what to do. This is relevant for play skills, language development AND reading and spelling skills.

If you are helping your child with reading by saying the words that they get stuck on they are not learning to read those words. By saying things like “Don’t guess, read it.” without helping them with skills such as sounding out the word, they are not learning what to do when they get stuck.

Next time you’re helping your child, try to think of what skills they need for reading and spelling instead of helping them complete the task quickly.

11/03/2026

Positive Instruction?

Instead of telling your little one what you DON’T want them to do, you tell them what you DO want them to do.

Instead of:
• Stop running.
• Don’t eat all the chips.
• You mustn’t kick.

Try:
• Show me how you walk carefully.
• Please share the chips with your friends.
• Keep your feet still please.

10/03/2026

WHY WE WAIT:

Your child has to understand everyday vocabulary in order to use them themselves. Giving them 3-5 seconds of wait time allows them time to process and understand the vocabulary and once they’ve had this time they can respond. It can be hard for us to stop talking and just listen to our little ones, but it is SO important that we do.

09/03/2026

Caregivers want the best for their children and often when teachers give them feedback on things that the child is struggling with, they are quick to blame the teacher. Teachers have so much on their plate and a full class of students to educate, so we can’t expect them to give your child all of their attention.

Next time you hear some ‘negative’ feedback from your child’s teacher, try and take it as a positive thing (easier said than done I know). By knowing there are challenges you know what areas you need to focus on to help your child succeed. This is better than being in the dark without a clue as to why your child is struggling in class.

08/03/2026

Do’s and Don’ts to getting your little one to talk.

Don’t:
-Use “say this”.
-Use flashcards to teach new words.
-Question them all the time.

Do:
-Alternate comments and questions.
-Repeat a word over and over in different ways.
-Talk about real objects throughout the day.

07/03/2026

I don’t know who needs to hear this but, they can hear you!

Keep this in mind when discussing their skills and challenges. It’s important to be realistic, but they also need to hear that they are wonderful people and loved.

06/03/2026

Phonemic awareness of preschool children is one of the best predictors of future reading ability (Stanovich & Stanovich 2003).

Phonemic awareness is the ability to manipulate and separate single sounds in words. Early literacy experiences can help little ones tune into ‘sounds’ and strengthen this phonemic awareness. Some children may need more direct instruction, but others pick this up just by being read to daily and singing nursery rhymes.

05/03/2026

Is your little one putting 2 words together?

Here’s a quick tip. Instead of just repeating what your little one is saying, try to add a word or two onto their original word (e.g.: “Ball” – Big ball. Kick ball.).

04/03/2026

Talking During Mealtimes:

We learn language through experiences and interacting with our world. Here are some concepts that come up naturally during many mealtimes.
Nouns: names of food, plate, cup, bowl, spoon, fork, knife.
Actions: eat, drink, chew, bite, swallow, cut, pour
Adjectives: colours, hot, cold, soft, hard, crunchy, messy, sweet, salty
Opposites: hot/cold, more/less, empty/full, a little/a lot, messy/clean
Location: on the table, next to the plate, in the bowl, under the table.

Adapted from "Talking During Mealtimes" by A. DeFea, C. Grimm and P. Paige.

03/03/2026

Talking During Dressing:

This activity is usually a one-on-one interaction opportunity and great for language stimulation. Talking during this routine activity is natural and so important. The repetition involved in dressing (as it's a daily activity and often happens in a similar order) makes it easier for your little one to learn the language involved.

You can also allow your little one to make choices in these activities. Talk about the weather and which clothing would be better based on the weather. Talk about where you may be going and choose clothing that would best suit that social situation.

Help your little ones learn concepts while dressing:
-Nouns: shirt, socks, shoes, button, zip, hat, boots, swimming costume.
-Body parts.
-Actions: put on, pull, push, stand up, sit down.
-Prepositions: on, off, in, through, around.
-Adjectives: colours, clean, dirty, new, pretty, light, dark, long, short, left, right.

Adapted from "Talking During Dressing" by A. DeFeo, D. Grimm and P. Paige

02/03/2026

Talking During Bath time:

Bathing is often a more playful time than other daily routines. This gives you the opportunity to use play to aid language stimulation. Children learn through interacting during real life experiences as it helps them learn the 'meaning' of what they're doing.

Help your little one learn concepts during bath time:
-Nouns: soap, tap, water, toy, cloth, sponge, wall, towel.
-Body parts.
-Actions: wash, splash, pour, wiggle, rub.
-Adjectives: wet, dry, clean, dirty, warm, cold, hard, soft.
-Location: up, down, in, out, on, behind.

Adapted from "Talking During Bathtime" by A.DeFeo, D. Grimm and P. Paige.

01/03/2026

Joint Attention:
This is the ability to share a common focus on something with someone else. You need to gain, maintain and shift attention. This aids us in communicating and develops social skills.

How to help develop joint attention?
• Be a good language model.
• Use gestures, pointing and eye gaze to show where they can direct their focus.
• Follow the child’s lead. If they show interest in an object, you copy that interest.
• Practice during daily routines.

Address

147 Sefako Makgatho Drive, Sinoville
Pretoria
0182

Telephone

+27736008980

Website

http://rebeccawakefordspeechtherapy.medeweb.co.za/

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