Speech and Language Therapy
Children at The Talk Shop present with a variety of Speech and Language difficulties, including developmental delays, dyspraxia and motor planning difficulties, Autism Spectrum Disorder and various syndromes.
The Talk Shop offers an intensive approach to therapy with children receiving a minimum of two individual and one group session per week.
Group sessions vary dependent on the child’s grade, but include Social Skills and Language groups. Whilst individual therapy mainly includes pull-out sessions, group therapy sessions occur in the classroom with the teacher and teaching assistant available to offer extra support to the children if required.
Group therapy is not charged for but Individual Therapy is invoiced over-and-above school fees so that parents can claim from their medical aids.
The child is taken out of the class environment for individual therapy and because of the small class sizes, anything of importance that is missed is made up by the teacher/classroom assistant on the child’s return.
We strongly encourage parents to watch therapy sessions to enable carry-over into the home environment.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy is an important part of the early intervention therapy toolbox.
Our NDT-and MAES trained Physiotherapist works with children who have low tone, weak core muscles, poor postural control and difficulty with gross motor skills.
Occupational Therapy
Many children with Speech and Language difficulties also present with difficulties requiring Occupational Therapy. These include: sensory integration difficulties, poor visual perceptual and visual-motor integration skills and difficulty with fine motor tasks and activities.
The Talk Shop has its own Occupational Therapy practice run by qualified OTs specialising in Sensory Integration (SI) , DIR Floortime and MAES. Children referred for Individual OT sessions will be seen either once or twice a week, dependent on their specific requirements.
Play Therapy
Children requiring specialised schooling and intensive therapy may also present with anxiety and have difficulty coping with the demands placed on them. Play Therapy is an incredible tool to assist children in developing coping more appropriate skills and strategies to manage their behaviour and anxiety in different situations.
Our Psychologist is also available to do all the Psycho-Educational Assessments on the Grade R children to assist with school placements for the following year. Having those detailed and demanding assessments performed by a familiar person in a familiar environment assists the children in reaching their full potential on the tests.