Duhallow SLT - Assessment and Consultation

17/08/2026

Some lovely tips and advice from Meath SLT Dept on ways to help ease your child's start or return to school 🥰

04/08/2026

🏫 Starting School Soon? Let’s Get Ready Together!

Big milestones are ahead! As your little one prepares for the exciting world of big school, we want to make sure they feel confident from day one.

A Speech and Language Assessment is a simple, playful check-in. It is not a test, and there is nothing to worry about! It simply helps us evaluate your child's communication skills and ensures they get the exact support and therapy tools they need in the classroom.🔍

Why book an assessment before school starts?

🔴Spot strengths: Celebrate what your child is already great at.
🟢Identify challenges: Catch any areas where they might need a little extra help.
🔵Guide teachers: Give school staff a clear roadmap to support your child's learning.
🟡Build confidence: Help your child express themselves easily with new friends.

🧸 What does an assessment look like?
It looks just like playtime! We use fun games, toys, and picture books to see how your child understands words and expresses thoughts. It is relaxed, friendly, and completely stress-free for both you and your child. Assessments generally lasts approximately an hour.

📅 Secure your peace of mind today! Limited spaces available ahead of the new school term so feel free to get in touch with me, Joann Murphy, to discuss your child's needs.

Call me on📞 085 710 8559
Or email at ✉️ [email protected]

16/06/2026

This is an excellent opportunity for parents of children with additional needs to come together in a supportive, friendly group setting.

05/06/2026

𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 & 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴

💻 **𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 | 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝟴𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲**

Supporting a child’s mental health and wellbeing can feel challenging at times, especially when children are dealing with the day-to-day stresses of school, friendships and growing up.

This **𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲** from **𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹** in conjunction with **𝗦𝘁. 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸’𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀** is designed to support parents of primary school children to encourage and promote positive mental health and wellbeing.

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹:
• Explore the factors that influence their child’s mental health and wellbeing
• Learn how to build and nurture resilience
• Gain practical ways to support positive mental health and wellbeing

🗓 **𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 | 𝟴𝘁𝗵 – 𝟭𝟮𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲**
⏰ **𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲**
(All sessions cover the same information — choose what suits you best)

👉 **𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲:**
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/hytcVxkEhQ

You’re not on your own. **𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲.**
📞 **𝗡𝗣𝗖 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: 𝟬𝟭 𝟴𝟴𝟳 𝟰𝟰𝟳𝟳**

If you know another parent who might find this helpful, feel free to share 💙

04/05/2026

When should you be worried about your child's speech ?

Speech sounds develop at different ages, for example, it is typical for a two year old to refer to a 'car' as a 'tar' or for a four year old to refer to a 'rabbit' as a 'wabbit'. But, when you are seeing the following signs in your child, it may be time to seek a professional opinion:

🚩Your child is showing signs of frustration as they are not being understood.
🚩They are 'dropping' or 'omitting' the sound at the start or end of words.
🚩Their speech is significantly more difficult to understand than most children of their age.

What can you do to help?

🧡 If you can't understand what your child is saying, don't pretend to. Instead ask 'Can you show me?', this will help to ease the frustration of being asked to repeat himself.

💚 Repeat what your child has said and say the words correctly e.g. if your child says 'don' (for 'gone') when asked 'Where's Daddy? then you can say 'Oh he's gone, Daddy's gone' and emphasise the 'g' sound so that he can hear how the word should be said.

🩵 Praise your child's attempts to communicate e.g. 'Oh good talking!' or repeating what they have said to let them know that you have understood, thereby increasing their confidence in their communication.

💚 Notice if your child seems to be having difficulty hearing or is picking things up incorrectly, it may be worth having their hearing checked to rule out any hearing issues that may affect speech productions, particularly if they have a history of ear infections.

Next steps:

If you are unsure if your child's speech is age appropriate, contact me on 085 7108559 or [email protected] for a chat about your child's speech or to arrange an assessment.

Joann 🙂

Call now to connect with business.

19/04/2026

Some children are not “bad at maths”. They are trying to make sense of something their brain processes differently.

Dyscalculia is often missed or misunderstood. A child may struggle to tell which number is bigger, forget simple maths facts, lose track of steps, or find everyday tasks like telling the time or handling money overwhelming. With pressure, they can shut down, avoid learning, or become anxious and frustrated.

This is not laziness. It is not low intelligence. Many children with dyscalculia are capable, creative, and strong in other areas - they just need maths taught in a different way.

What makes the biggest difference is how adults respond. Slowing things down, using real-life examples, reducing pressure, and focusing on effort instead of speed can help a child feel safe enough to keep trying. Early understanding can protect confidence and prevent long-term anxiety around learning.

When a child says “I just do not get it”, it is often a sign they need support, not more pressure.

Free DYSCALCULIA EXPLAINED – UNDERSTANDING MATHS DIFFICULTIES IN CHILDREN POSTER GUIDE

LIKE the photo and comment "NUMBERS" and we will send you a message with a link to a free PDF of this resource.

18/04/2026

Sometimes other challenges, such as Dyspraxia, can co-occur with communication difficulties.
Do you recognise any of these indicators in your own child?

Some children are very co-ordinated, excellent at sports etc, whereas to others co-ordinating all the motor skills and planning needed to carry out an activity is a definite challenge.

Dyspraxia (DCD) isn’t about a child being “clumsy” or not trying hard enough…
it’s about how their brain plans, organises, and carries out movement.

What looks like dropping things, messy handwriting, or struggling with simple tasks…
is often a young person working twice as hard just to keep up.

These challenges can be misunderstood.
They can be labelled as careless, lazy, or disruptive.

But underneath, there is often effort, frustration, and a child who is trying.

When we understand dyspraxia differently…
we respond differently too.

Over the coming days, I’ll also be sharing:
The Strengths of Dyspraxia
How to Support a Child with Dyspraxia
What Dyspraxia Might Be Misunderstood As

If this resonates, follow along — these posts will help you better understand and support the child behind the struggle.

To SAVE, click on the image, tap the three dots, and choose Save.

05/04/2026

Happy Easter all ! Enjoy those Easter eggs 🐰🐣

05/03/2026

Ah, World Book Day - here trying out my creative skills but have visions of this scenario tomorrow 🙈

Julia has forgotten it's 'World Book Day' when dropping the kids off at school