Speech and Language Therapy Christchurch

03/07/2026

Reflecting, as the term draws to a close.

Matariki reminds us of endings and new beginnings — and this term held both. This was the term we lost Jo.

She left Speech and Language Therapy Christchurch in the hands of us, her team, and we will strive to carry her work forward with the same care she gave it.

Wishing you all a restful, warm break. 🌿

05/06/2026

Before you employ, refer or fund speech-language therapy, ask whether the SLT is NZSTA-registered. Speech-language therapy is not regulated under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act in Aotearoa New Zealand. Instead, the profession is self-regulated through the New Zealand Speech-language Therapists’ Association.

NZSTA registration provides an important layer of public protection. Registered speech-language therapists must meet qualification and professional standards, complete ongoing professional development, make annual declarations about their practice, and follow NZSTA’s Code of Ethics and Conduct.

Employing a registered speech-language therapist helps ensure the person you engage is qualified, current, accountable and committed to safe, ethical and culturally responsive practice.

20/05/2026

It is with a heavy heart that we share some deeply sad news from Jo's family.

SLT Christchurch founder Jo Byrne passed away on Tuesday. Jo was a tireless advocate for all communicators, who gave so much of herself to the people and causes she believed in.

She will be profoundly missed.

A memorial is being planned for Saturday, 30th May, with more details to follow from Jo's Whanau. Our thoughts are with them and their loss at this time. 💙

15/04/2026

Some familiar antiquated devices here.

03/04/2026

31/03/2026

Half price communication apps and resources.

30/03/2026

We welcome Ashleigh to our team.

Ashleigh is an experienced paediatric Speech-Language Therapist who has been working with children since 2013. She holds a Bachelor of Teaching and worked as an teacher for six years
before completing her Master of Speech Pathology and beginning her career as a Speech-Language Therapist in 2018. Ashleigh is a fully registered member of the New Zealand Speech-language Therapists’ Association (NZSTA).

Ashleigh supports tamariki with a wide range of communication needs, including speech sound disorders, language delays, social communication differences, AAC (augmentative and alternative communication), and fluency. She has worked across a variety of settings, including the Ministry of Education and paediatric neurorehabilitation services, supporting both children and their whānau.

As an evidence-based practitioner, Ashleigh combines current research with clinical expertise and family knowledge to support each child’s individual communication profile. Her therapy approach is play-based, strengths-based, sensory-informed, and neuroaffirming, with sessions that follow children’s interests to build connection, engagement, and meaningful communication.

Ashleigh is particularly passionate about early intervention and supporting neurodivergent tamariki, creating therapy environments where children feel safe, regulated, and understood. She has completed additional specialist training in sensory-informed practice, AAC, neuroaffirming approaches, Gestalt Language Processing, the Lidcombe Program for early stuttering intervention, and Hanen.

She loves keeping up with the latest research and has a strong passion for ongoing learning and professional development, continually expanding her knowledge to better support tamariki and their whānau.

Ashleigh is known for her warm, bubbly, and friendly approach when working with tamariki and their whānau. She also brings personal insight into navigating supports, as a parent of a child with developmental differences, which deepens her empathy and commitment to supporting families throughout their journey.

28/03/2026

27/03/2026

Love this.

Hear me out: As OTs and SLPs, we absolutely can support our clients’ autonomy, skill-building, and long-term well-being. That matters. But the way we center “independence” as the ultimate goal deserves a closer look.

Where did this value come from?

Many Indigenous cultures have long emphasized interdependence: community care, mutual reliance, and shared responsibility. In contrast, “independence” as an ideal largely emerged from Enlightenment philosophy, colonial systems, and industrialization.

So who does it serve?

When independence is prioritized over collective care, it aligns neatly with capitalism: your worth is tied to productivity. If you can work and generate profit, you’re valued. Caregiving, on the other hand, is often unpaid, underpaid, or pushed onto families - especially within the isolated nuclear household.

This shift replaces community with pressure: be self-sufficient, no matter your needs. But humans aren’t meant to function in isolation - we all rely on each other.

And this doesn’t exist in a vacuum. These values are deeply intertwined with capitalism, colonialism, and white supremacy - systems that prioritize efficiency, productivity, and control over collective well-being.

Instead of asking "How can my client be more independent?" The question becomes "What supports does my client need to get their deepest needs met?"

For example, many disabled people will access their best life by living interdependently with caregivers. In fact, all of us thrive when we mutually care for each other. That's a normal part of being human.

For communication access, a person who uses partner-assisted scanning for communication is communicating autonomously, but not independently. And that access is incredibly important.

Coregulating together with a child helps them develop the skills they need to self-regulate AND to coregulate with others for their entire lives.

We need each other. It was always supposed to be that way. Let's let our practices reflect the inherent worth and value of our clients.

21/03/2026

Free training from the Talklink team.

Just over a week to go - get your registrations in!

💭💻New online course!

We are pleased to announce we are running some 1hr online training sessions to help support whanau and school teams who have recently got a communciation device.

To start with, we are running sessions for:
TouchChat WordPower, Proloquo2go, TD Snap and LAMP and a session relevant to all apps.

📆 Tuesday 31st March
📍Online via Zoom
🕛 Various times throughout the day
💲Free
🌐 For more info and registration links see https://talklink.org.nz/online-help-with-your-communication-devices