Language therapy

Helping children build understanding, confidence and communication

Understanding language development

Language helps children learn, connect with others, and make sense of the world. Every child develops their understanding and use of language at their own pace. Some children follow what's said but find it harder to express ideas clearly. Others speak in full sentences but may miss key information, lose track of longer, more complex sentences, or need more support to organise their thoughts.

These differences can show up in everyday life in lots of small but important ways, such as:

• finding longer or more complex sentences hard to follow

• searching for the right word but not always retrieving it

• mixing up grammar or sentence structure (for example, "him runned fast")

• finding it tricky to explain ideas, tell stories, or make predictions

• missing tone, humour or implied meaning in conversation (social/pragmatic language)

Language differences can influence learning, confidence, and social connection. With the right support children make meaningful and measurable progress. In therapy, we explore how your child understands and uses language now, and build strategies that make communication feel easier and more successful in everyday life.

Why support matters

Language is the foundation for learning, thinking, and relationships. When the language expectations around a child don't quite match how they process language, understand or express themselves, schoolwork and social situations can feel harder or more tiring than they need to be.

Targeted therapy supports the areas that make the biggest difference: understanding, vocabulary, grammar, narrative skills, language processing and expressive confidence. With the right support, children can join in more easily, feel more sure of themselves, and communicate in ways that work for them across home, school, and friendships.

My approach to language therapy

Children bring their own communication strengths, interests, and ways of making sense of the world. I tailor therapy to each individual language profile, how they organise and express ideas, and how they process language.

Sessions focus on building skills in the areas that matter most to your child, such as understanding longer or more complex sentences, developing vocabulary, understanding and using grammar, and expressing ideas clearly. We look at how language is processed, not just produced, so children have the tools they need to learn, join in, and communicate more confidently.

Therapy is practical, supportive and centred around collaboration. I work closely with families and schools to ensure strategies can be used in everyday situations.

My training and experience

I have extensive experience supporting children with language needs across schools, clinics, and community settings. My postgraduate training includes approaches for developing comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, narrative skills, and language processing, as well as supporting chiildren with Developmental Language Disorder.

I draw on evidence-based approaches such as narrative intervention, semantic and word-finding support, and visual language frameworks, including strategies drawn from colour-coding systems and imagery-based methods. I also support children's language processing using frameworks that develop reasoning, understanding and expressive organisation across different types of questions. Where helpful, I incorporate elements of language-literacy approaches, such as phonological awareness and early reading comprehension support.

These approaches help children understand and use language more confidently in everyday life.

What a session looks like

Language therapy sessions are usually 45 or 60 minutes, depending on your child's age, attention and goals. Some children attend weekly, while others work in short blocks with breaks in between. We'll decide together what fits best for your child and family.

Sessions are shaped around your child's strengths, interests and goals. We might explore vocabulary through books or games, use visuals to build sentences, practise understanding different types of questions, or work on storytelling and explaining ideas. For some children, we also support language processing by breaking down longer sentences, identifying key information, or learning how to ask for clarification.

Common questions

How do I know if my child needs language therapy?

If your child sometimes finds it tricky to follow longer instructions, express ideas clearly, organise sentences, or understand more complex language, therapy may help. You don't need to know what the difficulty is - we figure that out together during the assessment.

My child speaks in full sentences. Could they still benefit from therapy?

Yes. Many children who speak in full sentences still find aspects of language challenging, such as retrieving words, understanding classroom language, explaining ideas, or keeping track of information. Therapy supports the areas that matter most in everyday communication and learning.

How long does language therapy last?

It varies for every child. Some children benefit from a short block with review point; others make steady progress over a longer period. We adapt the plan as your child grows and their needs change.

For more general questions, you can read the full FAQ here.

Ready to take the first step?

If you’re wondering whether your child would benefit from support with understanding or expressing language in everyday situations, I’d be happy to help.

You can book a free 15-minute phone consultation to share your concerns and ask questions. Together, we’ll work out the best next step for your child.

Use the contact form below, or email me at margaret@sussexspeechstudio.com.

You’re also welcome to call and leave a message on 07472 367193. I'll get back to you as soon as I can during my working hours.

Get in touch