Halfway through the IASLT conference in Portlaoise, I found myself reflecting on how much our understanding of communication and support has evolved since I first started practising over 30 years ago. There was a huge focus throughout the day on co-production, inclusion, accessibility, and ensuring that the people we support, along with their families, are genuinely involved in shaping decisions around care and communication. One of the strongest messages I took away was the importance of listening carefully to how each individual communicates, helping others to recognise that communication can take many different forms, and making space for people to express themselves in ways that work for them. It was also incredibly encouraging to see the level of innovation happening across the profession while still keeping the human side of care firmly at the centre. These were some of my thoughts midway through the first day.

One of the biggest misconceptions around early communication support is that parents need to “wait” before they can begin helping their child. The truth is, so much of communication development happens in tiny everyday moments: during play, routines, movement, connection, and interaction throughout the day. It doesn’t have to look like sitting at a table “doing therapy.” In my free live webinar, I share 3 simple strategies parents can start using straight away to support communication naturally within everyday life. Sign up for the Free webinar: 👉 https://connectionkickstart.com/

I wanted to remind you of what is inside the free Connection Kickstart mini-course 😊 - on this platform One thing that’s really important to me is that parents don’t feel overwhelmed when they’re trying to support communication. The modules are designed to be simple, practical, and easy to fit into everyday life, with short videos, examples, downloadable supports, and little weekly practice ideas. I always encourage parents to go slowly and really take their time with it. One small change repeated consistently is often far more powerful than trying to do everything at once. And best of all, it’s completely free 💛 You can sign up here for extra free email downloads as well as the free mini-course and community here: https://diyspeechtherapy.activehosted.com/f/40

I was doing the Couch to 5K recently and it got me thinking about how similar it can be when we’re supporting communication with our kids. We don’t suddenly wake up one day and run 5K. It’s the little bits done regularly that slowly build confidence and progress over time. It's the same with learning how to apply strategies for connection and communication. Little and often really does get you there 😊

One thing I talk about a lot with parents is that communication progress doesn’t just come from the support a child receives directly. A huge amount can happen in the everyday little moments at home too, especially when parents feel supported and understand why certain strategies help. That’s one of the reasons I created the free webinar, because parent understanding and confidence really does matter early on. If you’d like to join the free webinar, you can sign up here 😊 👉 https://diyspeechtherapy.activehosted.com/f/40 /