Introducing Treetop Therapy
We’ve all had moments where children appear not to listen. But there is a difference between refusing to listen and not being able to understand. With the appropriate help though, kids can definitely learn to communicate better. The key to unlocking these skills is in taking the time to establish how a child learns best. Enter Treetop Therapy.
A new and progressive speech and language therapy centre, Treetop Therapy was established by the pioneering Melanie Yates and Fátima Ionescu in 2013 through a shared passion to deliver a unique, holistic and all-encompassing approach to paediatric speech therapy. As exceptionally skilled therapists they both felt very strongly that the best way to get kids communicating was to use evidence-based and ethical intervention practices. And so the bespoke Treetop Therapy speech and language centre was born.
In real terms, we were impressed to discover what this actually means. Treetop Therapy uses a range of techniques where children have the best possible opportunity to flourish and develop functional communcation. Therapists will:
- be supportive and nurturing
- follow Reggio Emilia principles
- celebrate each and every child
- observe how an individual learns
- celebrate and encourage a child’s uniqueness
- recognize the interests and motivations in every child
- create a natural environment conducive to learning
- involve the wider community (parents, schools)
This well-rounded Treetop Therapy approach is applied to assisting children confidently, comfortably and enjoyably in specific language areas such as attention and listening, social interaction, understanding and use of language, articulation of sounds and fluency of speech.
With many years of experience working in busy clinical/ educational settings in the UK and Singapore, Melanie and Fátima, are also able to offer support with a variety of speech and language difficulties, including those associated with autism or Down syndrome. And true to their holistic approach, Treetop Therapy works closely with schools and in your home, involving parents and other professionals through thorough assessments and monitoring as part of their service to ensure progress.
Going the extra mile, Treetop Therapy gave us some helpful tips on what we can already do at home to promote speech and language development with our little ones:
- Encourage eye contact by putting yourself on the same level as your child
- Follow your child’s lead rather than insisting on them playing with what/how you want
- Repeat and expand on your child’s words. For example, ‘big car’ or ‘blue car’
- If your child says a word incorrectly model the correct pronunciation for them
- Reduce the number of questions you ask your child and substitute with more comments.
- Play games that encourage taking turns like building a tower and rolling a ball to each other.
- Offer choices as much as possible so they have a chance to articulate an answer.
- Slow down when you speak and use simpler sentences.
The emphasis Treetop Therapy places on the importance of each individual child coupled with their belief in strong links with families and other educational and health professionals, has us convinced that we’re in good hands.
Treetop Therapy, #01-01 Rutherfod Science Hub, 87, Science Park Drive, Singapore, 118260, p. 9457 7974, [email protected]
This article was sponsored by Treetop Therapy Centre.
