Speech Therapy

Lauren completed her studies at the University of Pretoria in 2012. She has worked in remedial schools, special needs schools and multi-disciplinary therapy centres in Johannesburg. Lauren opened her private practice in 2017 and is based full time at OWL Day Care. The practice provides speech therapy and feeding therapy for medically complex children including those with neurological, genetic and developmental difficulties. She is passionate about Augmentative and Alternative Communication for children with Complex Communication Needs and never fails to be amazed at how AAC opens up a whole new world for children with disabilities. Lauren has completed Makaton introduction and foundation, PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets)  introduction, DIR-Floortime introduction  and the NDT (Neurodevelopmental Therapy) Foundation courses.

Therapy and Assessments

Therapy usually happens on a one-to-one basis. Parent/care-giver involvement is encouraged to ensure both parent and child are empowered with the skills needed to help in the home and school environment. We also recognise the importance of the proper education and training of parents and teachers, and thus do parent-based intervention as well as school-visits to ensure carry over of skills occurs.

Sessions range between 30 – 60 minutes and are held based on the needs and availability of the child.

Assessments are conducted in a once-off or a dynamic (ongoing) manner. This helps the therapist establish a baseline for skills that have not yet developed, helps set aspirational and realistic goals, and aims to provide measurable outcomes when re-assessment occurs.

Special Interests

The drive behind the practice is its passionate interest in the following disorders: