By Dr. Rosie Hodges
At Word Stars, early intervention is never one-size-fits-all. Every child comes to us with their own strengths, interests and communication needs, so we create individualised goals and clear ways to monitor progress over time.
Often, one of our first goals for young children is to support the development of important foundational skills, such as staying engaged in different play activities, sharing attention with another person, and enjoying back-and-forth interaction.
Our sessions are play-based because play is how young children learn best. We use motivating activities that encourage children to connect, communicate, explore and practise new skills in a way that feels natural and enjoyable.
Families are an important part of the process, but home practice needs to be realistic. For one family, that might mean 15 minutes of focused play each day. For another, it might mean building communication strategies into bath time, snack time or getting dressed.
Our early intervention team is led and supervised by Dr Rosemary Hodges, who holds a PhD in late talking toddlers and specialises in early speech and language development. Rosie works closely with our therapists to plan, problem-solve and make sure therapy is creating meaningful progress for every little Word Star.
