"People outside the family often don't understand her."
"His stories jump all over the place."
"He guesses words instead of sounding them out."
"His ideas are good, but his essays are all over the place."
Areas
How I help
I support school-age children with speech, language, higher-order language, literacy and auditory processing. Often, children need support in more than one area.
Speech
"People outside the family often don't understand her."
What it is: How clearly a child says sounds and words.
You might notice
Sounds swapped or left out, like "tat" for "cat"
A lisp, or sounds that come out slushy
People outside the family find your child hard to understand
Your child gets frustrated or stops talking when they aren't understood
How I help
I assess your child's speech sounds and the patterns behind the errors, then use targeted therapy to build clear, accurate speech that carries over into everyday talking.
PROMPT and other speech sound approaches
Language
"He knows what he wants to say but can't get it out."
"She nods along, but I can tell she hasn't understood."
"His stories jump all over the place."
What it is: Understanding spoken and written language, and using words, sentences and stories to express thoughts clearly.
You might notice
Understanding language
Instructions get muddled, forgotten or only partly followed
Difficulty understanding new words or longer sentences
Trouble answering questions, especially "why" and "how" questions
More signsFewer signs
Difficulty understanding what they read, even when they can read the words
Taking things literally, and finding jokes, idioms or hints hard to follow
Using language
Trouble finding the right word, or overusing words like "thing" and "stuff"
Short, jumbled or grammatically unusual sentences
Difficulty telling a story or explaining what happened, in order
Finding it hard to explain their thinking, in speaking or in writing
How I help
I work on vocabulary, understanding and following instructions, building sentences and grammar, answering questions, telling and understanding stories, making inferences, and much more.
Language therapy
Literacy
"He guesses words instead of sounding them out."
What it is: Reading, spelling and understanding what you read. This includes children with dyslexia or dyslexia-type difficulties.
You might notice
Guessing words instead of sounding them out
Slow, effortful reading
The same word spelt differently each time
More signsFewer signs
Spelling words learnt for a test, then forgotten
Reading the words but not understanding the story
Avoiding reading
How I help
I support children with reading and spelling step by step, starting with how sounds and letters work together. From there, I build reading fluency and comprehension.
Structured literacy · Award in Literacy and Dyslexia (ALD) · RAVE-O
Auditory processing
"His hearing test was normal, but he doesn't seem to take in what the teacher says."
What it is: How the brain makes sense of what the ears hear. A child can have normal hearing and still find this hard.
You might notice
Often says "What?" or asks for things to be repeated
Struggles to follow in noisy places, like the classroom
Mishears words that sound alike
More signsFewer signs
Gets tired quickly from listening
Finds it hard to understand and remember spoken information
How I help
I work together with an audiologist on assessment. Therapy starts with bottom-up auditory training, which strengthens the listening skills themselves, especially listening in noise. I then work on top-down skills: using language, memory and attention to make sense of what you hear. This includes listening comprehension, which means understanding and remembering spoken information, following longer instructions and filling in gaps when parts of a message are missed. I can suggest classroom strategies for teachers too.
CAPMATT · Buffalo Model · Bottom-up and top-down auditory training
Higher-order language and high school
Language support that works with what your teen is studying.
"She can read the words, but she can't tell me what the passage means."
"His ideas are good, but his essays are all over the place."
What it is: The advanced language skills that school depends on from upper primary through high school: understanding what's implied, working with abstract ideas, and organising thoughts clearly in speaking and writing.
You might notice
Struggles to read between the lines or make inferences
Difficulty with figurative language, humour, sarcasm or idioms
Trouble summarising a text or picking out the main idea
More signsFewer signs
Understands the words in an exam question but answers a different question
Essays that lack structure, or ideas that don't link together
Difficulty explaining or defending an opinion
Notes that are incomplete or hard to use for studying
Knows the content but can't express it in tests or orals
How I help
I work on the language skills behind schoolwork, using age-appropriate and curriculum-relevant material. This includes:
Inferencing and understanding implied meaning
Academic vocabulary and word meanings across subjects
Summarising, note-taking and identifying key information
Interpreting exam and instruction wording
Planning, organising and linking ideas, in speaking and writing
Explaining, arguing and discussing a point of view
Figurative and abstract language
Teens are involved in setting their own goals, and every task is linked to what they're doing at school.
Not sure which area fits? That's normal. Email me and we'll work it out together.
Getting started
How it works
1Email me
Tell me a little about your child.
2Assessment
I find out exactly where your child is having difficulty, using tests, activities and information from you and the school.
3Feedback and a plan
I explain the results in plain language and, if therapy will help, set clear goals with you.
4Therapy and home practice
Regular sessions, plus simple things to do at home between visits.
About me
Hi, I'm Shira
I'm a speech-language therapist in Glenhazel and surrounds. I graduated in 2019, completed my community service at South Rand Hospital, and opened my private practice in 2022. I work with school-age children, from preschool through high school, who find reading, spelling, speaking or listening hard.
I have a special interest in auditory processing and literacy, and in how both connect with language, because a child who struggles to process what they hear, or to understand and use language, often struggles with reading, spelling and comprehension too.
I completed the Award in Literacy and Dyslexia (ALD) and am RAVE-O trained, which helps me support reading, spelling and fluency.
I am CAPMATT trained in auditory processing and use the Buffalo Model, which looks at decoding, listening in noise, integration and organisation. This shows me exactly where a child's listening breaks down, so therapy targets the real difficulty.
I am also PROMPT trained, a hands-on approach that uses touch cues to a child's face, jaw and lips to guide the movements needed for clear speech. I use it for children whose speech is unclear or who find it hard to coordinate those movements.
I look at the whole child rather than one skill in isolation.
Training
CAPMATT trainedAuditory processing (how a child makes sense of what they hear)
PROMPT trainedClear speech sounds
Award in Literacy and Dyslexia (ALD)BDA-accredited course through Bellavista
RAVE-O trainedReading fluency and understanding
HPCSA registeredSTA0037052
SASLHA member
Good to know
Practical details
Ages
Preschool to high school
Where
Glenhazel and surrounds, online, or at your child's school where the school allows it
Language
English
Assessment
About 3 to 4 hours in total, split into sessions of 45 minutes to 1 hour
Therapy sessions
30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on your child. Usually 1 to 2 times a week.
What to bring
Any previous reports, for example from teachers, other therapists or educational psychologists. Recent hearing test results, school reports and a few examples of schoolwork are also helpful.
Medical aid
I charge medical aid rates and claim directly for you.
FAQ
Questions parents ask
What if I'm not sure what's wrong?
That's normal. The assessment will show where the difficulty is and where to start.
Does my child need an assessment first?
Usually, yes. It helps me understand what's going on and what will help most.
What happens in an assessment?
I use a mix of standardised tests, informal tasks and activities. I also ask you and your child's teacher what you've noticed, and read any previous reports. It usually takes about 3 to 4 hours in total, split into sessions of 45 minutes to 1 hour.
How will I know the results?
I'll explain the results clearly and give you a plan if therapy is recommended.
Can you work with my child's school?
Yes. I can work with teachers and other professionals, and see children at school where the school allows it.
Do you offer online sessions?
Yes. Online sessions suit some children and some areas of therapy. We'll decide together if it's right for your child.
What are your fees?
Please email me directly and I'll send you my fees. I charge medical aid rates and claim directly for you.
How long will my child need therapy?
It depends on the child and the area of difficulty. After the assessment I set clear goals with you, and we review progress regularly. Some children need a short block of therapy, others benefit from longer support, especially with literacy and auditory processing. I'll always tell you honestly what to expect.
How long and how often are sessions?
Sessions are 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on your child. Usually 1 to 2 times a week, but this depends on your child's needs and what we're working on. We'll decide together after the assessment.
