Welcome to Talk With Me

Your child is having difficulty with their communication skills and of course you want to help them. You can’t wave a magic wand and NHS waiting lists are months long at the minute. Perhaps you’re researching your options to find the right speech and language therapist for your child.

My name is Alyssa DaParma and I work with late-talking toddlers, children that have difficulty with their speech sounds, and their families. My aim is to teach you the necessary skills in order to help your child.

I’m a UK registered speech and language therapist, educated and trained in the US. I am based in lovely Royal Leamington Spa. Sessions take place within my office and via teletherapy, if necessary.

Experience

I am a…

• Member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
• Member of Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice
• Member of the American Speech and Hearing Association in the US
• Member of New York State Office of Professions
• Member of The Health Care and Professions Council

I have…

• 12+ years of experience working with young children across both the public and private sectors
• PROMPT certification
• Published research

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Services

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• Face to face speech and language therapy within my private office
• Parent coaching via teletherapy

Let's Talk!

07967 56 53 55

alyssa@talkwithme.uk

Late Talkers

Play Therapy and Speech Therapy Combined for Your Late Talker

You love your toddler, but it’s so frustrating that they aren’t talking. Maybe you watch as their cousins or peers chat away - even though you know you shouldn’t compare - and can’t help but wonder if it's time to get some help. Or, maybe your child is stuck on a waiting list. Perhaps your child is receiving services but they are not engaged because they're bored. Afterall, who really wants to sit at a therapy table being shown flashcards that have nothing to do with words they ACTUALLY need to use every day.

I am an experienced speech and language therapist that specialises in treating young kids who are late talkers. My therapy approach is research-driven yet fun, energetic, and purposeful. I am (admittedly) obsessed about my area of expertise.

Simply put, I use play therapy to teach parents how to help their child talk.

Using play therapy, I meet parents and children at their current level and teach them the tools to step up the communication ladder. I carry these sessions out in my office.

With my techniques, coupled with the consistency on their part as a family, many clients I have worked with report that they enjoy a more fulfilling life with their little one: connecting and chatting about his or her day and observing their child play with friends.

Call me on 07967 565355 or click below to get in touch and set up a 15 minute phone consultation so we can see if I am the right person to work with you and your child.

Let's Talk!

07967 56 53 55

alyssa@talkwithme.uk

Speech Clarity

Your child is saying something but you can’t understand the message because he or she sounds unclear. Perhaps you DO know what they’re saying …but it sounds mixed up …or slightly “off”.

Children with unclear speech often experience mixed feelings about themselves. Maybe your child is becoming irritated because they know EXACTLY what they want to say but isn’t easily understood. Parents often tell me that their son or daughter understands everything but is becoming frustrated that they can’t say what they want or what’s wrong.

My first aim is to find out which issue your child is experiencing – for example developmental versus difficulty with coordination – and set up a plan for therapy. During sessions with your child, I show you and teach you exactly what to do at home, in between appointments.

The therapy process is longer or shorter depending on what type of experience your child is having and consistency is key in all cases. My ultimate goal is for your child to be more communicative and confident.

I assess, diagnose and create a treatment plan. As a team, we discuss the best and most realistic ways to work on tasks at home that build up your child’s communication skills. I continue to test throughout treatment to make sure we not only hear a difference but also see a distinctive change in the data.

Speech and language therapists are specialists that help children speak clearly (amongst many other things!). In many cases, with the right approach, therapy achieves this aim. If I don’t feel I am the right therapist for your child, I will refer you to someone that I think would be a better fit, or provide you with resources that could get your child on the right path.

Click below to email me to set up a free 15 minute phone consultation so we can see if I am the right person to help your child speak more clearly.

Let's Talk!

07967 56 53 55

alyssa@talkwithme.uk

Teletherapy

Perhaps you can’t physically get your child to speech therapy on a consistent basis (especially during times when they become unwell). Teletherapy could be a solution for you.

Do you have doubts about teletherapy? Will it be effective?

During the early months of the first lockdown, I ran teletherapy sessions with clients from my caseload. I also met new families through the screen. I taught parents what I do in sessions and explain exactly how to work with their child.

I typically work solely with the parent/carer for teletherapy sessions, but in some cases I work with the child alongside the parent. Families reported they enjoyed this alternative method and found it to be a convenient yet effective way to further their child towards their speech goals. This method isn't right for everyone but I still continue to offer it if it is an ethical alternative option. We are still living in a world where, from time to time, self-isolation is necessary. When that happens, I am ready to change lanes to carry on and provide you with the necessary tools to keep moving forward.

I offer teletherapy sessions to Europe, the US, and the Middle East. Email me to find out if teletherapy could be a choice for you. I will answer your questions about the process.

Client Testimonials

Mum of a client in Knightsbridge

Alyssa has been working with our two year old “G” since March 2016 however she was known to us previously having done some work with our middle child to correct his lisp. G’s speech and articulation were a little behind for his age and we wanted to avoid him becoming frustrated. Alyssa is a highly skilled, empathetic and child focused speech therapist. She has a wonderfully warm and friendly approach and G loves his sessions with her. She used a variety of prompts and other techniques in order to encourage him without overwhelming him and within one month we started to hear the difference. G is now comfortably hitting the speech targets for his age. Alyssa is excellent about reporting back and charting progress. We feel so lucky that she has been a part of his life and development, we could not recommend her more highly.

Mum of a client in chelsea

Alyssa is always full of energy and smiling. M in turn is delighted to see Alyssa and cannot wait to spend some special time with her. While the two of them have had a lot of fun playing M has also been practicing making the sound ‘th’ in some form of game such as memory or looking at a picture with objects that start or end with a ‘th’. Alyssa debriefs me in a few minutes with many positive things to say about their session. She sometimes has some extra work having to do with the ‘th’ sound or something else that she has been working on with M. This always gives me the option to do extra work with M during the week without involving the effort of finding these resources on my own.
Alyssa originally saw my eldest son, F, who I thought might have difficulty with English as we are a bilingual family. She quickly moved beyond bringing him up to speed with his English and started to help him to articulate his thoughts in different ways. Alyssa discussed different topics with him and began to build up his database of vocabulary. In order to develop this area she often had pictures which had to be linked together with regard to a similar theme. Sometimes my son would order different pictures or classify objects based on a theme. Alyssa helped F learn to link different concepts or ideas and worked with him to develop the ability to articulate his thoughts. Alyssa has been wonderful for our family. As I have no background in speech therapy I feel very lucky to have someone like Alyssa working with us on this aspect of our children’s education. While the teachers in school are aware of major speech difficulties it is the parents’ job to see that their children develop adequate ability to convey their point of view in different settings. However, in a family setting sometimes it is harder to notice if a child is having difficulty with pronunciation or if a child lacks specific pieces of knowledge. Alyssa can identify what difficulties a child might have as well as what areas of learning would be useful to develop. She then helps the child to reach that goal.