Welcome, and thanks for considering WordPlay SLT! We are a private practice based in Co. Antrim, founded and co-ordinated by Laura Parker BSc (Hons).
Leaving Northern Ireland in 2009, I moved to East Kent to join a comprehensive and fast-paced NHS team, benefitting from considerable training opportunities and experiences that allowed me to develop my clinical skills. There, I enjoyed a Highly Specialist role working with a diverse paediatric population aged 0-19 years. After almost a decade, and the birth of my little girls, the move was made back home.
I took up post within local NHS services, and enjoyed a Highly Specialist role supporting young people with Developmental Language Disorder and severe Speech Sound Disorders.
I’m delighted to now be able to offer my expertise to the local community in an Independent capacity. WordPlay SLT recently made the exciting move to work within SENsations Learning Support NI, to become part of an established multidisciplinary team that includes Paediatricians, Educational Psychology, Occupational Therapy, Behaviour Therapy and Specialist Teachers amongst others. In addition to our usual services, we now also offer ASD and ADHD assessment.
I am deeply passionate about the importance of accessing quality Speech and Language Therapy provision, and have a modern approach to assessment, intervention and training. In all our work our aim is to be as individualised as possible and take a ‘more than just words’ approach to communication support.
As well as a therapist and mum, I’ve also been a Foster Carer working with young people in my home who have severe communication, behavioural and social-emotional difficulties. I work on an occasional basis with Barnardos Fostering and am the nominated school Governor for Child Protection in a local Primary School.
In all my roles I seek to empower and advocate for the voice of the young person and am not afraid of a challenge!
At WordPlay SLT, we offer an individualised and holistic approach to assessing and treating a wide range of speech, language and communication difficulties in children and young people aged 0 – 21 years. Our goal is to assist clients in becoming independent communicators who achieve their true potential. We work alongside families and other professionals, to provide holistic and client-centred support. If your child is already known to a Speech and Language Therapist in the NHS, we take great care to ensure both forms of input are integrated and complimentary. Sessions can take place in your home, your child’s educational setting or at our Child and Family Wellbeing Centre in Belfast.
WordPlay SLT also offers bespoke training sessions, as well as nationally recognised programmes suitable for parents and professionals alike. I’m a member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT), the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as well as the Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice (ASLTIP).
For an informal chat or to request additional information on how we can help your young person, feel free to call or email and we will be delighted to assist with your enquiry. You can find us on Facebook @WordPlaySLT and Instagram @wordplay_slt.