A route that starts in the child's world and is grounded in evidence

A developmental, individual-difference-aware and relationship-based approach. Its starting point: a child's communication skills develop inside a reciprocal relationship with an adult they trust. So I am not the one directing the session — I follow the child's interest, join the play they start, and work to open and close circles of communication within it.

I use it particularly with children who need support around autism and social communication, to strengthen foundational steps such as joint attention, emotional reciprocity and intentional communication.

An approach developed for stuttering that begins in early childhood, with the family at its centre. Rather than pushing a child towards "fluent speech", it aims to build an interaction environment in which talking becomes easier.

We work with families through short video recordings: together we notice what you are already doing with your child that works, and we do more of it. Alongside that, short, regular "special play times" a few times a week build consistent support at home. Where stuttering is concerned, the family's approach in the early period can matter more than the hour spent in the therapy room.

Stuttering is not only about the fluency of speech. Over time, behaviours can develop: avoiding speaking, substituting particular words, not raising a hand in class, hesitating to make a phone call. Underneath these usually lie anxiety and negative thoughts about speaking.

Especially with older children, teenagers and adults, I address these patterns of thought and avoidance alongside fluency techniques. The goal is not only more fluent speech, but becoming someone who can speak up in any setting where they want to.

The core idea of the Hanen approach is that a child's language develops most within everyday routines — mealtimes, bath time, the supermarket, a book before bed. It positions the parent as the child's primary communication partner, not as someone administering homework.

Within that frame I work with families on concrete strategies: leaving space and waiting, joining the topic the child starts, expanding on what they say and giving it back. My training on children growing up in bilingual environments and on emotional self-regulation through symbolic play feeds into this approach as well.

I choose methods by weighing three sources together: current scientific research, my clinical experience, and the family's priorities. A method is chosen because it suits that child and there is evidence it works — not because it is popular. Throughout, we measure progress regularly and update the plan rather than persisting with something that isn't working.