“Heeeeey, Rob… I, I, I a Abbb-or-ig-in-oool!” he says proudly.
And off he runs again. A few moments later he’s back with a soft toy.
“And it,” he says pointing at his soft cuddly animal, “it, it my t… t… – who it Mum?”
“Totem mate,” says Anna softly, smiling at him.
“Yeah, it my toeeee-tum.” He grins and off he runs again to get his new gumboots to show Robyn, his Take Two clinician on the Zoom video call.
Continue reading “Supporting minds & spirits with cultural connections”Getting tested for COVID is uncomfortable. The nurse or doctor needs to swab the back of the throat and mouth.
Being prepared for the procedure will help children cope better and feel less anxious.
Berry Street’s Take Two Developmental Specialists Team have developed a free printable social story that explains in familiar terms, what will happen and why the test is needed.
Take Two invites carers or parents (especially those looking after children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or other developmental differences including a trauma history) to share the social story with their child to make a COVID test more manageable.
Continue reading “Free Social Story: Getting tested for COVID”How many babies who experience serious hardships in their first year of life have delayed communication skills?
The Berry Street Take Two team based in Bendigo in the Loddon region of Victoria were worried about this. They welcomed a speech pathologist to work with them for more than a year, as part of Take Two’s Communication Project to help understand the scale of the problem.
Continue reading “Childhood communications delays – a pilot project”
By Jen Willis, Communications Consultant, Berry Street – Take Two
Lots of 7-years-olds wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a moth and a butterfly. But Jay can.
Jay is an Aboriginal child going to a local primary school in suburban Melbourne. But unlike the others in his class, he has only just started talking.
Continue reading “How culture helped a child find his voice”
By Jen Willis, Communications Consultant, Berry Street – Take Two
Monica has recently joined Berry Street’s Take Two service as our Senior Speech Pathologist.
It’s thought that at least half of the children and young people we work with have communications difficulties. This can contribute to feelings of anxiety and frustration that might lead to social isolation, aggression or depression when they can’t understand what others are telling them or express themselves properly.
Continue reading “Speech pathology and why it’s needed in Take Two”
The Good Childhood Blog 