“Julie has been working with our 5 year old son since June 2023. He had just been added to the Specialist Speech and Language Therapy waiting list in Dumfries & Galloway, but it had taken a very long time to even get to that point and we were concerned that our son had still not been seen by anybody, which is why we made contact via the JAS-SLT website.

After an initial consultation, Julie was quick to recognise that our son was probably a Gestalt Language Processor. This was a turning point for us and for our son, as the information that Julie was able to share with us and the support she has provided in monthly therapy sessions has enabled us to better understand our son’s language development, which has not followed the ‘typical’ path.

I can’t really put it in to words how amazing it was to finally meet someone who listened to all of our concerns and really took the time to get to know our son, and someone who has since celebrated every success and shared our joy as our son’s speech has developed and improved.

Julie’s sessions are engaging and tailored to the individual child, which is so important as every child is different. She has also supported our son’s transition from Nursery to Primary School this year.

We are so grateful for Julie’s expertise in this field and for her continued support. Without this, we’re sure our son would not have had such a positive start in school. We cannot thank Julie enough and we would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone seeking help and support for their child.”

​Ann-Louise & William

“Where to even start….Julie came recommended to us, so we had a high expectation from the start, but my goodness has Julie smashed these expectations with the work that she has done with our son, George.

George is 8, and has Cerebral Palsy and Global Development Delay. Julie started working with George when he was 4. At this stage he could only make basic verbal sounds, with no clear definition of any letters, and he knew some basic Makaton that we had learnt as a family.

I could never understand how someone would be able to help a child learn to speak, when they were unable to form any letters. George is now 8 and his speech is absolutely amazing! George being able to speak has really shown us all just how bright George really is – we often used to wonder what goes through his little mind, and now we know as he can express this!

I have no doubt in my mind that George is able to speak purely because of the work that Julie (with the support of school) has done with George. Julie’s level of energy and enthusiasm is insurmountable!”

Paul & Louise

"Julie has been working with our four year old son who is in the process of being diagnosed with ASD since February 2016. Our Paediatric Consultant suggested we try PECS, but it was not offered to us on the NHS. We had a little boy who didn't know how to communicate with us and we also didn't know how to communicate effectively with him. He would get frustrated and upset because we couldn't understand him and it was heartbreaking. I found Julie's website online whilst I was researching for an independent Speech and Language Therapist.I rang her and arranged an initial consultation and she has been working with us ever since.

We now have a little boy who is happier and engages with us, he is able to tell us what he wants using his cards and he is also beginning to request items using words. Julie has been excellent, she tailors every session to suit Alexei and finds different ways of engaging him. She is always there to answer any questions and concerns that we have. She attends multi agency meetings with us and has become a real source of support and encouragement.She is happy to provide resources and it is a pleasure to have her work with us to help our son.

I would highly recommend Julie to anyone considering an independent Speech and Language Therapist. It has changed our lives and it may very well change yours.

Louisa & Sam

"We first met Julie in 2017 when my oldest son had a Speech and Language delay. He worked with Julie until he started school, Julie was absolutely amazing with him and with both her vast range of skills and support, he learned how to talk and communicate very well ready for starting school.

A few years later my second son also developed a Speech and Language delay so of course we contacted Julie again. She has been working now with him for 2 years and he has recently been diagnosed with ASD. The support and help that Julie has offered to my son and to us as a family has been exceptional.

His communication and speech has improved greatly, which has been largely due to Julie’s wide range of skills and patience. Julie is a very warm and friendly lady who both my children instantly warmed to, and my son really looks forward to seeing her.

I would not hesitate to recommend Julie’s services to anyone, she truly is amazing at what she does and we feel as a family very lucky to have her help and support."

​Gayle

"​Julie has been working with my daughter Flo for over three years. Flo has Down's Syndrome and struggles with her sounds and language, but is a different child today to the one she was when Julie first met her! A whole new world has been unlocked for Flo as a result of the professionalism, dedication and detail that Julie has put in and Flo absolutely loves her! Thank you Julie for all your amazing work!"

​Anna Bradley

"Julie helped our son enormously. She was friendly and professional at all times. She tailored her service to meet our needs and was always available to answer any questions we had. We were given lots of advice on ways we could help him at home. Our son gained so much confidence as his understanding of language and his speech improved dramatically. I would recommend Julie to any concerned parent."

Natalie

"Julie is inspirational, her ability to interact in a constructive, non-judgemental and supportive way is something we will be forever grateful for. Nothing you ask is an issue and her ability to build up real positive long-lasting relationships is amazing. There is nothing she does not know and she interprets this in a way we can understand and use every day. Thank you does not even begin to explain our gratitude for meeting this amazing, professional and kind individual."

​Parents

"Julie is one of the most talented teachers I have observed work with my children. We had no idea of how complex speech can be, but Julie helped us understand everything. Our daughter's speech is now 100 times clearer after Julie's skilful support."

​Kate

"Thank you so much for helping Euan. He is like a different boy now; the difference in his speech is amazing. He will miss his sessions!"

​Lizzie & Stu

“I’d just like to say thank you for all of your support over the years. You truly have changed Tommy’s life by helping him find his voice. You are someone we will never forget and I hope you know how much of a difference you’re making to people’s lives. You have helped with so much more than speech and language and it’s been amazing to watch Tommy flourish while you’ve been working with him. We really do appreciate everything.".

Vicky

"We came across Julie by chance, a frantic search on the internet whilst on a night shift. She responded the very next day and she has been AMAZING! From the first anxious phone call to a difficult session this week, she is kind, compassionate, non-judgmental and gives me advice without patronising me. As well as a speech and language therapist she has supported us as a family at difficult times but also celebrating in my little boys achievements with us. My son Joshua was introduced to Julie almost a year ago. We have had to fight for his ASD diagnosis (autism spectrum disorder) but with Julie's help we got there on the 12th December 2016. When he first starting working with Julie he was non-verbal, could not communicate and was very destructive. She introduced PECS (picture exchange communication system) which builds a platform to speech thus easing his frustration (and mine). She introduced me on how to build his understanding and situations to promote more communication. Joshua can now communicate via PECS very effectively (over 600 symbols in use currently) and has SPEECH! Now so many words I can't count!!!We have all worked so hard but we would not be here without this fantastic therapist THANK YOU JULIE !!"

Laura Frost

"Our son used to count the days until Julie was visiting. He loved to play the games and felt relaxed around her. It was lots of fun, not work for him. Her time with him was invaluable and we have been able to continue with her techniques as he grows and develops. Thank you so much Julie. You are brilliant."

​Hayley

"Julie has made a tremendous difference to our son’s speech and has enriched his life immeasurably. Prior to working with Julie our son could only communicate via a few words and gestures leading to frustration, Julie quickly diagnosed the concerns and provided concise guidance. Julie provided fantastic support to our son and gave us a clear plan to work through which eased our speech development worries. Julie is very caring and supportive, she is always available and provides help and guidance quickly. We can not recommend Julie highly enough our son is now communicating fantastically and it is an absolute joy to see. We cannot thank Julie enough for her help, having a child who has delayed speech is worrying but knowing that you have a wonderful professional on hand to help makes the world of difference."

​Jacqueline

"​My preschool daughter was lacking in confidence and frustrated due to difficulties making herself understood. Julie brought about a remarkable transformation and provided her with the skills she needed whilst nurturing her self confidence. The end result was a happy girl, ready for school with clear diction. I can't recommend her highly enough."

​Alison

"Our son had not been identified as having significant speech problems by the NHS but as parents and as highlighted by his nursery, we knew he had some speech difficulty and wanted it resolved before he started school. From the moment we, and more importantly our son, first met Julie you could see that not only did she identify the issues but she was professional, knowledgeable and truly engaging for our son. Within the first couple of lessons we could see an improvement in our son's speech and he looked forward to seeing Julie again. As well as addressing his speech problems we believe she gave him a slight advantage when he started school as his annunciation and knowledge of the alphabet were ahead of expectations."

Mr & Mrs Kershaw