Speech Therapist in Brussels

Ariadna Balsells

I support children in the development of language and communication, and in learning mathematics.

Areas of practice

Communication and language

Support with language, speech and communication in children, whether the difficulty is specific or part of a neurodevelopmental disorder.

What you may notice in your child

They speak little, started late, or less clearly than other children their age
They search for words or struggle to build sentences
They find it hard to follow instructions
People struggle to understand them when they speak

I support

Speech and language delay
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)
Childhood apraxia of speech (verbal dyspraxia)

I also support language and communication when they are affected by an associated condition:

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD): Supporting interaction and developing communication, verbal or not.
Down syndrome: Supporting language and speech throughout development.
Genetic syndromes: Adapting language support to each profile.
Intellectual disability: Adapting communication to the child's pace and abilities.

As supporting communication is central to this area, setting up an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tool often becomes one of the goals of therapy, depending on the child's profile.

Feeding

Support with paediatric feeding disorders (PFD) in children, from infancy upwards, across their sensory, motor and behavioural dimensions.

What you may notice in your child

They eat only a few foods, always the same ones
Certain textures or smells put them off to the point of spitting food out or pushing the plate away
Or conversely they barely feel the food and overfill their mouth
They hold food in their mouth, choke, or meals drag on and on

I support

Food selectivity
Sensory hyper- or hyposensitivity (textures, smells, tastes)
Chewing and swallowing difficulties (dysphagia)

I also support feeding when it is made harder by an associated condition:

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD): Selectivity is very common here. I widen the range of foods at the child's pace, according to their sensory profile.
Down syndrome: Supporting chewing and swallowing, which are often fragile.
Genetic syndromes: Supporting feeding according to the particularities of the syndrome.
Prematurity and medical history: Restoring feeding skills after tube feeding, reflux or a hospital stay.

Mathematical cognition

Support with difficulties in mathematical cognition in children: an umbrella term covering the whole range of difficulties in mathematics, including mathematics learning disorder (MLD), which today replaces ‘dyscalculia’.

What you may notice in your child

They still count on their fingers and struggle to memorise times tables
Setting out a sum, telling the time or giving change are a problem
They struggle to solve word problems and to estimate quantities
Their results in maths lag behind, despite the effort they put in

I support

Mathematics learning disorder (MLD, formerly ‘dyscalculia’)
Numerical cognition (number sense, transcoding)
Arithmetic cognition (calculation, problem solving)

MLD is rarely isolated. I take account of the disorders it is frequently associated with:

Written language disorders (dyslexia, dysorthographia): The most common co-occurrence with MLD.
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD): Language underpins reasoning and the wording of problems.
ADHD: Attention and executive function weigh on learning.
Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD): Possible impact on writing numbers and on geometry.

A person-centred approach

I am Ariadna Balsells, a speech therapist based in Brussels. My work is built around a strong belief: every child has their own way of communicating, and my role is to support them with respect and creativity.

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Would you like to book an appointment?

Feel free to get in touch with any questions or to schedule an initial consultation.

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