Literacy Fun-da-men-tools: Helping you prepare your child for school

"It is obvious in my opinion that Vicki and her team have a huge love for children, a passion for teaching and are motivated by the joy that they see in the progress of every child that they have contact with. I would happily encourage anyone to incorporate The Language Tree's systems into their child’s developmental program.

Our daughter started kindergarten this year after recently being diagnosed with a mild intellectual disability. It became evident very quickly that she would need external help outside the standard school system and we were very fortunate to be advised by both friends and also our paediatrician of Vicki and The Language Tree in our search.

From the first encounter with Vicki and her team, our daughter was at ease in a fun and stimulating environment. Each lesson is structured and sequenced to suit our daughter personally, with innovative fun games and worksheets that are interesting
and age/stage appropriate.

Since our daughter was little, she has had an extensive history of interventions and support from speech therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. It has been difficult for her to retain and recall certain information and makes learning very difficult and
at times frustrating.

Our daughter tires easily and normally after 5 to 10 minutes of work she finds excuses
to stop.

What I’ve witnessed since we began going to Vicki's clinic is that my daughter loves to go to each session. Vicki makes learning fun. I am amazed how my child has progressed each week, retaining the sound cards and hand cues and responding to their colours (this really helps support her memory recall). Vicki’s method of connecting each sound to objects and toys to encourage and stimulate our daughter’s focus has really worked, as she can now sit for approximately 30 to 45 minutes without a break. Homework is not a chore anymore as it fits into our busy family (of four children) with just 5 to 10 minutes a day of fun and achievable games, where positive reinforcement is key.

As a parent of a child with a learning disability it is so important to surround yourself, your child and your family with people who not only support you, but see the ability and potential in your child. As a parent, I have learnt so much from Vicki to help our daughter.
I feel confident and positive that I can assist my child in the learning process more now than ever before."

Cait, Sydney, Australia

"We were recommended to The Language Tree via a very dear friend who couldn't speak more highly of Vicki and her team. As a mother to two girls, I believe it is important to have confidence in the activities we enrol our children in. Because of this I thoroughly researched several programs and clinics before starting to work with Vicki.

We started individual intervention for my eldest and she was making leaps in her speech development in a matter of a few weeks.

When I enquired about Literacy Fun-da-men-tools, it was clear that the structure of
the program and the method by which it was delivered was unlike any I had
previously researched.

The program was very holistic and targeted a wide range of school readiness skills, in preparation for successful literacy, letter formation and listening. The program also covered turn taking to promote sharing.

Each session’s structure was clearly explained and all the 'at home' activities were fun, achievable and provided us with great knowledge as well as empowerment to continue the school readiness journey at home.

We still play some of the games that we both learnt throughout the program and I firmly believe the progress that my daughter has experienced during the first six months of 'big school' has been greatly supported by the success and learning she gained during Vicki's Literacy Fun-da-men-tools program.

I can't recommend this program more highly. It has shaped the way we build the fundamental skills needed for early literacy.

Vicki has not only taught my children, she has also empowered me and changed the way I play with my girls. She has literally revolutionised the way we play in our house. My husband and I now feel 100% confident to provide the right learning opportunities for
our girls.

I don't know where our family would be today without the love, guidance, education and support that Vicki and her team have given us. We are now engaged in program two, where my daughter is learning the full range of Sound Cards and as a result is in the top reading group at school.

Vicki and her team are very loving and kind, they know exactly how to motivate the children and encourage them throughout their learning process.

As a qualified Occupational Therapist (OT), I believe in a wholistic approach to learning. I know the importance of building strong rapport with and confidence in speech therapy colleagues and how this relationship can support the foundation for a child to develop across areas of difficulty. Once a child builds trust in their therapist they feel safe and secure to challenge themselves and step out of their comfort zone, in order to tackle new learning opportunities to further their knowledge and development.

My youngest daughter now attends weekly sessions with Vicki and has also developed great confidence in her speech and language.

Thank you Vicki, you are amazing!!"

Morgan, Sydney, Australia