The Children’s Communication Centre in Houghton Estate is celebrating 50 years of changing the lives of children and their families.

Founded in the 1970s, the centre provides specialised support to generations of children with speech, language and hearing impairments through assistive technology such as hearing aids and cochlear implants.

Read more: Does my child need a speech therapist?

Over five decades, its multidisciplinary team of speech therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and music therapists has worked together to help children communicate, participate and reach their potential.

How the centre began

Co-head of the centre and speech therapist Nicole Chesler said the speech therapy department at the University of the Witwatersrand founded the facility. “We are a pre-school with seven classes which are made up of eight children in our younger groups and up to 10 children in our older groups. Our emphasis in the school is on speech and language development, on listening and communication.”

Chesler added that children start their journey with the centre from age three, which is ideal as it gives the team a longer time to intervene. “The oldest they can be here is Grade R at the age of 6 or 7, which will be determined if they have repeated a grade or not. In the final year they’re with us, we refer to an external educational psychologist, and the results of that, together with the child’s team made up of the teacher, speech therapist, physiotherapist and occupational therapist, will look at what the best options are for the child going forward.”

The school staff includes seven speech therapists, three occupational therapists, two physiotherapists and a music therapist.

Outreach initiatives and training

Co-head and speech therapist Lindsay Segal said the school also offers outreach initiatives, including training students from Sparrow FET College. “We run a workshop on signs of speech, language and communication difficulties as well as basic language stimulation techniques. We also offer practicals for the students at Sparrow.”

Segal added that staff members also conduct talks and workshops at various schools upon request.
An afternoon language booster programme runs every Thursday from 13:30 to 15:30. Led by a teacher and an assistant, it caters for children unable to afford the morning session.

Also read: What does a speech and language therapist do?

Fatima Bulbulia, a speech therapist who joined the centre five years ago after graduating, reflected on her journey. “I have learned so much from the centre. It is still a site for learning. We have third-year students from the University of the Witwatersrand who come once a week to do their practicals and benefit from what the centre has to offer them. We also have an ear, nose and throat specialist who visits every six weeks to check the learners’ ears voluntarily.”

The school also has an audiology centre where every child is tested yearly. Therapists conduct the tests, except for children who have cochlear implants and hearing aids.

People who are interested in helping the centre in any way are encouraged to send an email to reception@thecentre.org.za.

Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates!