Today I’m back with another speech delay post and this time it’s a review of a program that is really helping Jude so far. As you may know, Jude has been having private speech therapy for quite some time and we’ve found it invaluable. Jude’s language has expanded A LOT. He has a lot of words now and is starting to join them occasionally but he is still struggling a lot with pronunciation is very unclear. We are still having speech therapy but were looking for something that could offer us some more support without having to spend more money on private therapy-which is expensive! So we decided to join Joanne Jones’ Can Do Bootcamp for Speech Delay. Read on for my review of the can-do Bootcamp for speech delay.
Ad Disclaimer: I purchased this course myself on my own initiative. Jo has since offered all members a refer a friend scheme where I receive incentives for using my link, if you purchase it based on my experience this does not change any of the reviews and I’m writing this purely based on how much it has helped us.
Can Do Bootcamp review: What is The Can-Do Bootcamp for Speech Delay with Joanne Jones?
The Can-Do Bootcamp is specifically for children with speech delay, other communication delays, or simply late talkers. The idea really is an alternative to speech therapy but we’re currently using it alongside it. The Bootcamp exists of course material that looks at all aspects of speech and communication; a structured Facebook group with weekly lives by Jo (an experienced speech and language therapist), accountability threads, guest experts, and a weekly video feedback review where you can submit videos of your child for feedback.
It is based on looking at different elements of communication and giving your child a group (ranked 1-5) for each one; these cover things like speech sounds but also understanding, play, and interaction. This then gives you a strategy to focus on one group at a time-with Jo’s ‘can do’ approach leads you through all the different strategies to maximise communication with your child.
Can Do Bootcamp review: Our experience of the can-do bootcamp
We’re only a few weeks into our journey and we are loving it so far. The actual course content is incredibly useful and covered strategies I’d never heard of before despite having therapy and reading up on the topic.
Since Jude has suspected verbal dyspraxia, we’ve been so impressed by the amount of content on oro-motor (which is all thing tongue-tie, verbal dyspraxia, and anything to do with mouth movements), as a lot of speech resources don’t cover this as well as sensory strategies, tons and tons of play ideas and practical advice for building therapy into your day to-day. It is about far more than just what to do if your child isn’t talking.
One thing I have loved is all the extras that really help a mum with a speech delayed child-once a month is a dedicated zoom for mums to chat about their mental health (the first one was brilliant!) as well as guest experts. This is amazing as today’s expert is all around getting funding for your child (something we’ve been trying to get) and a future one is an occupational therapist-something particularly relevant to Jude as he may have physical dyspraxia too.
The group system helped us realise all the amazing things Jude IS doing and is perfect if you just don’t know where to begin.
A lot of the time I’ve felt as if I just need someone to message and the fact there is a Facebook group where Jo herself answers questions is invaluable.
A lot of NHS appointments are rushed and not always tailored specifically to your child; you find yourself wanting to ask questions after it’s finished! It’s only week 2 and I’ve asked Jo’s advice on everything from play to tongue-tie and Jude’s pronunciation. I also love it has a structure: Monday is setting intentions, Tuesday is asking questions, Wednesday is a live Q+a with Jo, Thursday is the day to film and upload your videos and Friday is when Jo offers feedback. The time between therapy sessions are long and can sometimes feel as if you are waiting for the next one so this is absolutely brilliant that I always feel I have something to do with Jude and can help move him forward.
Does the can do bootcamp work and how can I join?
Just updating this post to say Jo is currently doing a FREE5-day speech Bootcamp, more info on which is here.
It’s only week 2 yet (I’ll definitely come back and update this post later down the line) but we are already noticing that Jude is now beginning to join 2 words and also move his mouth/tongue much more freely. I have so many new play ideas and interaction ideas to take forward and much less anxiety as Jo has answered my ‘why does he…’ questions with confidence and reassurance. I also feel a lot more confident in communicating to others about how they can support Jude which has really made a difference to me!
The Can-Do Bootcamp-Free Trial
We purchased 12 months of access upfront but you can now join on a rolling monthly no-commitment basis to see if it’s the right fit for you and your child. This month, Jo is also doing a FREE 5-day challenge. as well as offering a 7 day trial( more info here) for more info and to sign up-I hope to see you in there.