Natalie Barnes

Cape Town, South Africa

Speech Therapist and Audiologist

I’m a Speech Therapist and Audiologist from Johannesburg, South Africa. I’ve been fortunate enough to work in both medical and educational environments in my career, but I have found my passion in pediatric speech therapy and working with children. School-age language and literacy are my specialties, and I love working on auditory processing and phonological awareness in young children. I practice what I preach and am an avid reader and writer as well. I have my own practice, but I also work on-site at several schools and am always happy and willing to help where I can. Please feel free to contact me at any time!

Natalie Barnes's Articles

What is My Baby Trying to Say When She Smiles or Cries?

Smiling isn’t merely “cute,” and crying isn’t necessarily something that only has negative connotations associated with it. Your baby uses these two fundamental mechanisms of…

Involve Your Family in Your Child’s Speech Development

Speech therapy is never done inside a vacuum. Besides contacting a speech and language pathologist (SLP), it takes a village to help your child through…

6 Stages of Play in Kids (and Play Ideas for Each Stage)

Jump to the second part of the blog, if you are searching for some practical advice, how to plan your toddler activities according to their…

A Case Study: TV was the Problem All Along

In March 2019, I received a referral for a three-year-old boy. His teacher was concerned with his speech and language development. I spoke to his…

How to Use Speech Blubs: Tips from Speech Therapists

We’ve gathered a ton of feedback and collected a bunch of tips on how to use the app effectively along the way. The following ideas come…

When is the Right Time to Cancel Speech Blubs Subscription?

When it comes to speech therapy sessions, and even the Speech Blubs app, the amount of time spent on speech therapy will completely depend on…

Executive Function Disorder - What It Is and How to Help

We use executive functioning skills and methods every day to plan, organize, strategize, memorize, and pay attention so that we can: Make plans Keep track…

Speech and Language: An Audiologist’s Perspective

Even though speech therapists and audiologists certainly fulfill different roles, they often work closely together to track your child’s progress and make adjustments to their…

Does My Child Have a Speech Delay?

A speech delay occurs when your child’s speech develops in the correct sequence, but at a slower pace than their peers. The Speech Blubs app…

Mirror Neurons, Video Modeling, and Your Child’s Speech

What are Mirror Neurons? Before we dig into mirror neurons, we need to have a quick understanding of neurons in general. Neurons are specialized cells…

Typical Speech Development: Vocabulary Milestones by Months

One of these words is “semantics,” which is merely technical jargon for “vocabulary.” But, what exactly is vocabulary? Vocabulary refers to the set of words…

What Does ‘Cognition’ Mean and Why Is It Important?

Cognition consists of the mental activities involved in how your child comprehends and receives information presented to them in their environment. It’s all about acquiring knowledge and…

Why Speech Therapists Request an Eye Exam and Hearing Test

A common question that will arise during this discussion will be whether your kid’s hearing and eyes have been tested. The reason for this is…

R Sound Articulation Therapy: A Guide for Parents

This article focuses on the R consonant sound and how your child can use our app to practice saying it correctly. Download the app and…

A Parent's Guide to Articulation Errors. Case Example: Lisp

Here at Speech Blubs, we know that it’s important for you, as a parent, to be able to recognize when your child has an articulation…

Your Non-verbal Child: How to Set Communication Goals

Having a non-verbal child isn’t easy. Even knowing what a child’s communication development stages are is a lot of work. Not to mention learning to…