Supporting your Child's Communication Journey
Join thousands of families who have used Lámh to strengthen communication with their child.
Starting the Lámh journey
Lámh is one type of communication support among many options. Your speech and language therapist or early intervention team may work with you to look at the type of support that could benefit your child.
Who’s Involved:
- Parents
- Speech and Language Therapist
- Early intervention team members
- Family members
- Others supporting your child, e.g. pre-school staff, teachers
See the impact signing ‘Hello’ can have on users of Lámh, their family and wider community.
How might we start to use Lámh?
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Your speech & language therapist or team may recommend Lámh to support your child's communication and they can support you in starting to use Lámh signs with your child.
Using Lámh starts with a small number of signs. Your Speech and Language Therapist or service provider may show you some Lámh signs and discuss where you may be able to use the signs in everyday routines.
Learning to use Lámh is quite different to learning to speak. Use some signs as often as possible in different situations at home, outside, in school.
For example, you might start with signs for 'more' and 'eat', and use them at home, at dinner, playtime or at school. The aim is to let your child get used to seeing those around them signing, and eventually encouraging your child to use Lámh signs.
There are resources you can use to practice some Lámh signs, such as Lámh Sign of the Week on Instagram and Facebook, Dizzy Deliveries TV series and the Little Lámh resource.
You may be offered a Little Lámh Course or Family Lámh Course. Your Speech and Language Therapist or team may organise a Lámh course for families and staff. Sometimes families decide to attend the Module One course themselves, see the latest available dates on our training calendar.
Real Families, Real Results
"Genuinely I think that for us as a family Lámh has been one of the best things that we've done"
Fionn's Story - Building Confidence Through Lámh
Ceire Rochford is mother to two beautiful boys, Fionn and Odhran. Ceire shares Fionn’s story with us: “Fionn was born in February 2012 and diagnosed with Down Syndrome a number of days after birth. From a very early age, Fionn would try to communicate with anyone that held him: looking deeply into their eyes, following their gaze, making sounds and reaching out. It was obvious that there was lots of personality in there that needed to find a way to burst forth. And that it did… thanks to Lámh.
Dizzy Deliveries At the Funfair
In a new fun-filled Dizzy Deliveries book Joe and Ozzy visit the funfair and have fun adventures on the way with their friend James! You can read along while practicing Lamh signs using the QR code provided.
Lámh-a-song Digital access & DVDs
Frequently asked questions
How to Access Training
Talk to Your Team - Discuss Lámh with your speech and language therapist or service provider. Otherwise you may be part of an organisation or group that organises training, or contact the Lámh Office.
Will signs delay my child's speech development?
Research shows that Lámh actually supports speech development. With Lámh, speech is always used alongside signs, and key words in sentences are signed. Signing encourages people to slow down, giving more time to understand messages, and encourages eye contact and attention to movement - skills that are important for speech development. Many families find that children often try new words and say more when they use signs.
How can I start to use Lámh signs?
Lámh use starts with a small number of signs - you might begin with just 'more', 'eat' and 'stop' and use them at home, at dinner, playtime or at school. The aim is to let your child get used to seeing those around them signing. Many families notice reduced communication frustration within weeks of starting. The Little Lámh workshop introduces 26 essential signs in just 2.5 hours, giving you a foundation to build on.
How do I get grandparents and other family involved?
Chatting through why Lámh signs may be useful for you child can be helpful. Family members can start to learn what Lámh is from Sign of the Week, Dizzy Deliveries and other resources. Some family members may be invited by your service or team to attend a Family Lámh Course. The course gives everyone the skills to support your child's sign use and creates consistency across all the important people in your child's life.
What if my child's school doesn't know Lámh?
Many teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) complete Module One Lámh training to support pupils in their classroom. There is a Lámh at Schools poster produced by Lámh and the NCSE together, available from our Shop. The NCSE can provide information for schools. They can use our website page for schools (add link). Many schools show Dizzy Deliveries episodes during the school day.