The Speech Factory

With fast conveyor belts and busy workers, The Speech Factory takes children – and the adults supporting them – on a tour through speech production: from having ideas, to finding words, building sentences, designing sounds, planning, programming and executing speech movements, and finally checking the output.

Grounded in psycholinguistic research, the book translates the widely used Stackhouse and Wells psycholinguistic framework (1997) into a fun and engaging vehicle for talking to children about their speech. Designed for children aged 7-12 – but valuable for any child or adult seeking to understand the process of turning ideas into words – the book supports children to identify their strengths (‘my Inventors work fast and have loads of ideas!’) and make sense of their challenges (‘my Engineers need more time’). The metaphor provides a protective distance that allows meaningful conversations while preserving self-esteem.

For parents, teachers and speech and language therapists, the book offers a shared language which can be used to discuss progress, targets and support. Beautifully illustrated with humorous characters as well as mischievous chickens hiding on each page, this picture book will explain the complex process of speech to children who have speech sound disorders.

Accompanied by downloadable resources, the book extends beyond the initial read to become a tool used throughout the therapy process.