Meet the Baby Speak
Speech and Language Therapy Team
At Baby Speak, our team of experienced Speech and Language Therapists supports babies, children, and families across London and the UK.
Based at our Harley Street clinic in London, we provide evidence-based, family-centred therapy focused on speech, language, communication and feeding. Our therapists bring extensive experience across both NHS and private practice, including leading paediatric hospitals such as Great Ormond Street Hospital and The Portland Hospital. Our clinicians specialise in supporting speech, language, and social communication development, including autism, feeding challenges, and neuro-developmental conditions.
With a warm, child-led approach, we help every family feel understood, supported, and confident in their child’s development.
Emma O’Dwyer
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Emma O’Dwyer is the founder of Baby Speak, based at 10 Harley Street, London. She is a qualified Speech and Language Therapist (Ulster University, Belfast) and a certified IBCLC Lactation Consultant.
With over 15 years of experience in paediatric speech, feeding, and communication, Emma has worked across leading NHS and private hospitals, including Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, The Royal London Hospital, and The Portland Hospital.
Emma is passionate about helping families nurture their child’s feeding, speech, language, and early communication skills through responsive, evidence-based support. She has specialist expertise in infant feeding, paediatric dysphagia, and early communication development.
Alongside her clinical work, Emma acts as an expert witness in medico-legal cases and provides brand and media consultation, offering expert advice on communication and feeding for campaigns and collaborations including work with brands such as Munchkin. Learn more on our Brands & Media page.
Special interests: infant feeding, early communication, parent coaching, and family-centred therapy.
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Ciara Knox is an experienced Speech and Language Therapist with over 15 years of expertise supporting children with complex communication needs.
She specialises in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems, including signing, symbols, communication books, and high-tech options such as iPad-based tools, eye gaze, and switching technology.
Ciara has presented her clinical work at national and international conferences, including the British Academy of Childhood Disability and Communication Matters. She also consults on inclusive communication and environmental adaptations for schools and workplaces through Communication Access UK (CAUK).
Her practice is inclusive, evidence-based, and empowering, helping every child find their voice through communication that works for them.
Special interests: AAC, inclusion, sensory communication, and accessibility consulting.
Ciara Knox
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Louise Emerson is a highly skilled Speech and Language Therapist with a BSc (Hons) from De Montfort University, Leicester, and specialist training in paediatric feeding and swallowing (dysphagia).
With over 15 years of experience, Louise worked for many years at Great Ormond Street Hospital, supporting children with complex medical conditions such as cerebral palsy, autism, and genetic syndromes.
She provides expert feeding and communication support for children and families, and also offers clinical supervision and peer mentoring for therapists.
As a parent of two young daughters, Louise brings empathy and real-world insight to her work, helping families navigate early communication and feeding with confidence.
Special interests: paediatric dysphagia, early feeding, complex medical needs, and supervision for SLTs.
Louise Emerson
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Patricia de Guzman is a qualified Speech and Language Therapist with a Master of Speech Language Therapy Practice (2014) and a Bachelor of Science (2012) from the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
She supports toddlers, children and teenagers with speech-sound, language, and social communication needs, including those who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems.
Patricia has extensive experience with children who have autism spectrum condition, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, DiGeorge syndrome, and acquired brain injuries.
Her sessions are playful, structured and collaborative, helping children develop clear, confident communication while supporting families with strategies they can use every day.
Patricia brings warmth, creativity and clinical expertise to every session, tailoring therapy to each child’s interests, strengths and learning style.
Special interests: early language development, speech-sound disorders, AAC, and family-centred therapy.
Patricia de Guzman
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Emma Henderson is a qualified Speech and Language Therapist with extensive experience supporting children with complex communication needs.
She specialises in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), from paper-based systems such as Core Vocabulary Boards to high-tech options including PODD, eye gaze, and iPad communication apps.
Emma has worked across special schools, mainstream schools, nurseries, and clinics, using a child-centred and family-led approach. Her goal is to create engaging, functional sessions that help children communicate meaningfully in daily life.
She has completed professional training in Makaton, Sign Along, TaSSeLs, Switch Skills, Intensive Interaction, and Advanced Dysphagia Management.
Special interests: AAC, complex needs, family-centred therapy, and multidisciplinary teamwork.
Emma Henderson
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Aoife O’Riordan is a qualified Speech and Language Therapist with a BSc (Hons) degree from University College Cork, Ireland.
She has a special interest in speech-sound disorders, language disorders, and early communication. Aoife supports children across various settings; from mainstream schools and nurseries to clinics and family homes, ensuring therapy is functional, play-based, and family-focused.
Her experience includes supporting children with speech-sound difficulties, expressive and receptive language needs, autism, and selective mutism.
Aoife’s sessions are designed to build confidence and communication skills while empowering parents with strategies they can use every day.
Special interests: speech-sound disorders, language development, selective mutism, and family collaboration.
Aoife O’Riordan
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Megan Byrne is a Speech and Language Therapist with over 10 years of experience supporting children with global developmental delay, autism, and complex communication needs.
She has worked across a wide range of clinical and educational settings, including specialist schools, mainstream schools, hospital clinics, and early years centres.
Megan’s approach is neurodiversity-affirming, child-centred, and evidence-based, focusing on functional communication that empowers each child to connect and express themselves.
She is trained in Gestalt Language Processing, SCERTS, Lego Therapy, Makaton, Intensive Interaction, and Parent–Child Interaction Therapy.
Special interests: autism, gestalt language, play-based therapy, and sensory communication.
Megan Byrne
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Emma Shave is an experienced Speech and Language Therapist with over 15 years of clinical experience across the NHS and private sector, including services in Sussex, Lewisham and Kent.
She specialises in supporting children with autism, social communication differences, and complex developmental needs, providing both therapy and private autism assessments in line with NICE guidance.
Emma’s practice is neuroaffirmative, child-led, and centred on empowering parents through coaching and practical strategies. She is trained in Gestalt Language Processing and has specialist expertise in helping children who experience feeding and communication challenges related to sensory or emotional regulation.
Her approach combines compassion with evidence-based methods, helping each family feel understood, confident and supported.
Special interests: autism assessment, early communication, feeding and interaction, parent coaching, and neurodiversity-affirming practice.
Emma Shave
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Shannon is a qualified Speech and Language Therapist with a Master’s degree from City, University of London. She has extensive experience supporting children with a wide range of communication and interaction needs, using evidence-based approaches to help each child connect, play and communicate confidently.
Shannon’s work integrates a variety of therapeutic methods, including Parent–Child Interaction Therapy, Intensive Interaction, Attention Autism, and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). She is experienced in using signing, Core Vocabulary Boards, and switch technology to support functional and meaningful communication.
She is passionate about helping children develop their communication skills through strong, nurturing relationships with their caregivers. Shannon works closely with families to identify and implement the most meaningful and child-centred intervention approaches, ensuring therapy feels collaborative, responsive, and engaging.
Special interests: parent–child interaction, AAC, early communication, and relationship-based therapy.
Shannon Buxton
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Hollie is a qualified Speech and Language Therapist with a BSc (Hons) degree from the National University of Ireland, Galway. She supports children and young people with a wide range of speech, language, and communication needs, including language disorders, speech-sound disorders, social communication differences, selective mutism, and children who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).
With a particular interest in early language development, Hollie is passionate about helping children build the foundations for confident communication from the earliest stages.
She has worked across diverse settings including special schools, mainstream schools (primary and secondary), additional resource provisions, clinics, and family homes, giving her a broad understanding of children’s communication across everyday environments.
Hollie takes a family-centred, neuroaffirmative approach, ensuring therapy is child-led, functional, and engaging. Her sessions focus on building each child’s confidence and communication skills through play and meaningful goals, while empowering families with practical strategies to support progress at home.
Special interests: early language development, selective mutism, speech-sound disorders, and functional communication.
