Contact a Family Directory lists information on 430 disabilities and health conditions

Posted on December 9, 2010 by Avril Nicoll

ContactaFamilyDirectory I still remember the first time I heard about autism, when a parent came to talk to our Guide Company over 30 years ago. As a new graduate, I read up on Neurofibromatosis, which affected one of my young clients. A few years later I learned about Fragile X Syndrome and the Fragile X Society through a very dedicated parent whose son is now a young adult. 

If you work with disabled children and their families, you will come across many who already have a diagnosis, or who are going through an assessment process where a diagnosis may help those around the child understand their needs. Some you may have heard of – awareness of CHARGE syndrome, for example, is growing. But others, such as Dravet Syndrome or Wolfram Syndrome, may be completely new. Contact a Family added these recently to their Directory. This lists physical symptoms, psychological and behavioural characteristics for 430 disabilities and health conditions, along with details of relevant UK support groups.

Chief Executive Srabani Sen says, "Families really appreciate it when speech and language therapists find out about their child's condition. It helps them feel more understood and less isolated. Research shows that parents of disabled children who enjoy positive relationships with the professionals involved in their children's care often cite them as important sources of emotional and practical support."

The Contact a Family Directory is available online (£17.25 per year) and in print (£40), tel. 020 7608 8700.

Posted in Autism, Books, journals and articles, CPD, Craniofacial, Deafness, Learning disability, Resources, Speech and language development, Voluntary organisations | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Better Communication Research Programme needs input from practising therapists

Posted on December 4, 2010 by Avril Nicoll

What interventions do you offer children with speech, language and communication needs, and what outcomes are you looking for?

The Better Communication Research Programme team is looking for speech and language therapists to respond to a survey about practice. The closing date is 17 December 2010.

This research programme was set up by the government as part of its response to the 2008 Bercow Review of provision for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs. The team, which includes Professor Sue Roulstone and Yvonne Wren, wants to make sure that its research takes account of everyday practice, and that it will ultimately be useful to practitioners, commissioners, policy makers and parents.

It therefore intends to use the survey responses, together with the findings of a systematic literature review, to develop a database of the evidence for specific interventions and the outcomes which can be expected from them. The researchers want to capture different factors that influence effectiveness and efficiency. These include where the intervention takes place, the content of the intervention, the people and resources involved and whether it is offered via a direct or indirect method.

The researchers say the survey should take between 10 and 20 minutes to complete, and that all responses are in confidence and anonymous. Click here to complete the survey.

Posted in Autism, CPD, Deafness, Phonetics / phonology, Professional standards, Service delivery, Speech and Language Therapy, Stammering | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Winter 10 issue of Speech & Language Therapy in Practice on its way

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Avril Nicoll

011210bl Usually the Winter issue of Speech & Language Therapy in Practice goes out before the weather has really started to bite – but not this year!

Winter 10 was posted from the mailing house in Lewes yesterday to UK and overseas subscribers so, weather permitting, will reach you any day now. However, as you can see from these pictures taken from my windows 5 minutes ago, not much is moving here and it is no surprise that the extra copies which I post out have yet to arrive.

This means a bit of a delay for those who receive bulk copies, those with BFPO addresses, and authors. As soon as the magazines arrive I will get them sent on.

Like our weather, the magazine has an early festive feel, with an extra four pages in this issue and four fantastic reader offers.

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‘Hello’ to the National Year of Communication

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Avril Nicoll

Tsars, supremos, working parties, interdepartmental committees, royal commissions – it's easy for 'Yes, Prime Minister' (Gielgud Theatre, London) to be cynical. While the playwrights have a point, I had just come from a Communication Trust reception at the House of Commons which had a much more positive feel. It reminded me of the good that politicians can do, and of the potential of the National Year of Communication initiative and the appointed Communication Champion to make a real difference.

The National Year of Communication, which will run throughout 2011, is called 'Hello'. It aims to make children's communication skills a priority in homes and schools across England. Working with the Communication Champion Jean Gross, the year will be "managed and delivered" by The Communication Trust. This group of 39 voluntary and community sector organisations has the interests of children with speech, language and communication needs at its heart.

Mike Kennard of Signalong told me it is "the most effective coalition I have ever been involved with" – and, seeing the impact its work is having at the highest level, I can believe it. That doesn't mean it has been easy. As the Director of the Communication Trust Anita Kerwin-Nye said, tongue only half in cheek, "Some of us don't even like each other!" Resolving that she "will not rest until specific language impairment and speech, language and communication needs are as well understood as dyslexia or autism", Anita added, "The only way we're going to fix this is collectively. Everybody needs to 'get' it."

The reception at the House of Commons was sponsored by Robert Buckland MP, whose particular interest in this area has come about through his experience as a parent. The 150 guests heard a number of speakers, including Amanda Ryalls, whose son uses a voice output communication aid, Chris Pike, a young aspiring politician who has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, and Minister of State for Children and Families Sarah Teather. 

A fuller report of the event and the key messages for speech and language therapists will be in the Winter 10 issue of Speech & Language Therapy in Practice.

Posted in AAC, Autism, Conferences, Speech and language development, Stammering, Voluntary organisations | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Making a succinct case for speech and language therapy

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Avril Nicoll

Last week I heard Mike Inglis, the newly appointed Governor of Polmont Young Offenders Institution, make a succinct case for speech and language therapy.

Mike was speaking at a Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists (RCSLT) study day on effectiveness and efficiency. He explained that speech and language therapy helps inmates cope with the training programmes (on alcohol or drug dependency, sex offending, anger management) that will increase their employability and reduce re-offending. Reinforcing the message, RCSLT Chief Executive Kamini Gadhok (pictured) said, “Communication is central – without it we cannot access the world of education or the world of work.”

In a later slot Professor Paul Carding said that, although speech and language therapists have always been innovative thinkers in the face of the constantly challenging environment of the NHS, we are not good at making the case for our services “succinctly, sharply and clearly”. Richard Simpson MSP reinforced the need to be concise when presenting information or ideas to politicians, for example as part of the RCSLT Giving Voice campaign. A short brief with links to supporting evidence for parliamentary researchers to follow up is most effective.

Keeping it simple is also a good principle for conference presentations, where the time per speaker is strictly limited. Eryl Evans got her message across clearly, but with humour and compassion: long journeys for treatment are not good for clients or services, yet we are not always aware of alternatives. Eryl discovered that state of the art videoconferencing facilities were already in all of the small rural hospitals in her health board area. She now uses telemedicine to provide a high quality service which is convenient for the clients and a more efficient use of therapy time.

The RCSLT Study Day and AGM 2010 ‘Effectiveness and efficiency – innovation in speech and language therapy’ was in Edinburgh on 7th October. The photograph from the event is used by kind permission of RCSLT. Presentations are due to be added to the RCSLT website soon.

Posted in Conferences, CPD, Service delivery, Speech and Language Therapy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blu-Tack and speech and language therapy

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Avril Nicoll

Suggesting ways to make learning fun, speech and language therapist Priya Desai says that blu-tack is "to this day a clear favourite of all the children I have worked with". 

The clever marketing people at blu-tack use their website to collate and share ideas about the many uses for their product. Speech and language therapists are amazingly creative, and are always looking for new, low cost tricks. What suggestions do you have for using blu-tack in therapy?

Posted in Resources, Speech and Language Therapy | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Sharing good practice and giving voice to people with speech, language, communication and swallowing needs

Posted on September 28, 2010 by Avril Nicoll

Being honest, I wasn't too sure when I read the programme for the RCSLT Scotland day on 26th August that I would particularly enjoy it, other than as an all too rare opportunity to catch up with colleagues in person. How wrong could I be! I have attended many RCSLT events over the years and – especially given the difficulties facing public services - this was one of the most inspiring and timely. I have written about it in a freely available article as an early taster for the Winter 10 issue (due out at the end of November).

It is also well worth reading keynote speaker Gerda Stevenson's story of her communication journey with daughter Galina (now 12) who has Down Syndrome. It tells us so much about the value of user involvement, being up-to-date with the evidence, and the potential of storytelling and drama in therapy.

Perhaps you know other service users who would like to share their experience with a wider audience? If so, the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists is inviting them to join its Giving Voice campaign.  

Posted in Books, journals and articles, Conferences, CPD, Service delivery, Speech and Language Therapy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Voice banking for people with degenerative diseases

Posted on September 10, 2010 by Avril Nicoll

Radio 4's Word of Mouth this week interviewed Laurence Brewer. Laurence has Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and is in the process of banking his voice to create his unique synthesised version for future use.

Laurence says that, although the idea of voice banking is popular in the US, he wants to raise awareness among speech and language therapists in the UK of the potential benefits. Laurence knows that at some point his speech will deteriorate; his desire to find out about the different options was driven by a wish for his 6 month old son to grow up knowing his voice.

Laurence is going through the screening process of a home-based speech synthesis software package called ModelTalker. Once this is complete, he will record himself saying 1600 pre-set sentences. The researchers will then 'cut and paste' phonemes and syllables to reproduce his speech patterns. As it is a US program, Laurence is not sure how it will cope with his accent! Although aware it might be very clear, he is cautious in his expectations: "I think it will probably sound a bit stilted and a bit robotic, but I think there will still be an element that will be of myself. So it will sound similar to myself – but maybe myself imitating a Dalek!"

The Word of Mouth programme will be repeated on Monday 13th September at 23.00. It starts with Tony Crimlisk who has been recording voices in his family since 1956 in the way that many people take photographs. Dr Shelley Trower, an oral historian, then discusses how such projects give voice to people who wouldn't normally be included in written history. Dr Tim Bunnell talks about how the ModelTalker technology works and Laurence explains to interviewer Chris Ledgard that voice is an important part of people's identity. He wants to leave a legacy of his voice, and to make speech and language therapists more aware of the technology that can support this.

Posted in AAC, Motor Neurone Disease (MND), Parkinson's disease, Phonetics / phonology, Resources, Speech and Language Therapy, Voice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Copyright and the Publishers Licensing Society

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Avril Nicoll

When you photocopy an article or book chapter, or cut and paste sections or download pictures from a website, are you infringing copyright? As with everything, "it depends".

Many organisations, including the NHS and schools, pay the Copyright Licensing Agency a negotiated amount to cover the cost of photocopying for a year, within certain limits, without having to seek further permission. The money gathered under this collective licensing scheme is then distributed to publishers, authors and artists/designers.

The Publishers Licensing Society (PLS) is the non-profit making organisation responsible for getting copyright royalties to publishers. Yesterday, Imogen and Tom from the PLS came to Edinburgh to talk to some Scottish publishers about what they do and how the PLS is keeping up to date with developments in the digital age. As well as learning a lot, I enjoyed the opportunity to swap stories and ideas with the other attendees, including Joe and Katie from Pinpoint Scotland, which produces ENT News.

If you have published anything in the UK that has an ISSN or ISBN number, it is worth checking with the Publishers Licensing Society to see if they hold any royalties for you.

Posted in Resources, Writing for publication | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Free conversing with Sharynne McLeod article now available

Posted on September 7, 2010 by Avril Nicoll

Being a speech-language pathologist herself, internationally renowned educator, researcher and editor Sharynne McLeod knows how much our profession likes to talk.

During a study day in Bristol in July (‘Speech Sound Disorders in Children – Seminar for SLTs’), Sharynne made a point of encouraging the 50 attendees to shift seats at each interval and talk to someone new. It may feel more natural to find a seat and stick with it, but I enjoyed experiencing her informative, challenging and inspiring seminar from different vantage points, and discussing it with a variety of friendly speechies. Definitely something to do again at future events.

To finish, Sharynne got us each to blow up balloons and write on them the main two messages we would take away from the day. The activity also involved a song and punching the balloons around, which I imagine goes some way towards explaining why I still remember that I wrote ‘siblings’ and ‘polysyllabic words’ on mine.

There were, however, many other equally important messages about making sense of the literature, writing for publication and making a difference across the globe, which I have written about in a new free article on the study day and a follow-up interview with Sharynne. This e-article supplements the content of the Autumn 10 issue of Speech & Language Therapy in Practice magazine.

Posted in Books, journals and articles, Conferences, CPD, Overseas, Phonetics / phonology, Resources, Service delivery, Speech and language development, Speech and Language Therapy, Writing for publication | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment