Teachers need voice training - Royal College of Speech and

Transcription

Bulletin Sept06 Cover
17/8/06
7:13 am
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Sept 2006 • Issue 653
Teachers need voice training
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17/8/06
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Contents September
21/8/06
11:10 pm
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Sept 2006 • Issue 653
September 2006 • Issue 653
COVER STORY:
Teachers need
voice training for
the sake of pupils
See page 6 for full story
Royal College of Speech
and Language Therapists
2 White Hart Yard, London SE1 1NX
Telephone:
email:
website:
020 7378 1200
bulletin@rcslt.org
www.rcslt.org
President
Sir George Cox
Senior Life
Vice President
Sir Sigmund Sternberg
Vice Presidents
Simon Hughes MP
Baroness Jay
Baroness Michie
Chair
Sue Roulstone
Deputy Chair
Rosalind Gray Rogers
Hon Treasurer
Gill Stevenson
Professional
Director
Kamini Gadhok
Editor
Steven Harulow
Deputy Editor
Annie Faulkner
Marketing
Officer
Sandra Burke
Publisher
Design
CONTENTS
4
Editorial and letters
5
Obituary: Cheryl Palmer
6
News: Book your place now for the RCSLT annual
conference; Professor Dodd calls City University home
during September; Huntingdonshire team wins
patient involvement award and more…
10 Maria Venditozzi describes how Talking Mats helped
explore complex relationship issues with a woman
with severe communication difficulties
12 Jo Clarke reports on the SLEEP study to improve
communication between SLTs, Sure Start, a health
visitor service and Early Years settings
14 Wendy Rinaldi looks at how SLTs can extend services
to school aged children with language and
communication needs
16 Policy and partnerships in action: a look at the new
TG Scott
(A division of
McMillan-Scott plc)
Courts Design Ltd
Teachers need voice training
RCSLT Policy and Partnerships Team
19 Sophie Cottrell and Alex Davies discuss their Stroke
Talk project
20 Any questions: Ask your colleagues and share
your knowledge
21 Reviews: The latest books and products reviewed
by SLTs
22 Specific Interest Groups: The latest meetings
Disclaimer:
The bulletin is the monthly magazine of the
Royal College of Speech and Language
Therapists.The views expressed in the bulletin
are not necessarily the views of the College.
Publication does not imply endorsement.
Publication of advertisements in the bulletin is
not an endorsement of the advertiser or of the
products and services advertised.
and events around the UK
Letters-Ed 4-5
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e d i to r i a l a n d l et te r s
Policy and partnerships:
working on your behalf
I trust you all had a good break
this summer, give or take a few
transport issues at the airports,
and are raring to this September
In this month's Bulletin we are featuring the work
of the recently formed RCSLT Policy and
Partnerships Team, on pages 16-18.
RCSLT Head of Policy and Partnerships Nick
Smith has assembled his team to create an effective
unit that can influence government policy and raise
awareness of the work undertaken by SLTs, in
rapidly moving health, education and social care
landscapes.
As you will read, they have accomplished much
already on your behalf since the beginning of 2006,
and have interesting plans for the future.
The managers among you may have taken part in
the team's scoping exercise to look at budget and
staffing issues, including newly-qualified
practitioner take up, in the light of recent NHS
financial concerns. The preliminary results from
the 200 respondents make fascinating reading and
we will publish the full details of the survey in next
month's Bulletin.
The team are also investigating new graduate
employment issues and aim to take the results of
their studies to meetings at the Department of
Health in September. Again, the outcomes of the
investigation and the subsequent meetings will
feature in the October Bulletin.
Finally, don't forget to book your place at the
RCSLT one-day conference and AGM on 28
September in Edinburgh. I know it's an often-used
cliché, but places really are going fast, so book your
place now. You will find a booking form on this
issue's inside back cover and on the RCSLT website:
www.rcslt.org/news/forthcoming_events/edinburgh
2006
Steven Harulow
Bulletin Editor
4
bulletin September 2006
LETTERS
Bulletin thrives on your letters and emails
Write to the editor, RCSLT, 2 White Hart Yard,
London SE1 1NX
email: bulletin@rcslt.org
Please include your postal address and telephone number
Letters may be edited for publication (250 words maximum)
Comments on CQ3
Congratulations on Communicating
Quality 3 (CQ3), which is full of useful
details and has a user-friendly format. I
have a number of points with regard to
the contents.
I particularly like the sections in
Adult dysphagia on aetiology,
prevalence and incidence and
vulnerability: risk issues. I feel they are
extremely useful for teaching
students/other professionals/raising
awareness etc and would like to use
them in that capacity, with CQ3
referenced as the source.
I would like to query the section on
dysphagia. When I contacted College at
least two years ago I was definitely told
that we now had 'open referral' and
when CQ3 came out, that would be in it.
Having looked at the referral section
I do not feel that that has been clearly
indicated. 'Any member of the
multidisciplinary team' suggests a more
discreet group of professionals.
But we get a lot of our community
dysphagia referrals from nursing and
residential home staff. Were you
including this group of professionals in
your multidisciplinary team?
'Open referral' also implies that
relatives or patients could refer
themselves. By not using that term, they
appear to have been excluded.
We have been using an open referral
system since being given that
information by College and have
experienced no problems by following
this system. Was it your intention to
change what you had said or was the
description in CQ3 just not sufficiently
detailed?
My colleague, who is a specialist, feels
the pathway relating to dysfluency
relates more to paediatric dysfluency
than adults so perhaps for the next CQ
this could be considered. The same
colleague who is also our adult
psychiatry/mental health specialist
informs me there is not very much in
CQ3 re this area. Could this please be
looked at for the next handbook?
Mariani Tanton,
Coordinator of adult speech and
language therapy, North Kirklees PCT
www.rcslt.org
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e d i to r i a l a n d l et te r s
LETTERS continued
Late tongue-tie operations
Speak Forth relaunch
Does anyone have any experience of late
tongue-tie operations? I have a 13-year-old
client who has moved into the area, with a
history of verbal dyspraxia.
He has a medical diagnosis of 'severe
developmental co-ordination disorder' with
a possible diagnosis of Tourette's syndrome.
His parents are concerned about the
clarity of his speech. He appears to have a
significant tongue-tie with the result that he
is producing all alveolar consonants with
the blade of his tongue. This is certainly
contributing to the generally indistinct
quality of his speech.
It would seem inadvisable for his tonguetie to be released at this late stage in view of
his history and other difficulties. I welcome
any advice.
We are holding an open meeting to
consider re-launching Speak Forth, a local
RCSLT group that was active in Forth Valley
from 1991 to 2003.
We have been considering this idea for
some time, and the recent ratification of
our colleague Mary Turnbull as RCSLT
Deputy Chair seems the perfect reason to
get together, celebrate Mary's success, and
plan how to take the group forward.
Speak Forth previously met four to five
times a year to discuss RCSLT topics and
contribute to policy development. It was a
strong voice in the campaign for a Scotland
officer at the time of devolution.
The meetings were always informal and
relaxed.
We have planned a meeting close to
motorway links at Brucefields Golf Centre,
Bannockburn, Stirling, on Wednesday 13
September 2006, starting at 6pm for 6.30
pm, with a light supper, priced £11.50. The
Lindsay Blaxland,
Email: Lindsay.Blaxland@somcoastpct.nhs.uk
meeting will end at 9pm.
We warmly welcome all SLTs living and
working in central Scotland to this meeting.
For more information, please phone
Joyce Firth, on 01786 434078, or email:
jane.womersley@fvpct.scot.nhs.uk
Joyce Firth,
Senior SLT, Stirling Royal Infirmary
Enter the debate.
Send your
letters to
bulletin@rcslt.org
OBITUARY
Cheryl Palmer : 1968 - 2006
t is with great sadness that we report the
tragic death of our friend and colleague
Cheryl Palmer at the young age of 37.
Cheryl qualified as an SLT from
Manchester University in 1991. Her first
post was for Nottinghamshire NHS Trust.
Following this she worked as a specialist
therapist for Wokingham NHS Trust.
Collegues from Wokingham have many
happy memories of Cheryl, describing her
as having a vibrant and enthusiastic
approach to work and life in general.
Cheryl then worked for Symbol UK in Kent
before coming to Carmarthenshire in
August 2003.
Within Carmarthenshire, Cheryl worked
in specialist units for pupils with autistic
spectrum disorders. She was very well
informed and committed to this
challenging caseload. She set up parent
I
www.rcslt.org
workshops and actively promoted
collaborative working.
Cheryl was a great help to less
experienced collegues, offering them
training and second opinions. She shared
her expertise freely and was always
generous with her time and support.
Cheryl's funeral was held at Sutton
Coldfield on 22 May. A memorial service at
the Botanical Gardens of Wales was well
attended by collegues from many
disciplines.
We all share a great sadness and sense of
loss. Our sympathies are with Cheryl's
parents, sister and fiancée.
Clare Price , Team leader speech and
language therapy
Carmarthenshire NHS Trust
September 2006 bulletin
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Philip Parkin, general secretary of the
Professional Association of Teachers,
addressed this year’s annual conference on 1
August and concluded, ‘the care and the use
of the voice should be an essential and
mandatory component of all initial teacher
training.’
His comments were related to evidencebased research undertaken by Jemma
Rogerson, senior specialist SLT, Chorley and
South Ribble PCT.
Jemma’s research, investigating the effect of
dysphonic teachers’ voices on children’s
processing of spoken language, revealed that
any form of vocal impairment is detrimental
to children’s speech perception and is therefore
likely to have a negative educational effect.
Her study involved testing 107 children of
similar ages and socio-economic
backgrounds. Each child listened and
watched a video recording of a control
(normal) voice, mildly dysphonic and
severely dysphonic voice.
The children then answered six multiplechoice questions. Their performance on tasks
was significantly better in the control voice
than in either the mildly or severely
dysphonic voices, regardless of age, gender,
educational institution and IQ.
According to Jemma, explanations for
differing performance can be drawn from
models of speech perception.
“The impaired voice seems to place
Getty Images
Teachers ‘need voice training’ for sake of pupils
The impaired voice seems to place additional demands on the listener
additional demands on the listener as more
resources are directed to perceptual
processing, thus reducing processing capacity
for the comprehension of information.”
She adds, “There is a vast body of
literature on the prevalence, symptom
diversity, psychological and economical
problems of teacher vocal impairment.”
“However, this is the first study to address
in detail the educational effect on children
who listen to their dysphonic teachers. It is
hoped it will add weight to support the
implementation of compulsory vocal
training on all teacher training programmes.”
Jemma comments that appropriate policy
is needed to provide advice and guidance at
Recent staff changes at your RCSLT
Lorna Robinson joined the RCSLT’s
Customer Relationship Management Team in
June as the new Electronic Information
Officer.
This means that Lorna has taken over the
reins of the RCSLT website and is working
across the RCSLT’s teams to develop new and
improved services, including the online
continuing professional development (CPD)
facilities.
Lorna joins the RCSLT from the mobile
phone gaming company Glu Mobile, where
she was web project manager.
Lorna says, “I’m very excited to join the
RCSLT and build on the great work that has
6
already been done on the website and CPD.
“We’ve already got some new ideas that
will start appearing on the site very soon and
I would be delighted to receive comments
and suggestions from our members.” Email:
lorna.robinson@rcslt.org
Meanwhile, Sarah Gentleman has swapped
royal colleges after a year writing news stories
and editing your features for the RCSLT
Bulletin and helping to create and update
content for the relaunched RCSLT website.
Sarah has moved to the Royal College of
Pathologists, to edit their quarterly Bulletin
magazine.
the point of training to ensure students of
education are equipped vocally to enter their
chosen profession.
The research has been recently reported in
national and international media,
demonstrating this is an important topic,
which needs further investigation.
“Hopefully, this research and the attention
it has received means the future for
preventative vocal care is bright.”
Reference:
Rogerson J, Dodd B. Is There an Effect of
Dysphonic Teachers’ Voices on Children’s
Processing of Spoken Language? Journal of
Voice 2005; 19:1, 47-60.
September’s
Bulletin book draw
RCSLT Bulletin readers can win a copy of
Phonetics: principles and practices 3rd
edition by Sadanand and Kala Singh, and
published by Plural Publishing.To win your free
copy, send your name, address and membership
number to September Book
Draw, Bulletin, 2 White Hart
Yard, London SE1 1NX. Entries
close 14 September 2006. Only
one entry per person.The
winner of July's draw is Alison
Holloway from Newport,
South Wales.
www.rcslt.org
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Only four weeks to go to
the Edinburgh conference
Places are going fast: book your place today for the 2006 RCSLT one-day
conference and AGM
RCSLT members from around the UK will gather at
the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh on 28
September to discuss how research can be best put
into practice.
Plugging the evidence base gap will bring
together experts from all areas of the profession;
with representatives from universities and clinical
areas.
Delegates will also have the opportunity to
question the RCSLT’s new Councillor for Research
and representatives from the UK Clinical Research
Collaboration and the Nuffield Foundation.
Paul Carding, Professor of Voice Pathology at the
University of Newcastle, will use the RCSLT
Founders’ lecture to open the conference.
“All practising SLTs should understand the
current levels of evidence that underpin their
clinical work. Building a high quality evidence base
is a clinical responsibility as much as it is an
academic one,” Professor Carding says.
Also of great interest will be the session presented
by Professor James Law, Director of the Centre for
Integrated Healthcare Research at Queen Margaret
University College, Edinburgh.
Together with his colleague, Dr Kirsty Forsyth, he
will discuss their interdisciplinary approach to
speech and language and occupational therapy.
The day will include the RCSLT annual general
meeting. This will provide an opportunity to catch
up with the RCSLT’s activities during the past year
and to ask RCSLT councillors about the contents of
the annual report.
Book your place today. The booking form is
available on the RCSLT website and on the inside
back cover of this Bulletin. More details are on the
back cover. Email: information@rcslt.org or tel: 020
7378 3012. Visit:
www.rcslt.org/news/forthcoming_events/edinburgh
2006
Professor Dodd calls City University
home during September
Professor Barbara Dodd, currently ARC research
professor at the Royal Brisbane and Women's
Hospital, Queensland, Australia, will be a visiting
scholar at the Department of Language and
Communication Science, City University, during
September 2006.
Professor Dodd will be involved in various
activities in the department, including giving a
keynote presentation on evidence-based practice
in speech-language therapy at City University's
Making New Connections 2 conference on 13-15
September (visit: www.city.ac.uk/making
newconnections).
Together with Dr Victoria Joffe, Professor
Dodd will also host a workshop at the university
on 28 September, on the assessment and
management of child speech disorder: current
practice, effectiveness and future implications.
www.rcslt.org
The workshop, primarily aimed at clinicians
working with child speech disorder, will include
an overview of the current research and practice
in the assessment and management of child
speech disorder, an evaluation of the research
literature and its implications for future clinical
practice.
For further details about the workshop and to
register, contact Lee Trenaman, tel: 0207 0408288
or email: L.Trenaman@city.ac.uk
Other smaller discussion groups on child
speech disorder, evidence-based practice and
speech and language therapy in the secondary
school context will also be taking place during the
month.
To obtain further details about Professor
Dodd's visit, contact Victoria Joffe, email:
v.joffe@city.ac.uk
NEWS IN BRIEF
Missed appointments
Patients missed one in 10 of the 45
million outpatient appointments
recorded by the NHS in England in
2004-2005, new statistics published
on 31 July say.The figures, which
present the first patient-level picture
of outpatients' care, reveal that men
aged 15 to 44 were most likely to miss
appointments. Around 14% of all first
appointments and 19% of follow-up
appointments were missed.Visit:
www.ic.nhs.uk
Quality Improvement
Fellowships
The Health Foundation is looking for
senior NHS leaders who are clinically
qualified and have a strong track
record of achievement in the field of
quality improvement to apply for its
Quality Improvement Fellowships.
Fellows will have the opportunity to
spend a year in America working with
The Institute for Healthcare
Improvement based in Cambridge,
Massachusetts.Visit:
www.health.org.uk
Secure NHS email
NHSmail, a central, secure email and
directory service, is now available to all
NHS staff. It offers a more secure
alternative to many communications
currently used. For example, hospital
staff can email information and care
instructions to community-based staff
when patients are discharged. Other
benefits include an email address that
remains the same even if your job or
organisation changes and the ability
to set up shared mailboxes and folders
for teams.Visit: www.nhsmail.net
New family court guides
The NSPCC has launched two new
editions of Power Pack, a guide for
children and young people who have a
case in a family court.These new
versions aim to break down the
barriers that children who are deaf or
disabled can face in understanding
their case.They are 'ideal' for
practitioners who need to provide
children with tailored information
about the legal process.The easy read
version is available free from:
www.nspcc.org.uk/inform
7
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Hinchingbrooke team wins Margo presides
patient involvement award over U-Can Ask
Angels
(From left) Wendy Meniru, lead SLT adult team, SLTs Ruth Lasseter and Penny Vaughan
Hinchingbrooke SLTs received commendation
for their high standards of care with stroke
patients at their PCT's fourth 'Rewarding
Excellence' event on 11 May.
Team leader Wendy Meniru, Ruth
Lasseter, Penny Vaughan and volunteer
Pauline Siddle, a retired SLT assistant,
received the Hinchingbrooke Hospital and
Huntingdonshire PCT award for patient and
public involvement at Hinchingbrooke
Country Park.
The £100 award recognises the team's
efforts to involve stroke patients and their
relatives in focus groups, the aim being to
gain first-hand information about what
patients want in order to significantly
improve speech and language therapy
services so patients could improve their
quality of life. The team's nomination was
one of 30 entries.
In May 2005, the team contacted about 15
stroke patients already on their books and
organised three small groups to discuss the
positive and negative aspects of speech and
language therapy input, and to find out how
SLTs could improve their quality of life.
SLT Ruth Lasseter said, “We learnt much
more about what patients wanted. It was
amazing to hear their feedback in different
settings when given lots of time to
communicate. The insights gained were very
telling.”
The team is now keen to set up a
volunteer scheme to take this work forward.
For more information, tel: 01480 416093.
Trek the Himalayas with the NAS
The National Autistic Society (NAS) is inviting RCSLT members to Trek
the Himalayas and raise funds for people with autism, between 21
April and 1 May 2007.
Maribel Bennett, from the NAS, says,“ Our challenge will start in
Dharamsala, the spiritual home of the Dalai Lama, and lead us up
through forests and meadows for unforgettable panoramic views
across the snow-capped Himalayan mountain range.
“After an exhilarating trek, we have the opportunity to visit one of
the world's modern wonders, the breath-taking Taj Mahal.”
To Trek the Himalayas (minimum sponsorship required) contact
Maribel, tel: 020 7903 3529, email: fundraising@nas.org.uk or visit:
www.autism.org.uk/challenge
8
Participants on last year's
NAS trek
Cutting the cake was SLT Margo Sharp's first
official task when she became president of the
charity, U-Can Ask Angels, on 14 July.
Founded in 2001 by Chief Executive Anne
Robinson, the parent of a 13-year-old boy
who was diagnosed at three and a half years
old with a communication disorder, U-Can
Ask Angels provides services for children with
communication difficulties and their families
in the London Borough of Hillingdon.
“We are absolutely delighted to have Margo
on board as our president and look forward to
U-Can Ask Angels sharing her wealth of
knowledge and experience as a specialist SLT
working with children with communication
difficulties,” Anne says.
Margo, lead SLT for Tier 4 Child and
Adolescent Mental Health Service Mapping
Margo Sharp (right) and Anne Robinson cut
the U-Can Ask Angels' fifth birthday cake
and Autistic Spectrum Disorders at
Birmingham Children's Hospital Trust, says
she is honoured to have been asked to become
the charity's president.
“I hope I can contribute to the development
of the charity, which has been doing great
work, particularly in supporting parents
outside of school hours,” Margo says.
In March 2003, the charity opened a
Saturday club and respite café for families and
children aged four to 16 years old with
communication difficulties. It currently
supports 42 children and 80 carers.
Since January 2006, U-Can Ask Angels has
also provided music therapy for children and
complementary therapies for the parent/carers
to help reduce their stress levels.
For more information, email:
info@u-canaskangels.org.uk
www.rcslt.org
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All the world's a stage
Who regulates whom?
Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability
Patients, therapists and other healthcare
professionals at the Royal Hospital for Neurodisability in London, enjoyed visits from a more
unusual visiting group in June.
Actors from professional theatre company, Ladder
to the Moon, performed interactive version of
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at the hospital.
As part of a nine-month project, funded by the
Big Lottery Fund, six hospitals across South West
London have benefited from the company's
performances, designed to engage patients by
bringing them a stimulus outside of the everyday.
Anne Fenech, International Fellow in
Recreational and Leisure Activities at the Royal
Hospital, has attended all of the theatre sessions.
“The patients have really enjoyed having Ladder
to the Moon in the hospital,” Anne said.
“The performances engaged patients entirely. To
begin with most just watched what was happening,
but by halfway through the placement, they were
playing musical instruments or acting as characters
in the play.”
According to Ladder to the Moon Artistic Director
Chris Gage, this reaction is not unusual, and is the
purpose of the programme.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Actor Ben Pitts and patient Karen Cusack act out a
romantic scene
“Over the past three years we have run seven
residential projects in healthcare settings, but this is
the first working with people with neurodisabilities,” he added.
Ladder to the Moon is a registered charity and is
currently looking for new partners and support
funding.
For more information, contact Chris Gage. Tel:
020 7228 9700 or email:
chris@laddertothemoon.co.uk
The UK's 13 health and social care
regulators, including the Health
Professions Council (HPC), have
launched a new leaflet telling the
public which regulatory body is
responsible for monitoring each
profession and what regulation
means. Who regulates health and social
care professionals? provides a useful
'signposting tool' and provides contact
details for each organisation.Visit:
www.hpc-uk.org
Prem baby delay clue
Measurement of brain development in
premature babies in their first weeks
of life can disclose those likely to have
learning difficulties, according to
Imperial College research published in
the Public Library of Science Medicine.
A study of 113 babies born between
22 to 29 weeks gestation found those
with less brain surface development
had weaker mental skills at the age of
two.Visit:
http://medicine.plosjournals.org
CSA summer school
Kim's big bike ride raises
money for Macmillan
Greenwich SLT Kim
Churton (pictured) cycled
from Land’s End to John
O'Groats in July to raise over
£500 for Macmillan Cancer
Support.
Her gruelling 1,000-mile
solo trek was inspired by her
work with people who have
had throat cancer.
“I wanted to support
Macmillan Cancer support
as I have had first-hand
experience of how cancer
can affect someone's life and
the people around them. I
can see how important it is
for individuals and families
to be supported through
difficult times,” Kim said.
www.rcslt.org
Check out the highs and lows
of Kim's journey at
www.kimsbikeride.blogspot.com
Take part in the World's
Biggest Coffee Morning on 29
September. You can register to
hold your own event at work,
home or anywhere you like.
Visit
www.macmillan.org.uk/coffee
or tel: 0845 602 1246 to receive
your free fundraising pack.
Deaf people, their families and other
professionals from the UK and
overseas went to learn or improve
their ability in Cued Speech at the CSA
UK's sixth annual summer school in
Exeter in August. Students of all ages,
including eleven deaf French students
fluent in the French version of Cued
Speech, attended a variety of courses
at different levels. Cued Speech gives
access to spoken language for deaf
babies, children and adults Visit:
www.cuedspeech.co.uk
Healthcare Commission
bulletin
The Healthcare Commission has
launched @ the frontline, a new
bulletin designed to keep clinicians up
to date with the Commission's work,
provide information relevant for
clinical practice and enable feedback
and suggestions.
Visit:
www.healthcarecommission.org.uk
9
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feat u re
TALKING MATS
Defining sexual relationships
using Talking Mats
Maria Venditozzi describes how Talking Mats
helped explore complex relationship issues with a
woman with severe communication difficulties
Anne (not her real name) was referred after a
staff member in her home had formally
raised concerns that another more ablebodied service user, who Anne considered to
be a close friend, was sexually abusing her.
Since Anne has no verbal speech due to severe
cerebral palsy, the manager requested speech
and language therapy assistance in the
subsequent investigation. By this time, social
workers were already involved and possible
police involvement was anticipated if the
allegation was substantiated.
Preparation and planning
Anne's recent SLT advised that Anne had a
consistent yes/no response by turning her
head in a particular direction.
She also confirmed Anne had sufficient
verbal comprehension to cope with a Talking
Mat, chosen as it is a visual means of
communication.
Given the subject matter, it was important
to ensure there was clarity as to what was
being discussed. A Talking Mat also
supported the fact that Anne could only give
a yes/no response physically, which could be
incorporated into using the mat.
The manager provided a photo of male
service users, including the alleged
perpetrator.
Boardmaker pictures and several line
drawings supplied by a nurse from the
Community Learning Difficulty Teams from
'Sexual Health' and 'Relationship' training
packs depicted acts of sexual intimacy.
The investigation
A short introductory session allowed Anne to
meet the SLT. Anne agreed that the manager
could also sit in.
She presented as a bright, cheerful woman
who enjoys interaction and she was fully
10
cooperative in all sessions.
The first session also allowed for the
introduction of the Talking Mat. 'Food' was
the topic discussed. Anne was very clear about
her preferences and her yes/no response was
distinct and consistent. She enjoyed the
session and another one was arranged for
later in the day.
This coincided with a visit from Anne's
social worker, which had been planned to
discuss the afternoon session's results.
Before the afternoon session, the SLT met
the social worker, her senior, and the centre
manager to discuss the session plan.
The SLT planned to discuss the following
with Anne:
'Who my friends are'
'What I like my friends to do'
'Friends versus boyfriend'
'If she identified J as her boyfriend'
'What I like my boyfriend to do'
'What my boyfriend likes to do'
A support worker, with whom Anne has a
good relationship, sat in on the session. The
SLT planned to stop the session if there was
any sign of distress and to check frequently
with Anne as to whether the session should
continue.
The session went ahead with no difficulties.
The support worker held the mat at eye level
for Anne to indicate where pictures/photos
were to be placed.
Anne was very clear about who her friends
were and what she wanted them to do. She
identified J as her boyfriend and again was
very clear about what was acceptable in terms
of touch and sexual contact.
She denied that J ever touched her in a
manner she found unacceptable. She was
happy to discuss him and what she
liked/enjoyed about him being her boyfriend.
The session determined that there was no
discomfort on Anne's part regarding the
nature of their relationship and that there was
no sexual contact beyond hugs and kisses. She
indicated that she did not want intimate
kissing (kissing on the lips) to be in the 'like'
section.
When asked about J's preference regarding
this, she also indicated 'no'. She was then
asked whether he liked touch in the areas she
had indicated her 'no' preference for.
Individually, she responded 'no' to each
picture.
This reporting correlates with the results
from a discussion that the manager had
undertaken with J some weeks earlier.
He stated that Anne is a friend and that he
likes to be around her and to help her. He
also stated that there was no sexual contact.
From the results of the sessions, the
discussions and the feedback from both Anne
and J, it was evident there was no indication
of sexual misconduct. Anne left the session in
good spirits and the mat was presented to the
manager and social workers as confirmation
of the session outcomes.
Follow-up support session
The social worker requested a follow-up
session for Anne. She was keen that Anne
have support to discuss general boundaries of
touch versus sexual touch, and what strategies
she could use to get help/indicate if there
were problems in these situations.
The SLT decided to again use a Talking Mat
to address these issues. The centre manager
provided photos of all staff members and
service users.
More Boardmaker pictures were
downloaded to use as suggestions of possible
strategies to get help. A photo of both parents
was also requested.
The session was devised to:
Review the Talking Mat Anne had created.
Refer back to the original mat and use
Boardmaker pictures to discuss what
strategies she could use to get help in an
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TALKING MATS
unacceptable situation.
Categorise photos of staff into those she
liked and those she did not.
Use the 'staff I like' pictures and review
these to ascertain which ones she would
confide in if such a situation did occur.
Categorise photos of service users into
'like' and 'dislike', then classify further to
indicate who she would attempt to
confide in.
Use photos of her parents to clarify if she
felt comfortable in confiding in them.
Support session outcomes
The social worker joined the session after
consultation and agreement with Anne. A
digital camera provided a record of the
information being covered, with a photo of
each mat completed.
Anne was able to recall the Talking Mat she
created in the first session, and agreed with
the classifications she had made. She
identified staff, then classified the strategies
suggested into whether she would use them
or not to get help in an unacceptable
situation.
With reference to 'communicate with
someone', she categorised the staff she liked
into those she would discuss such an issue
with or not.
She clearly categorised the service users
into those she liked or did not like and in
whom she would confide, should such a
situation arise.
Anne indicated she would confide in her
mother, but that she would be uncomfortable
discussing such a topic with her father.
She was asked if she wished her parents to
be made aware of the work which had been
carried out, and indicated that she did want
her parents to know.
To check for consistency of response, the
pictures of sexual intimacy were shown again
and Anne asked to classify them into
acceptable 'yes', and unacceptable 'no'.
She was very clear that even kissing on lips
was unacceptable, which was consistent with
the previous response.
Anne was in good spirits throughout the
session and together with the social worker
and SLT enjoyed a short social chat to end the
session on a relaxed note.
Discussion and conclusions
The conclusions from both sessions were:
Anne had a relaxed and positive attitude
towards J at all times.
Anne and J enjoy a friendly, emotionally
close relationship where both agree about
physical contact and touch and each
other's wishes are respected.
The staff are now clear about Anne's
opinions on her relationships with staff,
friends and her boyfriend.
Anne is now clear about what she can do
to get help if a situation arises in which
she feels uncomfortable or threatened.
Overall, Anne's demeanour throughout both
sessions suggests a bright and happy
disposition.
She clearly enjoyed the sessions, despite the
content and co-operated fully in both. The
Talking Mat was an excellent tool in
supporting Anne to address some difficult
issues. It provided a consistent and
measurable means of determining Anne's
opinions and feelings.
Maria Venditozzi - Clinical specialist, SLT,
Community Learning Disability Team,
Old Johnstone Clinic
Email:
Maria.Venditozzi@renver-pct.scot.nhs.uk
Reference:
Murphy J.Talking Mats: speech and language research
in practice. Speech and Language Therapy in Practice,
Autumn 1998; 11-14.
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EARLY YEARS SUPPORT
Mutual benefits: training
for special needs
Jo Clarke reports on the Speech Language Early Education Project (SLEEP) study
to improve communication between SLTs, Sure Start, a health visitor service and
Early Years settings
Getty Images
SLTs in the Cheshire West
PCT (CWPCT) paediatric
department have long
recognised the need for
more effective access to
children with speech and
language difficulties and
their key workers in preschool and nursery settings.
Similarly, Early Years
practitioners reported
frustration in gaining access
to speech and language
therapy support.
Although practitioners
from both disciplines were trying to address
issues on an individual basis, there was no
consistent and strategic approach across the
PCT.
At the same time, advisory staff in the
newly formed Quality Assurance Early Years
Team were becoming increasingly concerned
about some of the Early Years practitioners'
apparent lack of knowledge, skills and
confidence in dealing with speech and
language therapy issues.
In response to this, I set up a total
communication course in November 2002 to
try and address some of the skill-sharing
issues and offered this to parents, carers, Early
Years staff and other relevant agencies.
Sure Start Cheshire Early Years Special
Educational Needs Consultant Sue Sidlow
attended the course and recognised similar
needs in her own service. We discussed the
need for joint training between SLTs and
Early Years education to address these issues
and recognised we could greatly improve
practice by working together.
In January 2003, we began work on joint
speech, language and early education
training. This had the backing and support of
12
the speech and language therapy manager and
the senior adviser for Early Years.
We carried out informal skill sharing at
evening meetings across West Cheshire and
used feedback from these sessions to identify
local training needs on speech, language and
communication issues. This feedback formed
the basis of the initial course outline and
served as the first step towards following key
stages needed in the service commissioning
process for CWPCT.
I was allocated an extra session a week (3.5
hours) to research different ways for the
speech and language therapy service (Early
Years) to work more collaboratively with
other professionals. Sue carried out the
project alongside her full-time role. There
were no funded additional hours allocated to
the project other than the 3.5 hours of my
time, and I used some of this for additional
projects. There was no allocated budget and
no supply cover for staff to attend training.
To make the training sessions as accessible
and convenient as possible, we offered a range
of times and locations in the
afternoons/evenings.
The project had four main aims, based on
needs identified by the speech and language
therapy and early education services:
To develop the confidence, knowledge
and skills of early years practitioners in
the areas of speech, language and
communication
To develop effective links and improve
working practice between speech and
language therapy and Early Years settings
To inform early years practitioners on
when and how to make appropriate and
effective early interventions in the areas of
speech, language and communication
To support Early Years settings in
improving the quality of their whole
provision - developing an environment
that promotes optimum speech, language
and communication levels
We sent out invitations to a wide range of
maintained and non-maintained Early Years
settings in West Cheshire County Council.
These represented the different types and
qualities of provision in the private,
voluntary, independent and maintained
sectors. The sample included different
locations, including Chester, Ellesmere Port
and Chester rural, as well as different age
bands (from birth to three years of age and
from three to five).
To establish a baseline, we assessed
participants in each individual setting prior to
attending training, using a self-evaluation
questionnaire. We asked participants to score
themselves from 0-5 on their skills,
knowledge and confidence in speech,
language and communication in two age
ranges – from 0-3 years old and from 3-5
(foundation stage).
Questions included: 'How would you view
your current knowledge, skills and confidence
in speech, language and communication
development in your place of work?' We
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EARLY YEARS SUPPORT
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Table one: participants' increase in skills, knowledge and confidence following the training sessions
graded responses from 0-5 (0 –
low, 5 – high). Respondents
Setting Old score Old score
Old score New score New score New score
Measure of increase
completed questionnaires
skills knowledge confidence
skills
knowledge confidence Skills Knowledge Confidence
during my visit, ensuring a
A
2
2
2
3.5
3.5
3.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
100% return rate. In total 20
(Birth - 3)
participants completed
A
3
3
3
4
4
4
1
1
1
questionnaires from 15 settings:
(3 - 5)
five from the 0-3 year old range
B
3
3
3
4
4
4
1
1
1
and 15 from the 3-5 years old
(3 - 5)
C
2.5
2.5
2.5
4
4
4
1.5
1.5
1.5
group. We repeated the self(3
5)
evaluation questionnaire after
D
3
3
4
3
3
4
0
0
0
the two training sessions and
(Birth - 3)
each participant showed
D
2
2
2
3.5
4
4
1.5
2
2
increases in skills, knowledge
(3 - 5)
E
3.5
3.5
3.5
4
4
3.5
0.5
0.5
0
and confidence (see table one).
(3 - 5)
Participants selected scores
F
4
4
5
4.75
4.75
5
0.75
0.75
0
within range of 0-5.
(3 - 5)
Cheshire County Council's
G
4
3
3.5
4.5
5
4
0.5
2
0.5
Quality Assurance Early Years
(Birth - 3)
G
3.5
2
1
4
4
4
0.5
2
3
Team has compiled a document
(3 - 5)
Share 2 Achieve (1995) to
H
2.5
2.5
2.5
4
4
4
1.5
1.5
1.5
support practitioners in
(3 - 5)
monitoring and evaluating the
I
3
3
3
4
4
4
1
1
1
quality of their own provision
(3 - 5)
and practice. It can be used in
Table two: some of the revised framework and measurement tools
various ways to monitor and improve quality
and, consequently, to help raise standards.
Fully
Partially
Not at all
We decided to use the monitoring and
achieved
achieved
achieved
evaluation matrix from Share 2 Achieve. We
The learning environment (indoors)
took all statements that referred directly or
Labels are designed to be meaningful –
Use of symbols/pictures/words
indirectly to the development of speech and
language in each setting and reset them in a
Teaching for learning
A range of teaching and learning styles
revised framework. Table two shows an
are used, including those required by children
example of some of the revised framework
with additional needs (1:1, small group)
and measurement tools. We scored settings on
Assessment, planning and recording
this framework both before and after
Short-term learning objectives defined clearly
training, the goal being improvement in levels
to ensure effective learning particularly
re: speech and language focus across all six
of achievement in all areas.
areas of learning
Three training sessions covered: speech and
language developmental milestones; listening
and attention; alerting strategies; response to
expressive language (eg forced alternatives,
more relevant, effective speech and language
child's communication attempts; learned
create opportunities) were the most useful.
therapy service to Early Years settings.
helplessness; tools to aid understanding and
A designated area special educational needs
functional communication; situational versus
coordinator and a member of the speech and
Jo Clarke
verbal understanding; English as an
language therapy team deliver SLEEP jointly.
SLT, Cheshire West PCT
additional language; behaviour and
We plan to deliver the programme on a
Email: Jo.Clarke@cahc-tr.nwest.nhs.uk
communication; planning appropriately;
termly basis and we have extended our
Complete evaluations of SLEEP are available
referral processes; glossary of terms; useful
invitation to all health visitors and health
on request.
websites and resources for settings to access;
support staff in designated geographical
Reference:
and action planning with each setting or
areas; inclusion workers supporting children
Cheshire County Council Quality Assurance Team.
individual to devise a three-point action plan
in non-maintained nurseries and maintained
Share 2 Achieve: Working together to support inclusion
that would be implemented in their setting.
Early Years settings (Foundation stage and
and additional needs in the early years. Cheshire
Feedback from 36 questionnaires at the end Key Stage 1).
County Council, 1995. Available at:
of each training session showed that
The greatly improved communication
www.cheshire.gov.uk/surestart/ProviderNews/share2
information-carrying words; English as an
between SLTs, Cheshire Sure Start and the
achieve.htm
additional language; and developing
health visitor service has helped deliver a
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SCHOOLCHILDREN: LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION DIFFICULTIES
The value of SLTs to
children at school
Wendy Rinaldi looks at how SLTs can extend
services to school aged children with language and
communication needs without detracting from the
quality of service to those already receiving direct
intervention
My brief at this year's New Zealand Speech
and Language Therapy Association (NZSTA)
conference was to focus on 'quality of life'
issues in a keynote speech and follow this up
with practical seminars. This gave me the
opportunity to consider more fully the
impact of language and communication
difficulties and the potential effects of speech
and language therapy.
Before I discuss the research evidence I
would like to include a few snapshots from
my own experience. For example, Candie, a
14-year-old girl with moderate to severe
learning difficulties, presented with a fairly
'flat' profile, performing similarly on
standardised cognitive and language subtests.
There was a question over whether she
needed specialist intervention. Nevertheless,
Candie started to attend speech and language
therapy groups focusing on concepts to access
the curriculum.
After 18 months of therapy, an educational
psychologist's reassessment showed Candie's
language scores had greatly improved and her
cognitive scores were in the range of 'mild
learning difficulties'. Up until then, I thought
diagnoses such as 'moderate learning
difficulties' were immovable feasts. That was
when I began to realise the impact of
language-based programmes of study.
I started to get involved in communication
and social behaviour with the encouragement
of the educational psychologist and the
teachers in my team. With their support, I set
up a group on social communication. The
14
impact on self-esteem and behaviour became
clearly evident. I remember finding a group
of students queuing at the department door
asking if they could join in because they had
heard the groups were so good.
The evidence from my practice mounted
over the years. I gathered data in the form of
pre- and post-therapy assessment, some of
which is published (Rinaldi, 1992; 1986).
More recently, others have published the
impact of language and communication-based
programmes (Law and Sivyer, 2003; Paulger
and Bowen, 2001; Sivyer 1999; Moats and
Lyons 1996; Watson, 1995; Stockley, 1994).
We also know from the research that
difficulties with learning and social behaviour
can mask underlying language and
communication difficulties (Nelson et al
2005; Ripley et al, 2005; Botting and ContiRamsden, 2000; Ehren and Lenz, 1989).
These findings suggest the importance of
developing language and communicationbased programmes in schools is paramount.
Speech and language therapists can develop
the knowledge and expertise to introduce
these specialist approaches into the
curriculum (Ehren 2002) in a joint approach
with teachers. The Office for Standards in
Education (England) (1996; 1997) has
endorsed this kind of practice.
One of my memories from the NZSTA
conference was of the World Health
Organisation's definition of health as the
'state of complete physical, mental and social
well being and not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity'. It focused my thinking
on the strength of the connection between
health and education.
In my presentations I included strategies to
create positive social impressions: enabling
students to monitor the effects of their
behaviour, replacing aggressive and passive
communication with assertive patterns and
developing the processes underpinning
inference.
I included four principles that have enabled
children with special needs to access learning
(Mevarech and Kramarski 2003; Rinaldi 2001,
2000; Moats and Lyons, 1996). These
comprise metacognitive, language-based,
cumulative and multi-sensory methods. The
Cumbria children's fund project (2005)
provides early evidence that these principles
may accelerate learning in all children.
Pyramid of need
Marie Gascoigne (2006) acknowledges the
potential role of children's speech and
language therapy in the broadest sense. She
identifies a pyramid of need and the
possibility for involvement at many levels. I
found this to be a particularly helpful
dimension, because so often in my experience
a child's need has rested not only on the
nature or the severity of his/her
communication difficulty, but also on the
impact of the disorder in the context in which
they find themselves. I have found that
severity of disorder does not necessarily
indicate severity of impact.
It can be impossible to tease out whether a
behaviour or learning difficulty is primarily
caused by a deficit in communication,
cognition or emotional well being, when
these factors are likely to be interconnected.
The Gascoigne framework offers a way
forward to address these kinds of issues.
But how can SLTs contribute to meeting the
speech, language and communication needs
of so many children? I am frequently asked
this question when I train teachers and
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SCHOOLCHILDREN: LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION DIFFICULTIES
therapists in the UK. It came up repeatedly at
the NZSTA conference as delegates told me
they are only able to work directly with the
severest of cases.
Supporting children includes
recommendations concerning teamwork and
training. Certainly training gives experienced
SLTs the opportunity to extend a service to
many more children who can benefit from
language-based approaches than would
otherwise be possible. The most valuable
form of local training or advisory practice
includes a period of time where the SLT
works directly with children and teaching
staff. This enables the SLT to monitor the
effectiveness of recommendations; it enables
teaching staff to develop confidence in a new
approach and to see for themselves the
impact of language-based programmes on
learning and behaviour.
This sometimes requires a shift in thinking
for class or subject teachers that emerges as
SLTs and teachers plan and implement study
programmes together; even if only for short
periods. This kind of joint professional
working is enhanced when SLTs indicate at
the outset the planned, longer-term impact of
language-based programmes in relation to
curriculum targets.
Figure one outlines a model of
implementation to introduce specialist
approaches into schools and colleges.
In schools that have adopted languagebased programmes as a whole school
approach (eg, Cumbria Children's fund
evaluation, 2005), a key factor to success has
been flexibility of implementation. All school
staff can adopt some of the principles,
however, not all staff are willing or able
initially to be involved to the same extent.
Their involvement is likely to change over
Teacher-led
time as they see the impact of language
and
groups with
communication-based programmes
for who
all
students
have
children – not just those with special
communication/
social difficulties
educational needs.
but not requiring
Gosland and Anderson (2006) describe
direct SLT a
intervention
similar model in the Standards Fund Learning
together project, where SLTs provide training
to learning support assistants (LSAs) and
SENCOs and then work alongside LSAs with
groups of children. I would like to see this
kind of model extended to enable SLTs to
train and work alongside subject and class
teachers. This would enable more effective
inclusion with a greater balance between the
educational provision for children with SEN
www.rcslt.org
Meeting students’ communication and
social needs in school and colleges.
How can SLTs introduce specialist
approaches?
A model for intervention
Intervention
starts here
Speech and
language therapy
group with
students identified
as needing SLT
intervention
When the group is
established, other
staff in the
school/college/ho
spital can observe
the group in
action
Sharing of
material
resources
Joint planning
- SLTs help
teachers to plan
their groups
initially
Joint working
- teachers and SLTs
run occasional
sessions together
This model may also be adopted with other permanent staff in
school/college/hospital settings
Figure one: A model of implementation to
introduce specialist approaches into schools
and colleges
and mainstream learners while exploiting the
impact of specialist approaches on all
children's learning and social behaviour.
The potential value of speech and language
therapy services to children is considerable,
but we risk limiting this potential if we limit
our involvement only to children with severe
or specific language difficulties. I hope this
article has given a few ideas on how we can
extend services among school aged children
with language and communication needs
without detracting from the quality of service
to children currently receiving direct
intervention.
Wendy Rinaldi – freelance adviser in SEN
Tel: 01483 268825; or email:
wendy.rinaldi@ntlworld.com
Acknowledgement:
My thanks to the NZSTA committee for a
stimulating and wonderful experience.
I will speak about developing language-based
programmes in the curriculum at the
Primary/Early Years exhibition in Islington on
29 September 2006.
References:
Botting N, Conti-Ramsden G. Social and behavioural
difficulties in children with language impairments. Child
Language Teaching and Therapy 2000; 16.
Cumbria Children's fund evaluation report, 2005.
www.cumbria.gov.uk
Ehren BJ. Speech-language pathologists contributing
significantly to the academic success of high school
students: A vision for professional growth. Topics in
Language Disorders 2002; 22, 2.
Ehren B, Lenz B. Adolescents with language disorders: special
considerations in providing academically relevant language
intervention. Seminars in Speech and Language 1989; 10,
192-204.
Gascoigne M. Supporting Children with Speech, Language
and Communication Needs within Integrated Services.
London: RCSLT, January 2006.
Godsland A, Anderson J. Learning together: Speech and
Language Therapy Standards Fund Project. RCSLT Bulletin
2006; 650, June 14-16.
Law J, Sivyer K. Promoting the communication skills of
primary school children excluded from school or at risk of
exclusion: an intervention study.Child, Language, Teaching
and Therapy 2003; 19.
Mevarech Z, Kramarski B. Effects of metacognitive training
versus worked out examples on students' mathematical
reasoning. British Journal of Educational Psychology 2003;
73, 4.
Moats LC, Lyons G.Wanted: teachers with knowledge of
language. Topics in Language Disorder 1996; 16:2, 73-86.
Nelson R,Benner G,Cheney D.An investigation of the
language skills of students with emotional disturbance served
in public schools.Journal of Special Education 2005; 39,2.
Ofsted reports - Office for the standards of education in
schools. www.ofsted.gov.uk
Paulger B, Bowen J. Experimenting with language. Speech
and Language Therapy in Practice 2001; Spring issue.
Rinaldi WF.Working with language impaired teenagers with
moderate learning difficulties.London:ICAN publications,1992.
Rinaldi WF. Social skills training for children with mild to
moderate learning difficulties. CST Bulletin 1986; June issue.
Rinaldi WF. Access all areas. Speech and Language Therapy in
Practice 2001;Winter issue.
Rinaldi WF. Language-based education for children with
special needs. In: Rinaldi WF (ed) Language Difficulties in an
Educational Context. Chichester:Wiley & Sons, 2000.
Ripley K,Yuill N. Patterns of language impairment and
behaviour in boys excluded from school. British Journal of
Educational Psychology 2005; 75.
Sivyer S. Listening, quietness and making new friends. RCSLT
Bulletin 1999, October issue.
Stockley J.Teaching social skills to visually impaired children.
British Journal of Visual Impairment 1994; 12,1.
Watson S. Successful treatment of selective mutism:
collaborative work in a secondary school setting. Child,
Language, Teaching and Therapy 1995; 11,2.
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RCSLT POLICY AND PARTNERSHIPS
Policy and
partnerships in action
The London HQ-based team comprises of
Nick Smith, Sarah Keegan, Claire Moser and
England Country Policy Officer Jane
Mackenzie. The other three country-based
policy officers – Kim Hartley in Scotland,
Alison Stroud in Wales and Alison
McCullough in Northern Ireland – are based
in their respective countries. To contact any
member of the team visit:
www.rcslt.org/about/contact for details.
Policy Team's strategy. The main
alliance is with the Allied Health
Professions Federation (AHPF),
which combines a considerable
number of AHPs to form a
significant and powerful tool
with which to shape policy.
The RCSLT has taken the lead
in important influencing work
with key NHS figures, including
the former NHS Chief Executive
England
Officer Sir Nigel Crisp and the
Our work encompasses both high-level policy former Parliamentary Under
initiatives and national clinical work. So far
Secretary of State for Care
Dr Mo Dewji takes questions at the RCSLT Commissioning
this year, the two main areas of policy work
Services, Liam Byrne MP.
a patient-led NHS conference on 27 April
for England have been the new types of
Given the recent changes in
commissioning and the rollout of Payment by
both senior management and
Results.
political leadership at the NHS, challenges for
briefing paper on commissioning a patientPartnership working is a key plank of the
the RCSLT and AHPF now include the
led NHS.
development of stronger
We have been influencing the
relationships with the new
commissioning framework by meeting and
senior decision makers and the
holding a subsequent AHPF seminar with
prioritisation of our policy
Anthony Kealy from the Policy and Strategy
issues.
Directorate Commissioning Team at the
In April 2006, the RCSLT
Department of Health. He was very receptive
hosted a well-received
to our ideas and concerns.
conference, Commissioning a
We also met with officials regarding the
patient-led NHS, where a range
Payment by Results process, and submitted a
of expert speakers helped to
response to a national consultation. The
guide managers through the new Policy and Partnerships Team is now working
policy environment. Over 170
on the development of a toolkit to help AHPs
SLTs and other AHPs attended.
produce a business case for the provision of
We have since worked with
their services to commissioners.
the NHS Confederation and
The RCSLT is also a member of the Aphasia
policy
team
to
run
a
seminar
Alliance,
which with the Tavistock Trust,
RCSLT CEO Kamini Gadhok (centre) braves a cold January
morning to support Amicus' lobby of Parliament
event to develop a leading edge
Stroke Association and other organisations, is
16
www.rcslt.org
Geoff Wilson
It has been a busy year for the new RCSLT Policy and Partnerships Team. Led by
RCSLT Head of Policy and Partnerships Nick Smith, the team is now fully in place
to take on the job of influencing government policy and raising awareness of the
work undertaken by SLTs, in rapidly moving health, education and social care
landscapes. RCSLT Policy Officer Sarah Keegan introduces the team, highlights
its many activities and outlines plans for the future
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working towards developing ways to raise
awareness of aphasia and to secure a better
deal for those with this condition.
The team also enables clinicians to respond
to a range of consultations affecting practice
directly. So far this year, the RCSLT has
submitted responses to the National Institute
for Health and Clinical Excellence
consultations on brain tumours, nutritional
support, Parkinson's disease and dementia,
which will be published through the year. We
have also responded to the Mental Capacity
Act draft code of practice and to the DH on
the Payment by Results system.
The London-based policy officers have
been working hard to support speech and
language therapy services and members, as
services come under pressure from the NHS
financial tightening. The RCSLT has been
involved in the consultation on the future of
the Nuffield Speech and Language Therapy
Unit, and also in securing ongoing funding
for the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering
Children in Islington.
In April, the RCSLT launched a position
paper on children's services (Visit:
www.rcslt.org/docs/freepub/Supporting_children-website.pdf). This
was well received by national policy makers
across various disciplines who attended the
launch event. We are now working on ways to
promote the position paper and help roll out
the principles across the country.
The RCSLT and our representatives have
also been involved with the national stroke
strategy, the National Literacy Trust's Talk To
Your Baby initiative, the DH Ear, Nose and
Throat national steering group, and a
Department of Education and Skills working
group on Early Years monitoring materials.
England's Country Policy Officer Jane
Mackenzie has been working to establish an
All-Party Parliamentary Group on
Communications Disorders to increase the
profile of speech and language therapy and
the needs of clients, and to explore avenues for
joint working with Westminster parliamentarians. Representatives from all political parties
have responded extremely positively, and the
RCSLT hopes to launch the group in the
autumn when Parliament is back in session.
The RCSLT sent a questionnaire to service
managers in July in order to gain a clearer
picture of how financial pressures have
affected service delivery and staffing levels.
We aim to use this information to lobby
www.rcslt.org
The Royal College of Surgeons
Edinburgh will host the 2006
RCSLT one-day conference
government and enable
managers to better respond to
these pressures. We have started
to work on issues arising from
SLT graduate unemployment
and aim to gain some publicity
on this, to highlight the problem.
Scotland
RCSLT Scotland Policy Officer Kim Hartley
has been busily promoting and protecting the
interests of SLTs in the Scottish Parliament
and Executive. This work has included
securing recommendations on inclusive
communication in the new disability strategy
for Scotland, and giving a talk to members of
the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) as part of
Adult Learners' Week.
Kim has been a member of the steering
group for the NHS Quality Improvement
Scotland Aphasia Project with RCSLT advisers
and Sally Byng, the chief executive of the
communication disability network,
CONNECT. She has also organised a meeting
at the Scottish Executive with the national
charity Speakability on aphasia-friendly
information.
In June, the RCSLT and Scottish SLT
Managers' Network ran a successful joint
additional support for learning conference
and a study day on mental health, where
RCSLT Mental Health (MH) network
members provided evidence of the SLTs'
impact and role to the Scottish Executive
mental health division director.
Kim has also facilitated responses to the
Scottish Executive and Disability Rights
Commission consultations, Fair for all Disability (access in NHS Scotland), and
Delivering a healthy future: an action
framework for children and young people's
health in Scotland for the RCSLT and
members of the Communications Forum. In
the coming months, Kim will be working on
workforce policy arising from the RCSLT
work on this issue, giving a presentation to
the Scottish Parliament cross-party group for
children, and meeting with the Scottish
Executive Education Department to promote
the RCSLT position paper to other
professions.
The Scotland office is also planning a
communication access audit of Parliament
and MSP local offices and will continue to
develop the Scottish Communications
Forum.
Scotland will host the RCSLT one-day
conference and annual general meeting in
Edinburgh, on 28 September 2006. Plugging
the evidence base gap: important research in
speech and language therapy will showcase
some of the work being carried out at
universities and by speech and language
therapy practitioners who are putting
research into practice. It will also touch on
the issue of research funding. We will use the
day to prioritise what research needs to be
carried out to best inform the development of
the speech and language therapy evidence
base.
Wales
RCSLT Wales Country Policy Officer Alison
Stroud has been working with the Welsh
Assembly Government (WAG) on a range on
topics, including workforce issues, the pupil
support division in the Department for
Training and Education, the NHS Welsh
Language Unit and the National Leadership
and Innovation Agency for Healthcare
(NLIAH).
Speech and language therapy service
delivery remains a crucially important issue.
Alison has supported RCSLT managers in
identifying capacity demand information, and
worked to increase the WAG Delivery
Support Unit's understanding of speech and
language therapy services and explained the
potential acceptable reasons for different
waiting times profiles across Wales.
The Minister for Health and Social Services
has set a target of no waits of longer than 36
weeks for speech and language therapy
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Delegates at the
RCSLT/NICCY
conference in
Cookstown
Northern Ireland
services by March 2007. This makes trust
CEOs directly accountable for speech and
language therapy performance for the first
time. These targets are obviously placing
speech and language therapy services and
managers under extreme pressure to perform,
with varying levels of data and process
support and also an extra investment of £1
million for SLT posts in Wales
Alison has successfully secured new
investment in speech and language therapy
services through local delivery plans for
waiting times and has held regular meetings
with Amicus Wales' Steve Sloan on Agenda
for Change trends in Wales.
Meanwhile, Wales is also working within
the NHS financial constraints this year to
deliver strategic cost efficiency plans of
between 3-5%.
Alison has been a member of the WAGcommissioned NLIAH steering group for
speech and language assistant practitioner
development and training. This project has
involved joint work with numerous partners,
including the coordinator for joint pilot
projects for speech and language services for
children, speech and language therapy
managers with pilot projects with support
workers elements, higher education
institutions, the national liaison officer for
Welsh speech and language therapy services,
and the Credit Qualification Framework for
Wales (linked to Skills for Health).
Together, they have been working on
linking cross-cutting frameworks by advising
on appropriate membership and networks,
and developing a strategic framework for
assistant practitioner (Band 4) training,
education and development in Wales.
The main priorities for the rest of the year
are the joint pilot projects to establish formal
guidance from the WAG by 2008 on joint
18
commissioning of speech, language and
communication services for children. Over
three years, £3 million will be invested in joint
ventures led by the Minister for Education
and Lifelong Learning and the Minister for
Health and Social Care.
Alison is also involved in a new preregistration WAG-commissioned course to
train 20 new SLTs a year in Wales, starting
September 2007. Watch this space.
Northern Ireland
The profile of speech and language therapy is
becoming more prominent as the Northern
Ireland Commissioner for Children and
Young People (NICCY) has become
increasingly concerned with the provision of
therapy.
RCSLT Northern Ireland Policy Officer
Alison McCullough, together with CEO
Kamini Gadhok and Nick Smith, organised a
joint conference with NICCY on the
provision of therapy on 30 March in
Cookstown. Alison continues to support
members during a period of sensitive political
and legal negotiations.
Allied health professionals in Northern
Ireland have pursued a successful
collaborative policy, holding a meeting with
Permanent Secretary Dr Andrew McCormick
and Minister of Health Paul Goggins. The
meeting lobbied for representation on the
Regulation and Quality Improvement
Authority governance body, the Department
of Health, Social Services and Public Safety
(DHSSPS), and trusts. Alison also attended a
reception with Shadow Secretary of State for
Northern Ireland David Liddington, and
raised communication impairment issues.
Alison supported I CAN, the charity that
helps children communicate, in lobbying
successfully for continued funding of the
Ballynahinch unit; the RCSLT is also
facilitating I CAN in running an Early Talk
workshop throughout NI. She has also been
supporting the children's services agenda with
ongoing meetings of the managers' group,
specific interest groups and speech and
language therapy services to support the
implementation of the children's strategy and
supporting members to engage in the
DHSSPS modernisation agenda.
Alison is gearing up to respond to the
potential judicial review by organising
potential workshops to support speech and
language therapy managers with the
implementation of the children's strategy, and
intends to work for reform of NI AHP
structures to ensure appropriate
representation of professional bodies in NI.
The way forward
As you can see, it has been a very busy seven
months for the team, and the rest of the year
looks just as hectic. We are looking forward to
several big events, such as the RCSLT AGM in
Edinburgh in September and the re-launch of
the RCSLT's Inclusive Communication
Network.
We face many challenges ahead: we need to
respond strongly to the government reforms
for the NHS in England, and to build on our
excellent influencing work with politicians
and senior civil servants in the Scottish
Parliament, and assemblies in Belfast and
Cardiff.
We will continue to engage our members in
policy consultations and in campaigning for
the profession, showing the value of speech
and language therapy provision and gaining
the best deal for clients.
RCSLT Policy Officer Sarah Keegan
Email: sarah.keegan@rcslt.org
www.rcslt.org
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Stroke Talk: a communication
resource for everyone
Sophie Cottrell and Alex Davies discuss a project
which has led to a new resource to help healthcare
professionals provide accessible information and
reassurance for their stroke patients
Computerised tomography scans,
percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy
insertion and videofluoroscopy are difficult
enough procedures to explain to someone
whose communication is not compromised.
So, where do you start when your patient,
on top of all the immediate reactions to
having a stroke – including a state of shock,
distress and anxiety – struggles to
understand, read, speak and write?
The development of Stroke Talk: a
communication resource for hospital care
involved patients and staff on a stroke
rehabilitation ward and other service users in
the community who had first hand
experience of using stroke services.
This initial project explored the extent to
which patients with communication
difficulties are informed on stroke wards,
their experiences of receiving information
and how healthcare professionals can make
information more available and accessible.
Two things drove the study: topical issues
in healthcare, such as user involvement and
gaining informed consent, and our own
observations of information sharing
from clinical experience.
It was particularly influenced by the
work of Aura Kagan on supported
conversation (Kagan, 1998), Joan
Murphy's innovative Talking Mats
(Murphy 2000) and the work of
Connect in making information
accessible for people with aphasia
(Parr et al, 2004).
The net result of this first
project was the development of a
collection of information props that explain a
number of commonly encountered issues and
interventions in hospital care following a
stroke.
Stroke Talk presents information in an
www.rcslt.org
aphasia-friendly manner, using
straightforward language, keywords, images
and symbols, including handy accessible
appointment cards. Participants, both with
and without aphasia felt these ways of
communicating aided their understanding
and helped them retain information.
It is important that this information should
not be merely 'handed out', but always used
as an adjunct to discussions with patients.
Professionals can leave photocopies of the
information with patients to serve as
reminders, or to aid conversations with
visitors. To facilitate this, full photocopying
rights are granted with the published version.
We hope people with aphasia will benefit
from using Stroke Talk. Those with more
severe aphasia may depend more on the
images than on text, but the clear layout and
accessible style of writing will be helpful.
When stroke patients without aphasia
evaluated the information, they also found
the style more accessible than other stroke
information they had received, and perhaps
contrary to expectations, did not find the use
of images patronising or childish.
The resource could
therefore be used
potentially with any stroke
“This is really
different
because it's
telling me in
simple language
what's happened...
it's marvellous”
Alex (left) and Sophie hope people with
aphasia will benefit from using Stroke Talk
patient or with other client groups, such as
those with visual impairment, hearing loss,
pre-existing literacy problems, dementia, or
people with learning disabilities.
While explaining things to people with
aphasia has traditionally been seen as the role
of the SLT, the ability to communicate
effectively is important for all service
providers. Stroke Talk is especially useful for
anyone providing stroke services, including
nurses, healthcare assistants, doctors, OTs,
ward clerks and social workers.
The feedback has been very positive from
people with aphasia and stroke service staff.
As one project participant said, “This is really
different because it's telling me in simple
language what's happened... it's marvellous.”
At the time of writing, Stroke Talk was due
to be published in August by Connect Press.
ISBN 0 953 60425 X Cost: £60, plus £5 P&P.
For more information contact Maria
McDonnell, 020 7367 0866, email:
mariamcdonnell@ukconnect.org
Sophie Cottrell and Alex Davies
North Bristol NHS Trust
References:
Kagan A. Supported Conversation for adults with aphasia.
Aphasiology 1998; 12, 816-830.
Murphy, J. Enabling people with aphasia to discuss quality of
life. British Journal of therapy and rehabilitation November
2000, 7, 11, 454-458.
Parr, S, Pound C, Byng S, Long B.The stroke and aphasia
handbook. London, Connect Press (2004).
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a s k yo u r co l l e g u e s
Any Questions?
Want some information? Why not ask your colleagues?
Email your brief query to anyquestions@rcslt.org. The RCSLT also holds a database of clinical advisers who may be able to
help. Contact the information department, tel: 0207 378 3012. You can also use the RCSLT’s website forum to post your
questions or reply to other queries, visit: www.rcslt.org/forum
Dysphagia screening assessments
Multi-agency working
We use a nurse swallow screening assessment for people
who have had a stroke. Do you know of one that can be
used with a wider range of aetiologies?
Alison Towner
EMAIL: alison.towner@nuh.nhs.uk
Examples wanted of good practice re: multi-agency working
around selective mutism, including education, CAMHS and
speech and language therapy.
Rachel Evans
TEL: 01543 500772
EMAIL: rachel.evans@ssh-tr.nhs.uk
Locum therapist issues
Are you a locum SLT in the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire
area? Would you like to meet/email to discuss CPD, Agenda
for Change and other issues that affect you?
Rebecca Lant (nee Jones)
EMAIL: Rebecca.Lant@HPT.nhs.uk
Drooling control
I am working on a behavioural approach to reduce drooling
in a 15-year-old with cerebral palsy, using an electronic
feedback device with vibration alerts at timed intervals as a
reminder to swallow. Have any similar aids been developed?
Lawrence Chillag
EMAIL: Lawrence.Chillag@bolton.nhs.uk
Selective mutism
Information wanted on different service delivery models or
care pathways for selectively mute children
Sarah Parkin
TEL: 0161 426 5200
EMAIL: sarah.parkin@stockport-pct.nhs.uk
Duchennes muscular dystrophy
Have you worked with children with DMD? I am interested
in the link between DMD and phonological difficulties.
Helen Colby
TEL: 0115 942 8631
EMAIL: helen.colby@broxtowehucknall-pct.nhs.uk
SMART targets
Have you written a set of 'ready-made' SMART targets in
line with the curriculum? How did you collaborate with
education settings?
Sarah Steedman
TEL: 01722 345571
EMAIL: sarah.steedman@salisbury.nhs.uk
Aphasia-friendly evaluations
Do you use aphasia-friendly service evaluations? How did
you design your forms? What feedback have you had?
Alex Wormall
EMAIL: awormall@nhs.net
20
Education advice/support
Are you interested in setting up an email network for
advice/support for SLTs working alone or in small teams for
education?
Laura Richards
TEL: 01329 664151
EMAIL: laura.richards@baycroft.hants.sch.uk
SLI care pathways
Are you using or developing care pathways for different
subgroups of SLI within school-aged children? We are
exploring different SLI subgroups, and existing evidencebased practice around each subgroup. Would like to hear
from anyone who has developing anything similar.
Marie Randall
EMAIL: sarah.fox@cht.nhs.uk
Speechviewer III
Papworth Ability Services supplied our Speechviewer III,
but no longer exist. Who else supplies and maintains
Speechviewer III? We need a new microphone and would
like our equipment serviced?
Marjorie Douglas
EMAIL: marjoriedouglas@donaldsons-coll.edin.sch.uk
www.rcslt.org
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b o o k rev i ew s
Book Reviews
Phonological Awareness Series:
Disc 1 - Listening and rhyming,
Disc 2 - Syllabification
LEAPS AND BOUNDS MULTIMEDIA LTD
£45 for one disc, £85 for both discs
ISBN: 0-9546521-0-X, ISBN: 0-9546521-1-8
www.speechleaps.co.uk
These discs provide computer-based activities
for developing phonological skills. The
authors; SLTs, multimedia specialists and
graphic artists, generally succeed in providing
activities to support work routinely covered
by SLTs.
Disc one has 33 screens for listening
activities and the rhyming section has eight
different activities, each available at two levels
and most offering 10 or more screens for each
level. Disc two concentrates on syllable
identification and generation. It has 14
different activities, most offering several
screens and at least two different skill levels.
The discs are interactive and have pleasant
and encouraging male and female voices. The
interesting and clear graphics enhance rather
than dominate the language activities. Most
of the pictures would be acceptable to
children of all ages, although the need to
provide rhymes means some of the
vocabulary would need to be specifically
taught.
The vocabulary and worksheets for the
tasks can be downloaded, and provide a basis
for further phonological awareness work and
other therapy work at school, within a clinical
setting, or for homework tasks. It is easy to
move around the discs, although the device to
prevent children skipping around the disc too
quickly can defeat adults as well.
These discs contain a wealth of useful
material. However, there is no accompanying
written script, so familiarisation needs to be
done using a computer.
Most activities can be child-led, but this
needs to be done with adult support, such as
an SLT assistant, teaching assistant or parent
working under the direction of an SLT. The
materials link well with the speaking and
listening aspects of the national curriculum,
and are suitable for schools and SLT
departments.
CO N T E N T S :
R E A D A B I L I T Y:
VA LU E :
****
****
****
DILYS SKINNER, Retired SLT
MARION A WARING, SLT coordinator for
school age children in mainstream schools
Coventry PCT
Flying Start with Literacy: activities
for parents and children
ROSS BAYLEY, LYNN BROADBENT
Network Educational Press, 2005
ISBN: 1-85539-194-9, £8.95
This book is written for parents, but is useful
for any clinic, nursery or school. It is bursting
with everyday activities using everyday objects
in everyday situations relating to literacy.
The seven chapters follow developmental
stages for children aged 3-6, from listening
skills to writing, with much reference to
speech and language development. The
consistent layout of each chapter enables the
reader to 'pick and flick' for ideas or activities,
or alternatively to 'need to read' about
something specific.
Each chapter outlines why a particular
developmental stage is crucial to develop and
support children's literacy skills, and has
clear, culturally diverse, and often humorous
pictures. Each chapter finishes with frequently
asked questions, giving concise answers that
clearly reflect many parents' concerns.
CO N T E N T S :
VA LU E :
****
*****
****
EMMA CAHILL, Early Start SLT, clinical
lead, Newham, RCSLT adviser for Sure Start
BOOK OF THE MONTH
Finding You Finding Me: using Intensive
Interaction to get in touch with people whose
severe learning disabilities are combined with
autistic spectrum disorder
The chapter on causes of stress is particularly useful.
The sensation of 'fragmentation' following overstimulation is something we should be more
aware of: people with ASD will do anything to
avoid experiencing what is described as 'a number
of extremely unpleasant and terrifying sensations'.
NTs often perceive the strategies people use to avoid
fragmentation as 'challenging behaviour'. The author
describes how she used a practical 'Intensive
Interaction' approach to engage with these individuals
in a meaningful way that does not cause them stress.
The outcomes of this approach are a marked
improvement in behaviour, an ability to communicate
and people who are 'much happier' in themselves.
PHOEBE CALDWELL
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2005
£13.99
ISBN: 1-84310-399-0
This is an essential read for anyone working with
people with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and
additional learning disabilities, who are typically described as
'hard to reach'.
The author combines her own experiences of working with this
population with the experiences described by the people themselves
to illustrate the sensory problems they experience. She stresses the
need for neurotypicals (people without ASD) to try to identify these
difficulties in order to avoid increasing the stress levels of people
with ASD.
www.rcslt.org
CO N T E N T S :
VA LU E :
*****
*****
*****
KATE EVANS
Specialist SLT, Westridge Assessment and Treatment Service, RCSLT
adviser in adults with learning disability
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s p e c i f i c I n te re s t G ro u p n ot i ce s
SIG for SLTs Working in Child Development
Centres (UKR103)
19 September, 10am - 3.30pm
Cerebral Palsy Day: Physiotherapist Pauline
Christmas will present the morning session,
afternoon session tbc. Room B725, Baker
Building, Perry Barr Campus, UCE. Directions
available: www.uce.ac.uk in 'how to find us'.
Members £15; non-members £20, students £5.
NB Only those enclosing an A5 SAE with
apologies prior to meeting will receive minutes
and notices. Numbers limited; book places in
advance. Contact Fiona Wilson,
tel: 01302 366666 ext 3854
Autism SIG East
20 September, 2.15 - 4.30pm (1.30 - 2pm, AGM)
Specialist SLT Juliet Jamieson will talk about
her work with adolescents at UCL. Samantha
Upchurch, educational psychologist with
responsibility for autism, will discuss
behaviour management for children with ASD
and moderate learning difficulty. Meeting
Room 3, Hertford County Hospital, North
Road, Hertford SG14 1LP. Members free; nonmembers £8; SLTAs/students £5. Places
limited. Contact Christine Comras, tel: 01707
328111 (1) ext 3321 or email:
christine.comras@nhs.net
SIG Computers in Therapy
21 September, 9.30 - 3.30pm
Conference feedback, software evaluation,
feedback on intensive computer group. Please
come along to exchange ideas and experiences.
Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic
Diseases Bath BA1 1RL. Cost: £4. Contact
Sarah Fleming, tel: 01225 465941 or Alex
Davies/Sophie Cottrell, tel: 0117 9758060
Yorkshire SLTs Working with Dysfluency
(RI6) (Affiliated to National SIG in
Dysfluency)
22 September, 9.30am - 12.30pm
Informal case sharing adult/paediatric
auditory process (brief) feedback from IFA
Conference. Tadcaster Health Centre. Free.
Contact Eileen Hope, tel: 01756 792233 ext
208, email: eileen.hope@anhst.nhs.uk
Yorkshire Paediatric Dysphagia SIG (N16)
25 September, 1.30pm
Feedback on three courses by members.
Medela Rep present. Tadcaster Health Centre.
Contact either Chair Sue Craig, tel: 01274
395461 or Secretary Angela Hunter,
tel: 01924 483909.
Oxford Voice and Laryngectomy SIG (E31)
26 September, 9.30am - 4pm
Globus Syndrome: 10 - 11.30, Causes and
management, Julian McGlashan, Consultant
ENT Surgeon, Nottingham; 11.30-12.30,
Globus resources and discussion; 1.30 AGM;
22
3.15 - 4, The effects of medication on voice
and swallowing (pharmacy speaker tba). ENT
Library, Radcliffe Infirmary, Woodstock Road,
Oxford, OX2 6HE. Members free, nonmembers £15. Students £7.50. Contact Elaine
or Penny, tel: 01604 545737 or email:
elaine.coker@northamptonpct.nhs.uk
South West Thames SIG in Developmental
Speech and Language Impairment (E15)
27 September, 7.45 for 8pm
Hyerle Thinking Maps: a fantastic visual tool
for SLI: Helen White, SLT and language
teacher. The Meath School, Brox Rd,
Ottershaw, Chertsey, Surrey. Members free;
non-members £5; fee for the year £10. No need
to book. Contact Christina Evans, tel: 020 8977
4674 (evenings only), email:
cevans@lampton.hounslow.sch.uk
Head and Neck Oncology SIG (UKRI10
28 September, 10am - 4pm
Treatment protocols and management of
laryngeal carcinoma. Guest speakers and case
discussion. Speakers: Mr PJ Bradley FRCS, Mr
D Howard FRCS; H Fiona Robinson RCSLT;
Annette Kelly RCSLT. Postgraduate Education
Centre, QMC, Nottingham. Members free;
non-members £10. Buffet lunch. Contact
Katherine Behenna and Jackie Farmer,
tel: 0115 970 9221 or
email: katherine.behenna@nuh.nhs.uk
Communicating Matters SIG (S13/05)
29 September, 10am - 3.30pm
Running parents groups (invited speaker from
Glasgow), sharing ideas and resources, tbc. Of
interest to therapists actively working with
children and families living in areas of
deprivation. Centre for Child Health Dundee.
Contact Nicola Orr, tel: 01786 434078, email:
nicola.orr@fvpc.scot.nhs.uk
Essex SLI SIG (E39)
5 October, 2pm
Jane Speake. The effect of vowel sounds on the
intelligibility of speech. Green Acres. Great
Baddow, Nr Chelmsford. Contact Jane
Barnard, tel: 01375 360756, email:
janesplat@aol.com
Head Injury SIG (L09)
6 October, 9am - 4pm (AGM 2pm)
Issue and dilemmas when working with higher
level clients, from acute to community. Are you
struggling with clients with reduced insight?
Want to know more about how memory may
be limiting change? Do you have limited
resources and time to work with higher-level
clients? Friends House, Euston, London.
Members £10; non-members £20. Contact
Phillipa Williams, email:
p.williams@rhn.org.uk
SIG in AAC - Central Region (C16)
9 October, 9.30am - 4 pm
AAC and peer interaction. Conversational
analysis, UCL lecturer Mike Clarke; report on
findings national study, Bristol University
Research Unit; AAC groups, Victoria School;
experiences of using AAC, mother and
daughter; supported conversations with adults
with aphasia, Birmingham team. Nuffield
Orthopaedic Hospital, Oxford. Non-members
£10; members £5. Includes lunch. Contact
Gillian Hazell, email:
gillian@gmhazell.fsnet.co.uk, tel: 0781 145 2444
North West Dysfluence SIG (N34)
11 October (1pm if bringing lunch) 1.30 - 4pm
Presentation of details of collaborative
practice; developing links between speech
therapy service and education, Cherry Hughes
BSA; presentation of weekend stammering
course (adults), Karen Allen and Sarah Ellison.
Venue: Manchester Metropolitan University,
Elizabeth Gaskell Campus, Hathersage Rd,
Manchester (ask at Reception for room
allocation) Free. Contact Colette Fielding,
tel: 0161 331 5156
SIG: Speech and language difficulties in
secondary education (C19)
17 October, 2 - 5 pm
The National Curriculum at secondary level how can SLTs contribute to the MATHS
curriculum? Please come and share your ideas
around this school subject - teachers very
welcome to attend this collaborative workshop.
Child Development Centre, Gulson Road,
Gulson Hospital, Coventry CV12 HR. Contact
Carol Reffin, tel: 0116 2954670, email:
Carol.Reffin@lcwpct.nhs.uk
South West Disorders of Fluency SIG (WE12)
19 October, 9.30am - 4pm
Cluttering. David Ward will speak and lead the
discussion. Georgian Room, Trust
Headquarters, Frenchay Hospital, Frenchay,
Bristol. Members and students free; nonmembers £10. Email:
debbie.mason@barnardos.org.uk,
tel: 0117 9190219
SIG Adult Neurology (L7)
25 October
Annual study day. Multilingualism and
neurological language impairment: adapting
practice to meet patients' needs. Gilliatt
Lecture Theatre, Institute of Neurology, Queen
Square, London. Members £35; non-members
£45; students £10. To reserve your place email:
anneth30@btinternet.com or
caroline@darton-moore.co.uk
SIG in Oncology Scotland
26 October, 9.30am - 3.30pm
Palliative care study day. Lecture Theatre 1.
www.rcslt.org
22-23
21/8/06
11:14 pm
Page 23
s p e c i f i c I n te re s t G ro u p n ot i ce s
Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley. Contact Jan
Stanier, Secretary, email:
jan.stanier@rah.scot.nhs.uk, tel: 0141 314 6117
National SIG in Disorders of Fluency
(UKR16)
30 October, 9:30am - 4:30pm (Reg 9 - 9.30am;
AGM 9:30 - 10.15am)
Interiorised stammering - therapists' and
clients' perspectives with Carolyn Cheasman,
Jan Logan and Rachel Everard from the City
Lit. Friends Meeting House, 173 Euston Road,
London NW1 2BJ. Members free; nonmembers/members renewing on the day £20
(includes SIG membership); students £10.
Contact Helen Jenkins, tel 0121 331 5716,
email: helen.jenkins@uce.ac.uk
SIG Psychiatry of Old Age (E17)
Management approaches in dementia both
older adults and young people. Speakers tbc.
RCSLT, London. Members £15, non-members
£20. Email:
caroline.ashton@islingtonpct.nhs.uk or
eve.brotzel@islingtonpct.nhs.uk, or
carmel.hayes@islingtonpct.nhs.uk,
tel: 020 7530 4658
Neurology SIG, South Mid and West Wales
(WA04)
RCSLT, HPC, KSF, CPD, SEA: so many
acronyms, so little time; Sharon Woolf, RCSLT
Head of Professional Development. The
management of cognitive communication
disorders following brain injury: illustrative
case studies; Brain Injury Team, Rookwood
Hospital, Cardiff. Postgraduate Centre,
Morriston Hospital. Contact: Jean Bebb, email:
jean.bebb@swansea-tr.wales.nhs.uk,
tel: 01792 517863
Disorders of Fluency SIG Scotland (UK R16)
10 November, 10am - 4.30pm
Canadian Experience of tele-health and telecounselling (Liz O'Connell and Carolyn
Allen). Feedback from IFA Conference Dublin
2006 (Robin Lickley QMUC). Case
Presentations (bring a case). The Nurses
Recreation Hall, Taymount Terrace, Perth
(by Perth Royal Infirmary). Members Free;
non-members £20 (includes annual
membership) students £10.
Contact Ludo Thierry, tel: 01224 553966
SIG in Specific Learning Difficulties (E26)
10 November, 9.30 to 4.30 (reg 9.30 - 10am)
Auditory processing. Assessment, Dilys
Treharne; Treatment approaches, Nicci
Cambell; Classroom management, John
Briggs. The Institute of Materials, 1 Carlton
House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5DB. Nonmembers £70, members £55, students £20.
Annual subscription £10. Refreshments
included. Contact Karen Rivlin, email:
karen@rivlin.org.uk, tel: 0207 938 8135
the City Lit, London. Venue: University of
Central England, Birmingham (room B405,
Baker Building). Members £10; non-members
£15 (to include membership). Places limited.
Enclose cheque, payable to 'WM dysfluency
SIG' to: Kate Fowler, Speech and Language
Therapy Dept, Therapy Services, Royal
Shrewsbury Hospitals, Mytton Oak Road
Shrewsbury SY3 8QX
Local Groups:
Mid and West Kent Local Group
25 September, 7.30 for 8pm
All local NHS and independent therapists are
welcome to attend our next meeting, when Jill
Christmas, OT, will give an hour's talk on
sensory integration, linking it to dyspraxia.
Refreshments provided and opportunities for
discussion and chat. Bring along anyone new
to the area. Meetings Room, Sevenoaks
Hospital. Contact Cherry O'Neill, tel: 01732
838756, email: cherry.oneill@btinternet.com
West Midlands Dysfluency SIG Study Day
20 November, 10am - 4.30pm
Supporting the process of change. Tutors
Carolyn Cheasman and Rachel Everard from
Viv Robinson no longer
works at the RCSLT.
Send your SIG notice by
email to: sig@rcslt.org
by 4 September for the
October issue
Booking form for the RCSLT conference and AGM
Please complete this form and return to: Membership Team, RCSLT, 2 White Hart Yard, London, SE1 1NX
Membership number: ...........................................................................................................................
Name:
swallowing (Paula Leslie)
..................................................................................................................................................................
q
.....................................................................................................................................................................................
Filling the evidence gap using both practitioner input and
systematic reviews (James Law) q
.....................................................................................................................................................................................
Payment options [see above for prices]
.....................................................................................................................................................................................
I enclose a cheque (please tick)
Address to send info about this event to:
Employer:
Job title:
........................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................
What do you wish to come to on the day? (tick one option)
AGM only q [Free]
AGM, with lunch provided q [£25]
The conference, with lunch provided q [£50*]
*Non-members of the RCSLT pay £75 for this day ticket
Any special dietary requirements? (please detail here):
q
I would like to pay by credit card, my details are:
Card number:
Expiry date:
Card issue number (Switch/Maestro only):
Card issue date (Switch/Maestro only):
I would like an invoice raised for the conference fee.
Address to which invoice is to be sent is:
.....................................................................................................................................................................................
Do you require disabled/assisted access to the venue?
.....................................................................................................................................................................................
If attending the conference, which parallel session would you like
to attend? (choose one session):
Recent trials in child language impairment (Elspeth MacCartney) q
Breaking the clinical-academic divide: a case study in dysphagia and
Name:
..............................................................................................................................................................
Address: ..........................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................................................
RCSLT aug06_Back
17/8/06
7:28 am
Page 1
Draft Programme
Founders' Lecture: Relevant evidence: the importance
of research to speech and language therapy. Professor
Paul Carding, University of Newcastle
Breaking the clinical-academic divide: skills for
evidence based swallowology. Dr Paula Leslie,
University of Newcastle
Combining systematic review and practitioner
decision making - an interdisciplinary approach from
speech and language therapy and occupational
therapy. Professor James Law and Dr Kirsty Forsyth,
Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh
Recent trials in child language impairment.
Elspeth MacCartney, University of Strathclyde
UK-wide plans for capacity building for
research by AHPs. Martin Hallsworth, UKCRC
Panel responses: Catrin Roberts, Nuffield
Foundation, the new RCSLT Councillor for Research,
Malcolm Pringle, Scottish Office
Developing a research-active speech and language
therapy department. Mary Turnbull, Forth Valley
PCT; Joan Murphy, University of Stirling; Lois
Cameron, Forth Valley PCT
Putting evidence into practice. Marysia Nash, Royal
Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh; Ruth
Nieuwenhuis, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff
The next steps for the development of the RCSLT
research strategy. The new RCSLT Councillor for
Research
Costs: RCSLT members
£50, non-members £75.
The day will include the RCSLT
annual general meeting.
Attendance to the AGM-only is free,
but if you also require lunch, this will cost £25.
For more details or to book your place email:
information@rcslt.org or tel: 020 7378 3012
visit: www.rcslt.org

Teachers need voice training - Royal College of Speech and

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