the online cpd diary goes live - home | rcslt

May 2006 • Issue 649

The official magazine of the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists

The online CPD diary goes live

may o6 Master cover 21/4/06 4:39 pm

Project2 21/4/06 1:35 pm Page 1

Royal College of Speechand Language Therapists2 White Hart Yard, London SE1 1NX

Telephone: 020 7378 1200email: [email protected]: www.rcslt.org

President Sir George Cox

Senior LifeVice President Sir Sigmund Sternberg

Vice Presidents Simon Hughes MPBaroness JayBaroness Michie

Chair Sue Roulstone

Deputy Chair Rosalind Gray Rogers

Hon Treasurer Gill Stevenson

ProfessionalDirector Kamini Gadhok

Editor Steven Harulow

Deputy Editor Annie Faulkner

Publications Editor Sarah Gentleman

MarketingOfficer Sandra Burke

Publisher TG Scott(A division of McMillan-Scott plc)

Design Courts Design Ltd

Disclaimer:The bulletin is the monthly magazine of the Royal College of Speech and LanguageTherapists.The views expressed in the bulletinare not necessarily the views of the College.

Publication does not imply endorsement.Publication of advertisements in the bulletin isnot an endorsement of the advertiser or of theproducts and services advertised.

C O N T E N T S

COVER STORY:

The RCSLTonline CPDdiary goesliveSee page 9 for details

May 2006 • Issue 649

Cover: Getty Images

4 Editorial and letters

6 Obituaries: Mary Pletts, Eileen Gent and

Heulwen Ebsworth

8 News: Conference provides launch pad to success;CPD online diary goes live; NICeST offers library services to RCSLT members; New CRM Head joins RCSLT team; and more.

14 Debbie Smart investigates the reasons why students choose a career in healthcare

16 Jacqueline Pogue and Margery Johnston discuss a sensory integration approach used with an adult with hypoxic brain injury

18 Anna Volkmer describes how she took advantage of the

multidisciplinary team in counselling a family affected by aphasia

20 Reviews: The latest books and products reviewed by SLTs

21 Any questions: Your chance to ask your colleagues and share

your knowledge

22 Opinion piece: Anne Thomas explains why the ending of the Communication Aids Project will leave many children without a voice

27 Specific Interest Groups: The latest meetings and events around the UK

Contents May 21/4/06 4:40 pm Page 1

bulletin May 2006 www.rcslt.org4

editor ia l & let ters

L E T T E R S

Bulletin thrives on your letters and emails

Write to the editor, RCSLT, 2 White Hart Yard,

London SE1 1NX

email: [email protected]

Please include your postal address and telephone number

Letters may be edited for publication (250 words maximum)

I don’t know if it’s just me, but theRCSLT just doesn’t seem to standstill these days.

This month for example, we’re proud to launch two

new major products, both the result of many

months of planning and implementation, and both

designed to support the speech and language

therapy community.

We have now officially launched the RCSLT’s

online CPD diary. This impressive tool will help

you record all your CPD activities and reflections

on learning on an ongoing basis.

The diary aims to minimise paperwork and save

you valuable time. It will also align your CPD to the

Heath Professions Council (HPC) and the

Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) processes.

Register for the diary via the RCSLT website

(visit: www.rcslt.org/cpd).

We are also launching Communicating Quality 3

at the Realising the Vision conference in Northern

Ireland on 12 May.

As many of you will know, the RCSLT held a

major consultation exercise for CQ3 towards the

end of 2005. Kath Williamson deserves great credit

for the way she has worked tirelessly to turn around

your comments into a fine final product in a

remarkably short timeframe.

Kath will be at the conference to launch CQ3 and

will be joined by myself and other members of your

RCSLT team.

We look forward to meeting as many members as

possible during what will be a busy and interesting

three days.

For those of you unable to attend, we will

produce a full conference write up for a summer

Bulletin.

Steven Harulow

Bulletin Editor


A time for innovation

PECS: difficulties withimplementationRecent letters in Bulletin (March 2006,

p5-6) have highlighted the differing

opinions on the Picture

Communication System (PECS) as a

functional communication system.

We want to put forward our

concerns, not about its efficacy, but the

difficulties we are currently

encountering in implementing it

effectively in mainstream and non-

maintained nurseries.

Far fewer children with complex

communication needs are entering

special schools/units in our locality.

‘Inclusion’ is forging onwards with what

seems little consideration for the

training needs of practitioners in early

years settings.

Fortunately, our team already had a

strong, joint partnership approach with

the early years education team before

the impact of inclusion. Both teams

have been pro-active, not reactive.

Training had already been established

on total communication, increasing the

knowledge, and thus the skills and

confidence of practitioners in speech

and language issues.

Our ongoing concern is how to

establish more effective means of

developing PECS outside special

schools and into early years settings.

Factors affecting our progress are:

many support staff have no

qualifications or experience with

children with complex needs; nursery

staff can be transient, both within

nursery and beyond; the high adult-to-

child ratio necessary for establishment

of PECS stages 1 and 2; general

misinterpretation of use of PECS

resources and confusion with other

visual support material; and parallel

training to parents.

We are reviewing our current

practice to address some of the above

factors – though most are not within

our control.

Other strategies demonstrated have

met with more success, eg Makaton,

visual aids, Hanen programmes.

Maybe the successful introduction of

PECS is one training demand too many

for these settings? How effective has the

‘mainstreaming’ of PECS been for other

colleagues?

Jo Clarke, Kay Wells, SLTs

Elaine Roberts, speech and language

therapy associate practitioner

Cheshire West PCT

Email: [email protected]

Letters-Ed 4-6 21/4/06 4:40 pm

www.rcslt.org May 2006 bulletin 5

editor ia l & let ters

L E T T E R S c o n t i n u e d

No ‘one size fits all’ approachI read with interest Neil Stevens’ article

(‘Beyond autism: the Picture Exchange

Communication System’, Bulletin, January

2006, p12-13), and the subsequent letters

(Bulletin, March 2006 p5-6).

I agree with the writers of the letters

‘PECS has benefits’ and ‘PECS is no

panacea’, that PECS is a useful tool for some

individuals, but that we should be

promoting a multimodal approach to

communication.

I co-wrote an article ‘Functional

Communication: the impact of PECS’

(Speech and Language Therapy in Practice,

Autumn 2003) that reinforces the points

raised.

The article evaluates the effectiveness of

the implementation of an entire PECS

environment within two classes in a special

school catering for pupils with autistic

spectrum disorders.

It looks at the impact on the frequency,

function and methods of the pupils’

communication, as well as the amount of

support they required to achieve this.

The pupils did make good progress with

the use of PECS, but the most striking

finding was that they were communicating

more effectively using a range of

approaches and, often, using the form of

communication that was most appropriate

to the individual situation.

This cannot be credited solely to the use

of PECS, but also to the opportunities for

communication embedded in the classroom

environments.

Neil Stevens’ article does not highlight

the vital role of the communication

environment when implementing PECS. In

fact, he seems to imply that an individual

with learning disabilities can move through

the initial phases of PECS in one session.

He makes no reference to the fact they need

plenty of opportunity to practise these skills

in their everyday environment as the

research indicates.

Therefore, although I agree that PECS

has a place in developing communication

and the principles of its implementation are

extremely useful, we need to tread with

extreme caution when suggesting that it is a

‘one size fits all’ approach.

As SLTs we should be advocating the

facilitation of a wide range of approaches

tailored to meet the needs of the individual

concerned.

Sarah Heneker, SLT

Lead clinician for learning disabilities,

North Surrey PCT

Reading University 1996 reunionCalling all Reading University 1996

graduates. It’s about to be 10 years since we

graduated (see photo), and some of us

thought it would be great to meet up again.

We are planning a reunion on Saturday 8

July at lunchtime, probably somewhere in

Reading. If you would like to join us, please

contact Ruth Sinclair (nee Blakely). Once we

know how many are interested, we will sort

out a venue and time. Tel: 020 8397 3988, or

email: [email protected]. I look

forward to seeing as many of you as possible.

Ruth Sinclair

Good practice examplesrequiredWe are in the early stages of planning a

practical book with Speechmark,

provisionally titled Working with students –

a good practice guide for SLTs.

We would like this to be representative of

good practice across the UK and welcome

contributions from speech and language

therapy departments, individuals or

universities for possible inclusion.

For example, this could include

innovative methods for student allocation,

goal-setting, peer placements, ‘rainy day’

activities, providing feedback or other

ideas/frameworks you would be happy to

share with your colleagues.

We aim to produce a very practical book

that will help those new to taking students,

as well as departments/individuals seeking

additional ideas to support students’ clinical

education.

Please send examples and ideas by 31

May to: Gill Rose, 40 Beaudesert Road,

Birmingham, B20 3TG. Email:

[email protected]. All

contributions will be acknowledged.

Francesca Cooper

Director of Clinical Placement Education,

University of Wales Institute, Cardiff

Gill Rose

University of Central England, Birmingham

Letters-Ed 4-6 21/4/06 4:41 pm


Obituar ies

It is with much sadness that we report the death of

Mary Pletts (pictured), an outstanding therapist and

teacher.

Mary graduated from the West End Hospital

School in 1948. She worked briefly for Enfield local

authority, but after marrying in 1949, left speech

therapy and devoted the next 10 years to bringing

up her daughters.

After 1959, the next 13 years provided Mary with

a wealth of varied clinical experience that she was

later to put to such effective use in teaching. She

worked for the Jewish Home and Hospital in

Tottenham and the Putney Home for Incurables.

Then followed a period at St John’s Hospital in Battersea and

Wandsworth Prison. During the mid-sixties, Mary was working at

Roehampton Hospital where she was involved in assessing cleft

palate repair, as well as the diagnosis of deafness in babies, an area

in which she maintained a particular interest. From Roehampton

she moved to Richmond-on-Thames, working in numerous

school clinics and a school for autistic children.

In 1972, Mary accepted the post of tutor at

Birmingham Polytechnic and two years later

moved back to London, where she became clinical

tutor and head of third year studies at the National

Hospitals College of Speech Sciences (NHCSS),

finally retiring in 1987.

Mary will be remembered as a much valued

member of staff at the NHCSS (now the

Department of Human Communication Sciences,

University College London) where she made a

considerable contribution to its growth and

development.

Her teaching skills were exceptional: able to note and foster

talent in others, she would then help to promote that talent to

best effect. For her work in teaching she was awarded an RCSLT

Fellowship.

Jean Cooper-Robinson, Michael Jackson

Mary Platt (née WIcks) October 1927 - January 2006

Eileen died in November 2005 at the age of 73. She qualified in

1956 from Kingdom Ward and initially worked in Essex.

In the 1960s, Eileen became one of the earliest speech

therapists working in Germany. On returning to England she

worked in Hampshire, Buckinghamshire, and briefly in

Staffordshire before settling in Wiltshire in 1976.

Most of Eileen’s career was with paediatrics, but later as

services for older people developed, she chose to specialise and

was convinced of the role SLTs had in dysphagia, as well as

communication.

Eileen retired in 1997 and despite health problems worked

tirelessly for Age Concern. She stood up for her rights and those

of her patients. Her views were held passionately. Her great loves

were music, especially singing, and her cats.

Her son, Peter, gave a fine eulogy at her funeral, speaking of her

role as mother, her mischievousness, humour and love of cats. It

was not without significance that a fine black feline graced the

church porch with its presence before the service.

Nanette Maver, Beryl Kellow

Ellen Mary Gent,‘Eileen’

Heulwen worked with us in City and Hackney in the 1980s in

community clinics, the Donald Winnicot Centre, day nurseries and at

Joseph’s Hospice.

She was a vital and vibrant part of our committed team who

helped to shape and deliver innovative practice.

We worked hard, but also had good fun and Heulwen was a pivotal

part of both. Her laugh used to cheer up even the grimmest Hackney

day. Always thoughtful, conscientious and empathetic in her

approach, she gave tremendous help and encouragement to all she

worked with – clients and colleagues. We will always remember her.

Lois Cameron, Jane Dixon, Jane Elias, Bernadette Gillespie,

Alison Hyde, Anna Kot, James Law, Jane Macer, Susanne Marsh,

Sally Shaw and Liane Smith (past colleagues)

Following a break bringing up her three girls, Heulwen returned to

speech and language therapy in 2000, joining the mainstream

support service in West Herts.

She quickly became an extremely important member

contributing to the professional growth and personal support in a

fast developing team. She approached changes and challenges

flexibly and positively – even the new IT requirements.

Heulwen’s calm and competent manner, empathetic approach

and thorough professionalism meant she was respected and well-

liked by all therapists, assistants, school staff and families. She

certainly received many more ‘thank you’ cards than most of us.

We especially remember Heulwen’s friendly personality and her

support. Our thoughts are with her family – her husband, Simon;

her daughters, Hanna, Beth and Rhian and her father.

Sue Brown, Alison Graham, the Mainstream Support Team,

and all who worked with her in Hertfordshire Partnership Trust.

Heulwen Ebsworth, 1954 - 2006

Letters-Ed 4-6 25/4/06 2:11 pm

Realising thevision10-12 May 2006University ofUlster atJordanstown,Northern IrelandThere are only a few days to goto the speech and languagetherapy conference of the year

A special thank you to our conference sponsors

With over 500 confirmed delegates

and a packed programme of over 80

oral and 80 poster presentations,

Realising the Vision promises to be an

extremely informative and useful

event, as well as providing a major

forum for the speech and language

therapy community to share the latest

evidence-based practice

Don’t forget to visit theRCSLT stand:

• Sample Communicating Quality 3

• Discuss the new online CDP diary

• Sign up for surgery sessions

The RCSLT wishes all delegates a very informative and

enjoyable time at the conference

Realising the vision 21/4/06 4:00 pm Page 1


news

Conference provides launch pad Steven Harulow reports from Northern Ireland on the RCSLT’s conference to addressissues around the delivery of children’s speech and language therapy services

The government plans to establish a regional

task force to develop an action plan to

improve the provision of children’s speech and

language therapy services in Northern Ireland.

This was the key message from Minister for

Children and Young People Lord Rooker at

Shaping the future – meeting children’s language

and learning needs, a conference hosted by the

RCSLT and the Northern Ireland

Commissioner for Children and Young People

(NICCY) in Cookstown on 30 March.

At the conference – which took place as a

tribute to the late Nigel Williams, the

Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children

and Young People, who died that week – over

180 delegates, including parents, government

representatives, managers, commissioners and

practitioners, discussed solutions to the

serious situation outlined in the 2005 NICCY

report on children’s speech and language

therapy provision in Northern Ireland.

NICCY’s 2006 annual review, released

shortly before the conference, shows 2,055

children and young people are still waiting to

be assessed for speech and language therapy,

and 3,402 who have been assessed as needing

therapy are waiting for it to begin.

“The findings from this year’s review

highlight a considerable number of children

and young people requiring speech and

language therapy provision and, although

there has been progress in some trusts in

relation to reduced waiting times, overall there

appears to be little significant change,” the

review says.

In a statement read out in his absence, Lord

Rooker said, “The regional task force will be

made up of a variety of stakeholders to

develop an action plan to improve the

provision of speech and language therapy.”

Lord Rooker also referred to the Children

and Young People’s Funding Package,

launched by Secretary of State for Northern

Ireland Peter Hain in March 2006.

“I am delighted that children with special

needs have been included in the package and

that each year £4 million will be made

available. This money will be used to set up

multidisciplinary teams to provide services

such as speech and language therapy to

schools and other settings.”

An important conferenceDuring the day, delegates heard presentations

from inspirational good practice projects

currently under way in Northern Ireland.

Florence Millar Wilson (South and East

Belfast Trust) and Ruth Nesbitt (Craigavon

and Banbridge Community Trust) spoke

about the success of their Community

Approach. Raymond McFeeters and Brid

Murphy (Thornfield School) discussed the

outcomes of their Language and Learning

Project. Lorraine Coulter and Jane McConn

also outlined their successful Nursery Outreach

Project.

Later, Nuala McArdle, from the Department

of Health Social Services and Public Safety

(DHSSPS) and John Hunter, from the

Department of Education Northern Ireland

(DENI), spoke about their Collaborative

Working Group Strategy.

Leslie Frew, Director of the DHSSPS

Directorate of Child and Community Care,

and Dorothy Angus, Head of the DE’s

Equality, Inclusion and Pupil Support

Division, also outlined their respective

departmental visions for the future.

RCSLT trustees and officers made significant

contributions to the day. For example, RCSLT

Chair Professor Sue Roulstone introduced

Marie Gascoigne’s position paper, Supporting

children with speech, language and

communication needs within integrated

children’s services.

RCSLT Workforce Planning Project

Coordinator Stef Ticehurst outlined the

rationale behind the RCSLT’s innovative

Workforce Planning Project, which will soon

begin to examine speech and language therapy

services for children in the Western Health and

Social Services Board area.

Later in the day, delegates joined break-out

groups to discuss and debate specific issues

related to the delivery of children’s speech and

language therapy services. The results of these

debates were recorded and will be used to

develop an action plan looking at what needs

to be delivered next.

RCSLT Northern Ireland Country Policy

Officer Alison McCullough said, “This was an

immensely important conference, addressing

the speech and language therapy needs for

children in Northern Ireland.

“We gathered together all of the key players

for the first time and it proved to be a great

opportunity to start making a real difference

to services for children.”

Summing up the conference, RCSLT CEO

Kamini Gadhok thanked all the delegates and

speakers for their obvious enthusiasm and

hard work.

“We will take your suggestions and ideas

and develop an action plan for us all to deliver.

“We hope you will all give your

commitment to being involved, as this

conference is the launch pad from which you

are going to shape the future of services for

children with speech, language and

communication difficulties.”

Kona

thon

Tra

ynor

The conference speakersposture for the camera

008-009 21/4/06 4:43 pm Page 1


news

N E W S I N B R I E F

SEN assistanceThe Good Schools Guide to SEN 2006

promises to guide parents through the

world of special educational needs by

provides information on the best sources

of help, support and advice available.The

book includes chapters that explain the

role played by key people in the system,

and has write-ups on 350 schools that

cater for SEN. It also provides access to a

database of SEN provision across all

special and thousands of mainstream

schools.Visit:

www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk

Neonatal hearing screeningThe NHS Newborn Hearing Screening

Programme now offers the parents of

every newborn baby in England the

chance to have their child checked for

deafness and hearing impairment

shortly after birth. Over 1,600 babies will

be screened every day using a new test

either in hospital or in the community.

Visit: www.nhsp.info

Speak and listenThe Basic Skills Agency (BSA) is urging

parents and schools

to ‘speak and listen’

in an effort to

improve children’s

behaviour at

primary school

level. Its new

pamphlet (right)

promoting this

message coincides

with its Talk to me!

campaign, which

supports the

transition from early years to primary

school.Visit: www.basic-skills.co.uk

Patient safety firstThe National Patient Safety Agency

(NPSA) has launched a campaign to

empower patients to take a more active

role in managing their health. The Please

Ask campaign provides practical,

accessible information about patient

safety and encourages patients to ask

questions about their NHS healthcare. A

magazine, tip sheet and website provides

advice on the patient journey.Visit:

www.npsa.nhs.uk

Get

ty Im

ages

This innovative online system is an electronic way

of recording all your CPD activities and reflections

on learning, on an ongoing basis.

The diary aims to minimise paperwork and save

you time. It aligns your CPD to the Heath

Professions Council (HPC) and Knowledge and

Skills Framework (KSF) processes.

The diary includes a system for email alerts, lets

you know about short courses relevant to your

specialism, includes a forum for discussion and a

summative function of hours or analysis of work

done per type of activity required to meet RCSLT

standards.

To gain access to the members’ CPD area you first

need to register on the CPD website

(www.rcslt.org/cpd). Simply click on Access the

online diary link and then the Register for the online

CPD link on the member’s area page.

To register you will need your RCSLT

membership number and an active email address in

order to receive a password notification.

The registration process only takes a few minutes.

Once you have registered, the RCSLT will contact

you by email within a few days and confirm your

access to the online diary.

Once you receive your password, you can change

it to something more familiar to make it easier to

remember. If you’ve already registered, but

forgotten your password, you can also reset your

password via this page.

We have published some useful frequently asked

questions, and their answers, about the diary on the

CPD web pages to help explain why the new CPD

system is online, what the benefits are to you and

some more in-depth information on your CPD

requirements for the year.

The RCSLT has also produced a CPD toolkit that

includes guidance on the KSF Development Review

process, the HPC standards and how they relate to

your CPD, work place examples and a set of forms

to help you to record these work-based CPD

activities. The toolkit is available to download from:

www.rcslt.org/cpd/toolkit

The toolkit provides a step-by-step guide to

writing a personal development plan, advice on

how to conduct a significant event analysis and on

how to start reflective writing. It also offers

guidance on setting up peer review and mentoring

processes.

If you are new to using a computer or the

Internet, there are also additional resources for

developing your computer skills on the website.

If you have any questions or concerns about

using the diary, email: [email protected]

You can now access your continuing professionaldevelopment (CPD) diary online at www.rcslt.org/cpd

Access your new online CPD diaryat www.rcslt.org/cpd

RCSLT online CPDdiary goes live

008-009 21/4/06 4:43 pm Page 2


news

N E W S I N B R I E F

Stammer Trust grants

The Stammer Trust is offering grants of

up to £250 towards treatment and

research in the UK.The money can fund

equipment, training or conference

attendance. Apply in writing by October

1, 2006. Successful applicants will write a

report on how the grant has benefited

their work. Contact Ray Williams, email:

[email protected] or visit:

www.stammertrust.co.uk

Quick Reads offer

From 18 May, RCSLT members will be

able to download £1-off tokens for 12

new Quick Reads – bite-sized books by

some of the most well known authors

and figures in the UK.These compulsively

readable, short new books aim to

encourage reluctant readers to get

hooked on books. Authors already

published include Ruth Rendell, Maeve

Binchy, Richard Branson and Joanna

Trollope.Visit: www.quickreads.org.uk

A date for your diary

The Department of Health (England) has

confirmed Wednesday 5 July as the date

for the 2006 national Allied Health

Professional Conference, now entitled the

Chief Health Profession Officer’s

Conference.To be held in London, the

conference is for senior AHPs from NHS

trusts, PCTs, social services, strategic

health authorities, foundation trusts,

mental health trusts, heads of university

faculties and the independent sector.The

Secretary of State for Health will attend

and take questions from delegates. More

details when available.

The Speechmark

bursary provides SLTs

with a great opportunity

to share knowledge and

experiences with their

international colleagues.

The bursary started in 1994,

when it was known as the Winslow Press Award. It has

since generated significant interest among SLTs

wishing to further their professional knowledge

overseas, and has helped fund trips to destinations

including India, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Kenya.

You can apply for the bursary if you are a certified

RCSLT member and have held uninterrupted

membership for at least two years. On your return

you will submit a report for publication on the work

you have undertaken.

For further information and an application pack

contact Sharon Woolf, tel: 020 7378 3017 or email:

[email protected]. Submit your entry for the

2006 award by 12 September 2006. Past winners

cannot re-apply.

The RCSLT is grateful for the support given by

Speechmark Publishing Ltd over the years in

sponsoring this award.

Apply now for the 2006Speechmark bursaryIt’s time to start thinking about your application for this year’s £1,000Speechmark bursary towards the funding of your overseas research visits or project work

The RCSLT said farewell to Senior Policy Lead Sylvia

Stirling in March, after more than six years service at

the College.

Sylvia joined the RCSLT as Academic Officer in

January 1999 and following the 1999 reorganisation,

became Head of the Education and Professional

Development Department, with responsibility for the

Academic Board, the Advanced Studies Committee,

the International Committee, the Research

Committee and the Grants Committee and their

working parties.

With Gita Esmailji, Sylvia was responsible for vetting

international SLT applicants for work in the UK; with

Jenny Pigram she arranged and carried out

quinquennial accreditation visits to speech and language

therapy programmes in the higher education

institutions; and with Sharon Silvera she worked on the

arrangements for regulation of speech and language

therapy under the Council for Professions

Supplementary to Medicine, later the Health Professions

Council (HPC) in its first transitional phase.

She was later the administrative officer for the Joint

Accreditation Committee of the RCSLT and HPC.

Working with Speech Pathology Australia, she re-

activated the mutual recognition talks, and

subsequently supported Calum Delaney as the RCSLT

negotiator.

She was a member of the senior management team

when College moved from Bath Place to White Hart

Yard, and was lead officer in College in the

interregnum between Pam Evans leaving and Kamini

Gadhok arriving.

When College reorganised in 2002, she became

Senior Policy Lead in the Policy Team, working on the

Education and Professional Development Board.

Sylvia says she has particularly welcomed the

distance learning course for returners, and was active

in organising the franchise of the course with three

universities who are now offering it. She has given

advice to returners and worked with many for years in

getting them back into practice.

Sylvia says she feels privileged to have worked with

such a splendid profession, and has enjoyed working

with colleagues from all over the UK. She leaves the

RCSLT to return to higher education management

consultancy. We wish her well.

RCSLT says farewell to Sylvia Stirling

010-011 25/4/06 2:12 pm Page 1

We are seeking applications for RCSLT Council posts,as the present post holders are coming to end of theirterms of office. This is a great new opportunity foryou to get involved in the work of the RCSLT and tohelp shape the future of your profession. These arehighly prestigious posts and will give you experienceof leadership and governance in an importantnational organisation.

Please contact us to find out more, or to make anapplication for one of these posts.

RCSLT Deputy ChairDo you have the vision and enthusiasm to help lead theprofession over the next four years? We are looking for anSLT who can represent the profession at the highest level.Whether a manager, clinician or an academic, you shouldconsider standing for this post if you have leadershipqualities and a wide knowledge and passionate interest inthe working lives of SLTs.

This is a two-year position, starting in September 2006,followed by another two-year term as RCSLT Chair.

RCSLT Deputy Honorary TreasurerDo you have skills in budget setting, financial analysis andreporting? Would you like to gain or improve yourexperience of taking an important role in the governanceand financial management of your professional body? We arelooking for a member to support the Honorary Treasurer andthe Finance and Organisational Resources Board (FORB). Youwill be expected to work closely with the Head ofPerformance and Contracts on financial matters relating toRCSLT business.

This is for a two-year term of office, starting in September2006. You will serve for two years as a Trustee, serving as theDeputy Honorary Treasurer or the FORB, followed by twoyears as Honorary Treasurer and member of the RCSLTCouncil.

RCSLT Councillor for Service ManagementAre you an experienced service manager? Can you help theRCSLT lead members through changes in commissioning andSLT service management? We are looking for a member to

work closely with managers in the UK and with officers at theRCSLT, defining a clear vision for the future of managementwithin the profession and providing oversight for thedevelopment of RCSLT policies relating to servicemanagement issues. You will chair the RCSLT managementboard. This is a two-year position, starting in September 2006.

RCSLT Councillor for Research andDevelopmentDo you have a passion for research? If you have backgroundin research and a proven track record of either securingresearch grant income and/or publications in peer-reviewedjournals, you can help the speech and language therapycommunity by taking this position on the RCSLT Council. Youwill help the RCSLT to support the development of researchby SLTs. You will also chair the Research and DevelopmentWorking Group. This is a two-year position, starting inSeptember 2006.

RCSLT Councillor for the Membership andCommunications BoardCan you help the RCSLT to communicate more effectivelywith its members? Would you like to learn more about publicand customer relations?

We are looking for an SLT who can help the RCSLT developservices and products for members and other customers andcan help define a communications strategy. You will chair theMembership and Communications Board. This is a two-yearposition, starting in September 2006.

RCSLT Councillor for Policy and PartnershipsCan you help the RCSLT develop policies and positions thatwill help SLTs in their work? Would you like to learn moreabout policy and partnership development?

We are looking for a member who can help the RCSLTdevelop a strategy for working with Government and otherorganisations, like the Allied Health Professions Federationand the Health Professions Council. We are looking for amember who has an enthusiasm for building positiverelationships and networks, with a view to influencing othersto the benefit of SLTs. You will also chair the Policy andPartnerships Board. This is a two-year position, starting inSeptember 2006.

It’s an exciting time tojoin the RCSLT Council

Contact Bridget Ramsay for an application pack or for more information about these posts. Tel: 0207 378 3001

or email: [email protected] More information on these positions is available on the RCSLT website.

Visit: www.rcslt.org/about The deadline for receipt of nominations is 1 June 2006.

010-011 21/4/06 4:44 pm Page 2


news

The RCSLT welcomes Richard Guy as the head

of its New Customer Relationship Management

(CRM) Team.

Richard, who joined the organisation on 6

March, will lead the RCSLT’s communications

and membership functions

Richard’s appointment is the fourth of the

four new heads of department at the RCSLT as

part of its major organisational review. He

joins Brian Gopsill, Sharon Woolf and Nick

Smith – the heads of Performance and

Contracts, Professional Development and

Policy and Partnerships, respectively – as part

of the new senior management team.

Richard (pictured) has joined the RCSLT

from the Training and Development Agency

for Schools (formerly the Teacher Training

Agency) where he worked for six years on a

range of high-profile campaigns to attract

people to a career in teaching.

Since joining, Richard has begun to develop

an enhanced communications strategy for the

RCSLT and helped to prepare RCSLT officers to

deal with media enquiries at the conference in

Northern Ireland on 30 March (see page 8 for

details).

He has also been working with the RCSLT

Council on approaches to recruiting new

members to the Council and RCSLT Boards.

“I am very excited to have joined the team here.

The RCSLT enjoys a great reputation as a

professional body,” says Richard.

“As I heard at the launch of the Marie

Gascoigne’s position paper on children’s services,

the RCSLT is regarded by the Department of

Health and others as leading the way among

professional bodies, in so many areas.

“I hope to be in contact with many members

over the coming months and look forward to

seeing you at forthcoming RCSLT events.”

You can meet Richard at the Realising the

Vision conference in Belfast on 11-12 May.

RCSLT welcomes new CRM Head

The RCSLT has recruited another Westminster

political adviser to add to its growing Policy and

Partnerships Team.

Matt Aston (pictured) has been appointed as an

interim policy officer and joins us from the

Labour Party, where he worked for the past five

years. As a health policy specialist he developed

and communicated the party’s policies and briefed

senior Government ministers on issues of the day.

Matt is an accomplished wordsmith and,

working right at the heart of Labour’s operation for two general elections, wrote

many of Labour’s policy statements and consultation documents.

Before moving into mainstream politics, Matt worked in the voluntary sector.

He was press officer for the lesbian and gay campaign group Stonewall at a time of

great legal change and worked on the successful campaigns to equalise the age of

consent, to repeal Section 28 and to allow gay people to serve in the military.

Since arriving at the RCSLT last month, Matt has been working on an analysis

of what the recent health white paper means for SLTs, as well as on drafting the

RCSLT’s submission to the national workforce review team.

Matt says, “It is an exciting time to be working for the RCSLT and I’m

particularly interested in contributing to the great body of work that is going on

to inform therapists about the challenges they will face in the post-white paper

environment.”

The Care Services Improvement Partnership has launched a

new website aimed at “uniting people with knowledge”

around the National Service Framework (NSF) for Long-

term Conditions.

Funded by the Department of Health, the site aims to

help anyone who has an interest in implementing the NSF

for Long-term Conditions by:

� Bringing information about the NSF together in one

place

� Enabling you to assess how you are doing, pointing you

towards information and expertise to help you change

and track your own journey as you progress

� Allowing a community of people with a common

interest in long-term conditions to work together, share

ideas and knowledge

The NSF sets out a 10-year vision of how we can provide

the best care for people living with long-term conditions.

It draws on research of best practices and sets them out

as 11 quality requirements of a first-class service, covering:

a person-centred service; prompt diagnosis, appropriate

referral and treatment; rehabilitation, adjustment and social

integration; and life-long care and support for people with

long-term neurological conditions, their families and carers

Visit: www.longtermconditions.csip.org.uk

Uniting peoplewith knowledge

Westminster adviser joins RCSLT

012 21/4/06 4:45 pm Page 1


news

RCSLT members can get free access to the

specialist library service at the National

Information Centre for Speech-Language

Therapy (NICeST) at University College

London (UCL)

Under a service level agreement with the

RCSLT, all members can access the library’s

collections, and in-house (but not offsite) use

of electronic journals from a dedicated

workstation in the library based at the

Department of Human Communication

Science in Wakefield Street, central London.

RCSLT members can also borrow up to five

items at any one time for an annual fee of

£50. This now includes certain items from the

library’s collection of assessment tests.

Literature searching is also available for £25

per search, using online databases such as

Medline and PsycInfo.

If you work for one of the NHS trusts

associated with UCL in London, you may also

be entitled to free library membership,

including borrowing, through your

organisation. More information is available

from the UCL library services’ membership

pages at: www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/nhs.shtml

Library resources cover subjects ranging

from education and psychology, through

linguistics and language, to medical subjects

such as anatomy, audiology, and speech,

language, swallowing and voice disorders and

therapy.

There is a special collection of books and

games for use in schools and over 90 current

subscriptions to specialist journal titles that

can be accessed from a computer in the

library.

Practical therapy resources include almost

500 different clinical assessment tests for

speech and language development and

disorders from simple vocabulary checklists

to briefcases full of toys and objects.

The library also has a historical collection

of over 1,500 books and pamphlets that

document the history of the profession over

the last 150 years. You can browse all of the

library’s main stock, including the tests,

projects, and historical materials, via the UCL

library services online catalogue, eUCLid, at:

http://library.ucl.ac.uk

You can search the library’s catalogue

online at: www.ucl.ac.uk/HCS/HCSlibrary

and librarian Stevie Russell and her dedicated

staff are available to answer enquiries in

person, by phone (020 7679 4207) or by


The library is usually open Monday to

Friday until 7pm during term time and

during the spring vacation (during other

vacations, the library closes at 5pm).

The library will be closed during last two

weeks of August and moved to a temporary

location whilst refurbishment takes place over

the coming year. Usual services will be

offered, but please contact the librarian prior

to your visit, tel: 020 7679 4207 or email:

[email protected]

The RCSLT and UCL will review the

agreement in July 2006 when the impact of

the refurbishment will be clearer. Until then,

contact Stevie first to confirm the facilities

available, especially with regard to the

borrowing facilities.

Bulletin book drawRCSLT Bulletin readers can win a copy of Genius! Nurturing the Spirit of the Wild,Odd, and Oppositional Child, by George T Lynn with Joanne Barrie Lynn andpublished by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

The authors draw on their own experience of their son, who has Tourettesyndrome and discuss research and case studies offering strategies forunlocking the potential in ‘attention different’ children.

To win your free copy, send your name and address to May Book Draw,Bulletin, 2 White Hart Yard, London SE1 1NX.Entries close 14 May 2006. Only one entry per person.

The winner of March’s draw for a copy of Speechmark’s resourcepack, Test of Morpheme Usage, is Christina Barnes fromTrowbridge in Wiltshire.

NICeST offers free libraryservices to RCSLT members

Make a September date inyour diary

The RCSLT will host a one-day conference with a research-based

theme in Edinburgh on 28 September 2006

Details will be available soonWatch this space

013 21/4/06 4:45 pm Page 2


feature RECRUITMENT

Why do studentschoose the alliedhealth professions?The NHS Plan proposed recruitment of

20,000 extra nurses and 6,500 extra therapists

by 2004 (DH, 2000). However, research at the

time of my final-year dissertation in

2003/2004, reported a fall in the number of

people choosing to enter the NHS as health

professionals (Arnold et al, 2003).

My dissertation aimed to identify the main

reasons why university students choose a

career in the allied health professions (AHPs),

including speech and language therapy,

occupational therapy and podiatry, and

nursing and midwifery.

My study was based heavily on Arnold et

al’s research (2003). My aim was to inform

recruitment teams at undergraduate

university level of common themes and

positive factors influencing students,

including:

� Timing of and reasons for career choice

� Their views on the university interview

process

�Other AHPs considered before choosing

their current degree

� The type of personality prospective

students appear to be, relating to Holland’s

theory that health professionals should be

dominantly social ‘types’ seeking a social

vocation and a social environment, which the

NHS provides (Holland, 1997).

I used the Statistical Package for the Social

Sciences (SPSS, 11.5) to analyse quantitative

data, and thematic and content analysis to

analyse qualitative data.

I designed and distributed a questionnaire

to 265 students starting AHP degrees in three

university colleges: The College of St Mark

and St John, Plymouth; The University of

Plymouth and The University of Exeter

(formerly St Loye’s School of Health).

Ninety-five (36%) questionnaires were

returned. The largest return rate of 31 (66%)

was from SLT students. The largest responses

were from students in the 18-20 year and 26-

45 year age ranges. The majority of

respondents were women and Caucasian,

which was similar to other studies

investigating students’ choices of health

professions as a career (Craik et al, 2001;

Craik and Wyatt-Rollason, 2002).

The NHS recruitment campaign at the

time of this study used TV, national press and

media to encourage individuals to be a part

of the NHS team. In 2003, advertisements

attracted over 81,000 contacts to NHS

Careers (DH, 2004).

From the study, most SLT students (30)

knew their starting salary as a newly-qualified

SLT. Several expected to earn more than some

other AHPs, suggesting they had researched

salaries. However, SLTs generally rated the

importance of a good salary much lower than

the importance of working in a professional

environment and opportunities to further

their career and training.

The questionnaire asked for students’

experiences and their views on the interview

process for their prospective healthcare

course. The majority (91%) said they

attended an interview. Of these, 95.6% rated

it as a positive experience. All of the

respondents believed prospective health

professionals should be interviewed, as AHPs

need to possess certain key traits, including a

high level of interpersonal skills.

Prospective students expected to be

interviewed and see it as essential to allow

assessment of prerequisite skills and qualities.

SLT students believed that interviews make it

possible to assess a student’s suitability to

work in the health professions. This included,

personality, career motivation and

interpersonal communication skills.

Less than half (43%) of respondents chose

their health profession while they were in

employment. One of the study’s conclusions

is that SLT students were more likely to be

pursuing their new career as a change of

career. The study suggests a majority of

students chose speech and language therapy

to satisfy personal goals, such as a rewarding

career, a desire to work with children and to

help people, rather than to gain material

rewards such as a high salary.

Most students did not have relatives or

friends in the profession or previous jobs

relating to their current career. Most had not

previously worked for the NHS. The majority

(83.6%) of respondents who received careers

advice via direct contact with health

professionals reported it was a positive

influencing factor. Direct contact with SLTs

was a recurrent theme in why students chose

their career. Some had made their choice at

secondary school or college.

The study supports the need for health

professionals to incorporate career advice

with direct personal contact in schools,

colleges and work places, as this plays an

important role in recruitment.

The study shows that different people

Debbie Smart investigates the reasons why students choose a career in healthcare

14-15 21/4/06 4:46 pm Page 2


seek different opportunities in their

vocational choice. This suggests that aspects

of each separate AHP need to be advertised

separately, rather than grouped as AHPs as a

whole. In the study, SLT students rated

working in the private sector as the lowest

priority and a desire to work in the NHS

higher than other students.

SLT students rated the guarantee of a job

after qualifying the most important

influencing factor. They also rated the most

important job aspects as regular hours, the

variety of work settings, and opportunities

for career progression. They also rated NHS

race and gender equality policies highly,

alongside family-friendly policies.

Recommendations Although this is a small-scale study, my

recommendations, which aim to inform

recruitment teams, are as follows:

As potential NHS employees, students

rated gender and race equality policies as

among the highest important factors. These

policies should, therefore, be included in

information provided to potential recruits.

Direct contact with school pupils from

diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds

may be a successful method of promoting the

health professions as careers. In agreement

with Arnold et al (2003), the NHS (and

recruitment teams) should present role

models, including men, which potential

recruits can relate to. At the time of my study,

the RCSLT was targeting students from ethnic

communities (Madhani, 2004).

Different people seek different

opportunities in their vocational choice. SLT

students said they chose their vocation to

help people; gain a rewarding career; be able

to get to know clients; work as part of a team

and get further training in a secure job.

Recruitment may be improved by issuing

information directly to places of

employment, where most participants in this

study made their decisions.

According to Holland (1997), people

search for environments that will let them

exercise their skills, abilities and interests.

Targeting environments, such as youth

groups, where potential recruits include

voluntary workers, are assumed to be a way

of promoting these professions to people who

are interested in the type of opportunities

these jobs provide.

It was clear from the study data that

featureRECRUITMENT

prospective students expect to be interviewed

and believe it is highly beneficial and

necessary for prospective health professionals.

The study shows prospective health

professionals need to possess certain skills

and qualities as a prerequisite for their crucial

role in ensuring patients are treated by people

with the right skills (DH, 2000b).

Participants in this study agreed that

interviews play a key role in recruiting people

with the ‘right skills’, referred to by the DH.

Students who are committed to their choices

are willing to be interviewed, and to have

their prerequisite skills assessed.

It is evident that people entering the allied

health professions, including speech and

language therapy, seek a work environment

that allows them to exercise their values and

desire to help people. SLT students said they

wanted to help people, to build rapport with

clients, to have a personally satisfying and

rewarding career, to work as part of a

supportive team, to work in the community

and to be able to specialise in paediatrics or

adult clients.

These job aspects should be maximised in

promoting the health professions to potential

recruits. I suggest that direct influence from

qualified health professionals is a way to

promote the positive roles that prospective

students could play in clients’ lives.

The study provides a brief insight into

students’ motivation in choosing a career in

healthcare and into their ambitions and

expectations of their chosen career. Overall,

the study aimed to contribute to recruitment

and to help maintain the increasing number

of students, including SLT students, choosing

to enter education each year.

Debbie Smart – SLT, Crawley, WestSussex

References:Arnold J, et al. Looking Good? The Attractiveness of theNHS as an Employer to Potential Nursing and AlliedHealth Profession Staff. Loughborough University, 2003.Craik C, et al. Factors influencing the career choice offirst-year occupational therapy students. British Journalof Occupational Therapy 2001; 64:3 114-120.Craik C and Wyatt-Rollason T. Characteristics of studentswho enter occupational therapy education through theuniversities and colleges admission service (UCAS)clearing system. British Journal of Occupational Therapy2002; 65:11, 488-494.Department of Health. The NHS Plan. HMSO: London,2000.Department of Health. HR in the NHS Plan. Briefingupdate, Spring 2004. Available online:http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/fs/enDH. Meeting the Challenge: A strategy for allied healthprofessions. DH, 2000b Available online:http://www.dh.gov.uk Holland J. Making Vocational Choices (2nd edition).Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc: USA 1997.Madhani N. Attracting students from ethniccommunities. RCSLT Bulletin, March 2004, 623: 12-13.

Acknowledgement:I would like to thank Dr Gaye Powell and Anne Ayre atThe College of St Mark and St John for their continuedsupport during this study.

“Direct contact with SLTs was a recurrent theme in why students chose their career”

14-15 21/4/06 4:46 pm Page 3


feature BRAIN INJURY REHABILITATION

A sensory integrationapproach

In July 2001 John (not his real name), a 28-

year-old man with insulin-dependent

diabetes, suffered hypoxic brain injury

secondary to hypoglycaemia.

By December 2001, although he was fully

mobile and eating a normal diet, he remained

incontinent and needed full assistance for all

activities of living. John’s cognitive function

was severely impaired. He was largely non-

verbal (carers reported occasional words),

had minimal attention control and mouthed

all objects. There was little evidence of

auditory comprehension: he would orientate

to his name but would stare, displaying little

emotion.

An assessment of John’s vision indicated he

could only see strongly contrasted features,

but he did not bump into objects/people as

he paced around the ward. Discharge

planning in April 2002 proved difficult and

John was subsequently placed in a private

unit for learning disabled individuals with

challenging behaviours.

Staff there found John’s behaviours

increasingly difficult to deal with. These

included constant pacing; frequent loud

hysterical laughing; teeth grinding;

approaching staff aggressively – grabbing

their arms and staring angrily; and biting

himself or chewing his clothing when

approached or being worked with. Personal

hygiene was identified as the biggest problem.

It took two or three staff to attend to

washing, dressing, and toileting. These daily

procedures and infrequent events, such as

having his haircut, were extremely distressing

for both John and staff alike.

John disliked touch and we considered

addressing this through some form of

desensitisation. It was, therefore, timely that

we obtained places on a sensory integration

course. We hoped to gain a greater

understanding of John’s problems and to

learn ways to intervene effectively to decrease

his sensitivity to touch and enable him to

better interact with the staff.

The course topics included (see glossary):

� Sensory systems: tactile, auditory,

vestibular (1), proprioceptive (2) and

visual

� Sensory integration (3)

� Sensory modulation (4)

� Strategies for sensory regulation (5)

� Levels of arousal (6)

In the three months between parts one and

two of the course, course participants

prepared case studies, video recording

observations, completing sensory profiles and

trying sensory regulating techniques, such as

using a firm touch to calm.

We worked with John five times in this

period. John’s sensory profile identified his

behavioural responses to daily life sensory

experiences. With this framework it became

obvious that his ability to cope with sensation

had been severely affected by his brain injury.

He had severe problems modulating his

responses to sensory experiences, making

him unable to cope with his environment.

John’s profile identified he was highly

defensive to sensory experiences, such as

touch, eye contact, sound and movement. He

found these stimuli overwhelming and his

response was at the primitive level of

survival, ie to get out of the situation. He was

in a constant state of high arousal with all

sensations interpreted as threatening. He

displayed survival behaviours, eg flight

(pacing and moving away) and freeze

Jacqueline Pogue and Margery Johnston discuss a sensory integration approachused with an adult with hypoxic brain injury

Table one: Clinical observation form example

Session: 3 – Sensory Room Physio/SLT/dad/key worker

Date Event Time Response

03/02/04 � Pacing while holding father’s hand � No laugh

� Eye contact with father � Laughing and releases hand

� Contact with father � John gives dad deep pressure through arms (SSI)

� Laughing

22 secs � Sucks t-shirt (SSI).

� Eye contact with physio 3 secs � Approaches physio, biting his finger and grimacing

� Dad gives thick drink from straw 1 min 22 secs � John stands still.Grinds teeth between sucks

SSI = Sensory seeking inhibitory (trying to regulate high arousal level)

16-17 25/4/06 2:14 pm Page 2


(physically freezing when being moved).

John attempted to regulate his arousal

state. He sought deep pressure sensation in

an effort to calm himself and cope in the

situation, eg sucking, biting fingers or objects,

chewing clothes and grinding his teeth. The

initial video observations revealed he was

responsive to specific types of sensory input,

eg deep pressure applied to his chest, back

and shoulders lowered his arousal state,

making him calmer.

We established the following goals:

� For John to tolerate personal hygiene

procedures as demonstrated by reduced

self-biting and reduced aggression

� For John to tolerate staff presence

� For staff to understand and respond to

John’s sensory needs

� To improve John’s interaction with his

father

John had 12 sessions of direct intervention.

We videoed, micro-analysed and evaluated

each session using a clinical observation form

(see table one). This pinpointed John’s

specific reactions. A programme of

therapeutic listening (8) was also prescribed

and monitored by the course tutor.

Due to John’s difficulty with tolerating

people it was felt appropriate to work initially

through his father, with whom he had a

strong attachment (7). In the initial sessions

in the sensory room it was evident he wanted

contact with his father as he paced across the

room and kept approaching him. However,

John was unable to ‘tolerate’ the contact,

shown by his teeth grinding/sucking t-shirt

and walking away.

As the sessions progressed and we trialled

various sensory regulating strategies (Oetter

1991), John’s behaviours became easier to

‘read’. Triggers for certain behaviours were

identified as we asked the question, “What is

John seeking?” and he was able to reach a

calm and alert state much quicker, by using

deep pressure, sucking thick fluids or

crunching on apple or carrot.

When calm, John was able to tolerate and

to some extent enjoy his father’s presence,

shown by appropriate facial expression,

hugging, imitating hand movements,

tolerating brief eye contact and more

appropriate-sounding laughter.

After the fifth and sixth sessions we

debriefed staff using video clips.

Encouragingly, they had started to decipher

John’s behaviour and were beginning to see

featureBRAIN INJURY REHABILITATION

how certain strategies resulted in improved

interaction.

In sessions six to 12, it was easier to calm

John using a range of strategies, such as

getting John to crunch on a carrot, therapists

reducing eye contact and auditory stimuli.

We introduced a gym ball to increase

vestibular/proprioceptive demands on John’s

system. An additional result was that

vocalisations increased: CV syllables and one

swear word (which he had not said for 10

months).

After the 12 sessions, debriefing for as

many staff as possible summarised the work

and gave an opportunity to discuss everyday

examples of John’s behaviour/scenarios. The

staff were very positive about the changes

they had seen (see table 2) and were more

confident in their own knowledge and

abilities to provide the most suitable sensory

experience.

After six months John maintained his

progress. We noted further positive changes,

such as using a straw appropriately without

tipping a cup, increased variety in

vocalisations, and staying regulated by

crunching on carrot while getting his

hair cut.

We have started to apply the sensory

integration/regulation approach to higher

functioning clients with traumatic brain

injury and have had some encouraging

results. A poster presentation detailing the

approach with one client will feature at the

May 2006 RCSLT conference.

Jacqueline Pogue – Senior clinical specialistSLTMargery Johnston – Senior clinicalspecialist physiotherapist

Community Adult Brain InjuryRehabilitation Service, HomefirstCommunity Trust, Northern Ireland

References:

Ayres AJ. Sensory Integration and the Child. 9th edition.Los Angeles:Western Psychological Services 1999.Crittendon PM, Claussen AH. The Organisation ofAttachment Relationships 2000 Maturation, Culture andContext. Cambridge Press USA 2000.Frick SM, Hacker C. Listening with the Whole Body.Madison:Vital Links 2001.Oetter P, Richter EW, Frick SM. More integrating themouth with sensory and postural functions. Hugo: PDPPress Inc 1993.Roley S, Blanche EI, Schaaf RC. Understanding the Natureof Sensory Integration with Diverse Populations. SanAntonio:Therapy Skill Builders 2001.Schore A. Affect Regulation and the Origin of the Self.Lawrence Erlbaum Associates 1994.

Acknowledgement:

To Eadeoin Bhreathnach, consultant occupationaltherapist and attachment counsellor, for hercontribution to this article.

Table two: Summary of benefits/change

� Able to tolerate personal hygiene procedures

� Able to tolerate/enjoy close contact with father

� Increase in vocalisation

� Tolerating eye contact with some staff

� Staff confidence in management

� Recognition of John’s desire to communicate and interact

Glossary of terms

(1) Vestibular system: responsible for interpreting gravity and movement, making it possible to develop a sense of place in space.

(2) Proprioceptive system: enables us to know where parts of our body are at any time and what they are doing. Allows us to

make postural adjustments.

(3) Sensory Integration: the organisation of sensation for use. Our senses give us information about the physical conditions of

our body and the environment around us (Ayres, 1999).

(4) Sensory modulation: The process by which incoming neuronal signals are adjusted in intensity to ensure internal order (Roley

et al, 2001).

(5) Sensory regulation: the ability to adjust to changing conditions through internal processes that are coupled with behaviours

to maintain a sense of control (Roley et al, 2001).

(6) Levels of arousal: the different states of: rest; calm; alert/attentive; vigilance; fear; flight; fight; freeze; cut out; and shutdown.

The therapist assesses whether the individual is able to achieve and maintain an appropriate arousal state for the situational

demands throughout the day.

(7) Attachment: parent-child relationships and the nature of their interaction (Crittendon, 2000). Considered to be a mutual

regulation process (Schore, 1994).

(8) Therapeutic Listening: Occupational Therapist Sheila Frick developed the Therapeutic Listening Programme, which uses

electronically altered CDs to facilitate sensory processing (Frick and Hacker, 2001).

16-17 25/4/06 2:17 pm Page 3


feature APHASIA: PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL BEING

Counselling and aphasia:a multidisciplinaryapproach to families

Speech and language therapists commonly

realise that the psychosocial well being of a

person with aphasia and the psychosocial

well being of their partners are closely linked

(Booth and Perkins, 1999). Consequently,

aphasia requires lifestyle re-adjustments for

both partners in a relationship (Nichols,

Varchevker and Pring, 1996).

So, when Paul and his wife Julia brought

up the issue of arguments and aggression as a

problem impacting on their relationship we

knew this was a matter we had to address. See

table one for an outline of Paul’s background.

They confessed that Paul had become so

frustrated by his communication impairment

that he had been physically violent towards

Julia. Both felt they were not being listened

to. Paul felt he had lost all respect from Julia,

and Julia felt Paul wasn’t trying.

Julia started attending counselling to help

her cope with the changes in their

relationship. Paul was placed on the waiting

list for counselling with CONNECT.

Unfortunately, we were told there would be a

waiting period to access this service. Julia

reported that if there was not some kind of

improvement soon, she was considering

ending their relationship and leaving Paul,

taking their one-year-old daughter with her.

The situation had reached crisis point.

Emma (occupational therapist) and I felt

we needed to act as facilitators for Paul and

Julia to solve their own problems. This would

encourage the maintenance of new skills and

lead to independent problem solving of

future issues.

We decided we would use a video with

playback and analysis to direct Paul and Julia

into developing more insight into their

everyday conversational styles. They would

then be able to develop their own

personalised strategies to change their

conversation and consequently their

relationship. Rice et al (1987) advocate

targeting functional communication in

individuals with aphasia to improve the well

being of the patient and their spouse.

We felt we had a good relationship with

this couple, particularly as they had entrusted

us with this intimate problem. Consequently,

we felt confident they would respond to the

approach we were developing.

Emma has a background in mental health,

anger management and cognitive behavioural

therapy. We drew on this experience to

support Paul and Julia in analysing the

evidence from the video and facilitating

strategy ideas. I have a background in aphasia

rehabilitation and an interest in the work that

Ray Wilkinson and colleagues used to

develop the Supporting Partners of People with

Aphasia in Relationships and Conversation

(SPPARC) resource pack.

This guided the structure of the therapy

program and development of appropriate

therapy materials. Due to a lack of funding

we decided to develop our own materials. In

retrospect, we have had the opportunity to

review the SPPARC resource pack and felt

our approach was somewhat different to the

one they outlined. We aimed to focus on

non-verbal as well as verbal behaviours.

Initially we asked the couple to rate

themselves on a series of communication

skills. Using this analysis we asked them to

identify their areas of ‘need’ and write

themselves goals.

This allowed us to clarify their aims and

make our therapy as appropriate to their

needs as possible. Lesser and Algar (1995)

support this approach and remind us that

therapy targeted directly at patients needs is

more likely to be efficient and effective.

We were pleasantly surprised to find

Anna Volkmer describes how she took advantage of the multidisciplinary team incounselling a family affected by aphasia

Table one: Paul’s background

� Diagnosis – left CVA� Admitted to hospital – January 2004. Julia three months pregnant� Age at onset – 48� Accepted to specialist neuro-rehabilitation ward – February 2004� Discharge to Julia’s parent’s home – May 2004� Initial contact from community rehabilitation service– June 2004� Daughter born – August 2004� Moved to ground floor council flat – December 2004� Main problem areas

– mild expressive and receptive aphasia with severe verbal apraxia– reduced right upper limb and lower limb function– cognitive skills, eg memory and safety awareness – Difficulties in activities of living such as parenting, employment, driving and

community access� Current problem identified – June 2005

18-19 21/4/06 4:48 pm Page 2


that both partners spontaneously decided to

set themselves, as well as each other, a goal

(see table two).

After Julia and Paul consented to filming

we made a 10-minute video clip of them with

their daughter. The following two sessions

centred around educating Paul and Julia on

communication and conversation analysis.

We then used this structure to analyse the

video (see table three).

We used a cognitive behavioural approach

with Paul and Julia, so they were able to

recognise specific difficulties, eg Julia

interrupting and not giving any time or Paul

using no more than ‘yes’ and ‘no’. This

allowed us to steer Julia and Paul into

developing a set of personalised strategies.

In keeping with the client-centred focus we

had adopted, these strategies had to be

featureAPHASIA: PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL BEING

written in as close to their own words as

possible in order to facilitate their

understanding and motivation. For example,

‘Julia to “shut-up” and give Paul more time to

contribute to conversation’.

We used Paul and Julia’s final video clip as

an outcome measure as well as a method of

re-enforcing strategies. Finally, we reviewed

their goals and they re-rated their

communication skills.

The results were overwhelming:

Conversation analysis:

� Fewer episodes of trouble and difficult

repair. Repair became a ‘joint’ effort

� Julia using periods of silence to allow

Paul to take a turn

� Paul using more speech outside of

‘yes’/’no’ and ‘automatic swearing’

� Topics dealt with – not avoided

Anna Volkmer – SLT

Email: [email protected]

References:

Booth S, Perkins L.The use of conversation analysis toguide individualised advice to carers and evaluatechanges in aphasia: a case study. Aphasiology 1999;13:4/5, 283-303.Nichols F,Varchevker A, Pring T.Working with peoplewith aphasia and their families: an exploration of theuse family therapy techniques. Aphasiology 1996; 10:8,767-781.Lesser R, Algar L.Towards Combining the CognitiveNeuropsychological and the Pragmatic in AphasiaTherapy. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation 1995; 5:1/2,67-92.Rice B, et al. An evaluation of a social support group forspouses of aphasic partners. Aphasiology 1987; 1:3, 247-256.Schiffrin, D. Conversational Analysis. In Linguistics: TheCambridge Survey, edited by FJ Newmeyer. Cambridge:Cambridge University press 1988.Lock S,Wilkinson R, Bryan K, Maxim J, Edmundson A,Bruce C, Moir D. Supporting partners of people withaphasia in relationships and conversation (SPPARC)Conference paper. International Journal of Language andCommunication Disorders 2001; 36:25-30. ISSN: 1368-2822.Lock S,Wilkinson R and Bryan, K. The SPPARC ResourcePack: Supporting partners of people with aphasia inrelationships and conversations. Bicester: SpeechmarkPublishing 2001.

Table two: Paul and Julia’s goals

Paul’s goals:� “To be able to initiate ideas and conversation before someone else does and

increase my confidence in doing this.”� “For Julia to allow and encourage me to initiate conversation, activities and ideas.”

Julia’s goals:� “To have more patience and know how to listen to Paul more.”� “For Paul to respect me more and therefore tell me how he feels and not lash out.”

In conversation many things can go wrong. Here are four broad categories into whichthese problems can fit:

Trouble and repairTrouble is a breakdown in the flow of speech, eg a hesitation or word error. In conversation it is how this is dealt with, how often this happens and whether one person is made to appear ‘less competent’ that can cause distress and discomfort more than the error itself.

Turns and sequencesA conversation involves at least two people taking turns in making contributions. This pattern can be violated by, for example, frequent interruptions, failure to complete turns or dominance of one speaker. These changes alter the ‘rules’ of turn taking.

Topic and maintenanceBy assessing who is initiating and changing topics and how frequently we can observe who is dominating the pattern of topic change in conversation. The maintenance of a topic and emotions associated with these topics suggests whether a topic is an issue in itself.

Non-verbal communicationPosture can reveal our emotions in conversation. It also facilitates eye contact.Reduced eye contact results in a reduction in the amount of information we canobserve, eg gestures and facial expressions. Furthermore, it is easy to become distracted or cause distractions, particularly if trying to avoid a particular topic.This can lead to misinterpretations in communication.

� Eye contact and posture are open

� Gestures are not ignored or

misunderstood

Self-rating scores: showed significant

improvements in all eight areas initially

identified as problematic.

Goals: both felt Paul was speaking more and

Paul felt Julia was really listening more,

although Julia remained concerned that she

could do better.

This episode of care has led us to challenge

our input with other clients. Clients and

other professionals need to be aware of what

we can offer as therapists. Often we are the

people patients will entrust with their

problems, and as such we are responsible for

helping them solve these issues. Therapists

themselves need to recognise the skills they

have and never hesitate to work on areas they

feel are somehow difficult or emotionally

charged.

This encounter has reinforced for me the

statement Schiffrin’s (1988), “conversation is a

vehicle through which selves, relationships

and situations are talked into being”.

Table three: Conversation and communication analysis framework

18-19 25/4/06 2:19 pm Page 3


book reviews

Book ReviewsAssessing and PromotingEffective Communication – 2ndEdition (APEC2) GILLIAN BOLTON, 2004

£260

This pack has been developed for SLTs to use

to deliver a comprehensive training course

for class teachers and support assistants

working with pupils with severe and

moderate learning difficulties. On completing

the course, participants can expect to have a

clear understanding of a systematic

framework for the assessment of

communication skills and approaches to

teaching and intervention.

The contents of the sessions offer a good

balance between theory and practice and

reflect a child-led developmental approach to

observation, assessment, teaching and

facilitating communication, and the proposed

framework links clearly to the P scales.

The pack consists of 10 sessions, each

designed to last approximately an hour and a

half and to be delivered weekly. Follow-up

activities are recommended between sessions.

The session materials are detailed, but easy to

follow once you have become familiar with

the layout. The pack also has an impressive

range of handouts, overheads and other

supporting resources.

Delivery of the whole course would involve

a significant time commitment and, for that

reason, it may perhaps be more easily

delivered in a special school setting. However,

an experienced trainer could certainly deliver

parts of the pack on a shorter timescale.

The pack is quite expensive and colleagues

may already have some of the materials

available to them, albeit in a different form.

The trainer delivering the sessions also needs

to refer to the Redway School framework

found in Communication, Curriculum and

Classroom Practice

(Latham and Miles

2001, David

Fulton). This is not

provided,

incurring extra

cost if a copy is

not readily

available.

However,

developing a

course of this size and detail can be daunting

and often impractical, so the benefit of

having someone do it for you, to some extent,

justifies the cost.

JUDY ROUX

Language and Communication Support

Service, Newham Children and Young

People’s Service

With thanks to colleagues from Newham PCT

school’s team

Specialist Support Approaches toAutism Spectrum DisorderStudents in Mainstream SettingsSALLY HEWITT

Jessica Kingsley

Publishers, 2005

£13.95

ISBN: 1-84310-290-0

This practical book

outlines various ways to

support pupils who have

an autism spectrum

disorder (ASD) in

mainstream settings. It is

targeted primarily at

education staff.

There is an introductory overview of ASD,

and the following chapters focus on

particular areas where difficulties may arise

for these pupils and what strategies may be

employed, eg transitions, work materials.

Some the strategies are described in detail,

eg describing a graded approach, but other

sections are vague and lack detail. More

emphasis on why the pupils respond the way

they do in specific contexts would help to

explain a suggested intervention.

Although the book refers to

language/communication/interaction issues,

I think SLTs would welcome more detail on

this topic.

This book contains an abundance of

strategies and approaches that would be

helpful for education staff. However, it could

be overwhelming for schools with no

previous experience of pupils with ASD.

PAULINE HAGGARTY

SLT clinical lead (ASD), RCSLT ASD adviser,

Chair ASD SIG (Scotland)

Swallowing Guidelines:Individualised Programmes ofCareELIZABETH BOADEN, JO WALKER

Speechmark, 2005

£54.95

ISBN: 0-86388-517-9

This resource,

applicable to all

client groups,

produces

individualised

dysphagia

programmes using

an interactive

programme on CD-ROM.

The book contains clear

instructions, a manual and template

with flexible menus for each section.

Sections include swallowing

guidelines; description of

swallowing difficulties; oral

desensitisation exercises;

introduction of toothbrush into

the mouth; environment;

equipment; texture and

consistencies; general advice and

prompts; eating and drinking

advice during swallowing;

compensatory techniques and oro-motor

exercises.

A useful section of additional resources

includes a diary and recording sheets,

diagrams and label templates, concluding

with worked examples.

Individualised information, selected and

marked on a photocopiable template, can be

inputted on CD. Specific additional advice

can be inserted in text boxes in each section.

Recommendations can be illustrated with

helpful diagrams and incorporate appropriate

record sheets and printed labels for the clarity

of the client, carers and professionals.

Distribution can be electronic or in paper

form and programmes can be easily updated.

The pack does not claim to give academic

advice or be an alternative to current best

practice, but busy SLTs regularly producing

such programmes will welcome this

publication as a departmental resource.

SUE FOX

Special needs service manager - City

Hospitals Sunderland, RCSLT adviser on

paediatric dysphagia

R E A D A B I L I T Y:*****

VA L U E :

*****C O N T E N T S :

*****


VA L U E :

*****C O N T E N T S :

*****


VA L U E :

***** C O N T E N T S :

*****

Questions 21/4/06 4:49 pm Page 19

Any Questions?Want some information? Why not ask your colleagues?

Facial flex

Has anyone used a facial flex with clients? Was it successful?

My client with a progressive neurological condition is keen

to buy one.

Jane Winter

E M A I L : [email protected]

Help with sounds

Help wanted for someone who cannot specifically utter out

classes of sounds, such as stops (P,b,t,d,k,g,m) and

liquids(l,r,w).

Abiy Menkir


Assessments in developing countries

Do you know of any assessments for children or adults in

developing countries?

Nana Akua V Owusu


T E L : 020 7482 0154

Velo-cardio-facial-syndrome

Does anyone have experience of the educational

implications of a child with this syndrome, particularly

upper primary school level?

Alison Yelland


Down syndrome and stammering

Any ideas for working with 14-year-old Down syndrome

student with expressive language at 3-word level and a

severe stammer?

Jane Pearn


Community dysphagia

Have you worked with dysphagia as part of a community

multidisciplinary team? What guidelines have you adopted?

What policies and procedures are in place?

Niamh Davis

T E L : 00353 18566407


Moderate learning difficulty

Guidelines/information wanted to help us decide on treating

children with very uneven profiles. We aim to use our time

effectively and not treat those with moderate learning

difficulty unless there is a significant discrepancy between

their verbal and non-verbal skills, or an area of speech and

language more delayed than others.

Jean Weatherall

T E L : 0161 607 1691


Deafblind children

Do you have experiences or resources useful for working

with a deafblind child (aged two) who has many sensory

difficulties and developmental delay? I have advised using

objects of reference, but the family has been told to use body

signing.

Louisa Waters


Bilingual selective mutism

Information wanted about differentiating between a

bilingual child’s silent period and a child with selective

mutism. Also info on children’s silent period - why it

happens, how long it can last.

Sunita Shah


T E L : 020 8438 7055


ask your co l leagues

Email your brief query to [email protected]. RCSLT also holds a database of clinical advisers who may be able tohelp. Contact the information department, tel: 0207 378 3012. You can also use the RCSLT’s website forum to post yourquestions or reply to other queries, visit: www.rcslt.org/forum

Questions 21/4/06 4:49 pm Page 20


Opinion p iece

The school where I work is one of a very

small and decreasing number of schools for

children with physical disabilities in the

country. It currently caters for children from

three to 18 years with a huge range of

medical, motor, sensory, social needs and

educational achievements from low P levels

to GCSE level.

Increasingly in recent years we have been

able to assess and obtain funding for children

who have little or no intelligible speech to

have and learn to use high tech voice output

communication aids.

Many of these are accessed by simple

switches that enable the pupils to use what

little voluntary movements they have to scan

the computers and select the messages they

want to say. Pupils’ lives are transformed by

access to such technology.

For the last four years the Communication

Aids Project (CAP) has enabled many

children to access the equipment they need,

but this ended in March and it is uncertain

whether the funding will be available from

other sources.

The CAP project, administered through the

British Educational Communications and

Technology Agency, a government agency

supporting ICT developments in education,

was centrally funded to provide an initial £10

million for two years to enable children in

England and Wales with various special needs

to access communication technology. It was

extended for a further two years with a

similar amount of money. This sounds a lot,

but the reality is that some of the equipment

required costs £7,000 a child, and no new

applications have been accepted since January

2005.

Local services are now supposed to take

over funding, but they very often have other

Loss of CAP funding isdevastating news

priorities and consider it unfair to spend such

large amounts on one child. Also, all the

expertise of a national body has been lost.

We currently have seven children who have

received CAP-funded communication aids

and a further three who have now left the

school.

This equipment transforms lives. It means

that a bright child, who has great difficulty

even communicating ‘yes’ and ‘no’ and has to

resort to a series of vague facial expressions

and sounds, can go into McDonald’s and

make their own order. It means that they can

crack corny jokes. It means that at last their

feelings can be expressed.

One child when told that she could not

have an electric wheelchair because it would

not fit into the family’s flat hit two buttons to

great effect. “Frustrated! Frustrated!

Frustrated!” “Angry! Angry! Angry!”

Such equipment also gives access to

education. The same child leapt about three

academic years from a reception level to

writing her own stories within a year of

having her communication aid. We currently

have one child, whose equipment was funded

before CAP, who is sitting five GCSEs. She is

mainly in mainstream now, but is still

supported by us.

She aims to be a writer. She is profoundly

physically handicapped with cerebral palsy

affecting all four limbs, and speech that is

unintelligible to all but those extremely close

to her. She uses a head switch to access her

communication aid and computer. She is of

normal intelligence and with the right

technology, help and sheer determination is

able to achieve something approaching her

academic potential.

We hope this girl will end up with good

qualifications, but she still comes up against

exam boards that initially refused to allow

her to use a communication aid for an

English oral and tried to take marks off for

handwriting because she is word processing

everything.

However, she is one of the lucky ones who

managed to get funding enabling the right

equipment to be obtained at the right time.

The end of the CAP project means that

children like her will again not obtain the

equipment they need unless parents go

through the courts to get it, or waste years

fund raising. Many will be left without a

voice.

The project ended with £1million less than

it needed to give the children referred for the

last time in January 2005 the equipment they

need. Many children, after over a year of

waiting, have now had the devastating news

that there is no money for their equipment.

This includes a prototype first-ever English

Korean communication aid that the ACE

Centre has been developing for one of my

clients.

I sometimes feel I need a button that says:

“Frustrated! Frustrated! Frustrated!” “Angry!

Angry! Angry! ”

Anne Thomas – SLT

Anne Thomas explains why the ending of the Communication Aids Project will leave manychildren without a voice

“Pupils’ lives are transformed byaccess to such technology”

Do you have something you want to say? Write to: [email protected]

- Opinion 21/4/06 4:50 pm Page 22

Speci f i c Interest Group not ices

Lancashire Dysphagia SIG (N27)10 May, 9am (registration) - 4.30pmAM: Liz Boaden (SLT) Inter-professionaldysphagia competencies. PM: Maxine Power,Senior research fellow, Swallow screening: researchinto practice. The Education Centre, Royal PrestonHospital, Sharoe Green Lane, Fulwood, PrestonPR2 9HT. Course fee: Members £10/non-members£15. Book early. Contact Kim Rushton/LisaSanders, tel: 01772 522426, email:[email protected] [email protected]

SIG Hearing Impairment (Scotland) (S5)10 May, 9.30am - 4.15pm AGM and business meeting. Speakers ChristineDePlacido, the new audiology course at QMUC;Alison McDonald - Adult CI rehab - psychosocialworkshop; Sharing information - SIG membersand current practice. Queen Margaret UniversityCollege, Edinburgh. Students £15/members£20/non members £25. Contact Liz Fairweather,SIG Secretary, tel: 01337 830398, email:[email protected]

Yorkshire Dysphagia SIG (N13)18 May, 9am - 4.30pmEvidence-based practice in dysphagia Venue: tbc.Members free/non-members £15. Contact HelenaShaw, tel: 01904 725768, email:[email protected]

West Midlands Dysphagia SIG (C02)18 May, 1pm - 4pmManagement of dysphagia – Bring and share anydysphagia cases for clinical discussions. All caseswelcome. Trust HQ – meeting rooms, MorrisHouse, Queen Elizabeth Medical Centre, QueenElizabeth Hospital, Edgbaston, Birmingham. Non-members £10/trust members £5/students £3.Contact Rachel Lewis, tel: 0121 6278576, email:[email protected]

Yorkshire SIG for Generalist Paediatric Speechand Language Therapists (N29)18 May, 10am - 12pmGeneral group discussion. Tadcaster Health Centre.Contact: Jane Harrod, tel: 01924 816157

London SLI SIG (L28)19 May, 9.45am - 4.30pmStudy day exploring the topics of vocabulary andWFD. Speakers to include: Wendy Best –presentation from intervention study; BernardCammilleri – dynamic assessment of vocabulary;Stephen Parsons – presentation from interventionstudy. Opportunity to share resources. RCSLT,London. £20, including annual membership andlunch. Limited places – book early. RSVP 12.05.06.Contact: Lucy Adams, tel: 0207 708 4553, email:[email protected]

Essex SLI SIG (E39)25 May, 9.30am - 12.30pmAuditory processing disorder, Paul Su, ENTconsultant. Bring your favourite piece of therapyequipment so we can share ideas. The CulverCentre, Daiglen Drive, South Ockendon, EssexRM15 5RR. Annual Membership £10/non-members £6. Contact: Jane Barnard, tel: 01375360756 / email: [email protected]

SIG Adult Neurology (L7)31 May, 1.30pm - 4.30pmAn afternoon of aphasia and AGM. Speakers:Professor Jane Marshall, Aphasia in users of Sign

language; Lori Fryling, Aphasia and supportedcommunication. Wolfson Lecture Theatre,National Hospital for Neurology andNeurosurgery. Members Free/non-members£5/students £2. Places must be booked. Email:[email protected] or [email protected]

London SIG Bilingualism (L2)7 June, 9am - 4.30pmDysfluency and bilingualism. Includes seminars,workshops, and personal perspectives on the use ofstammering packages, and working with diversefamilies. Meeting Room 3, Willesden Centre forHealth and Care, Robson Avenue, WillesdenNW10 3RY. Cost: SLTs £15/students/assistants £5.Email: [email protected]. To confirmplace, send your name, address, Trust details, anda cheque (payable to: London Bilingual SIG) toTanvi Shah, Flat10 Kensington Heights, 13-25Sheepcote Road, Harrow, Middx HA1 2LW.

SIG: For SLTs working in Child DevelopmentCentres (UKRI3)8 JuneRarer genetic syndromes: Fiona Whyte, collegeadviser will focus on early intervention andimplications for work in the early years. RoomC606, Cox Building, Perry Barr Campus, UCE.Directions available online: www.uce.ac.uk.Members £15/non members £20/students £5. NBOnly those enclosing an A5 SAE with apologiesprior to the meeting will receive minutes andnotices. Numbers limited: book in advance.Contact Fiona Wilson, tel: 01302 366666 ext 3854

Scottish SLT SIG - Dysphagia (S11)8 June, 9.30am - 4.15pmIncludes AGM; Videofluoroscopy policyconsultation (Catherine Dunnett and Cam Sellars,Royal Infirmary, Glasgow); Dysphagiacompetencies project (Liz Boaden, Research Team,RCSLT Competencies Project); Feedback fromadvanced dysphagia symposium, Eastbourne, Nov2005, (Jacqueline Newell, Ninewells Hospital,Dundee). AC Bell Library, Perth, Scotland.Members £15/non-members £25/students free.Contact: Karen Yuill, tel: 01224 557466 / email:[email protected]

London Speech Disorders SIG (L27)12 June, 3pmPresentations on Service delivery to speechdisordered children. Nuffield Hearing and SpeechCentre. Contact Shula Burrows, tel: 0207 915 1534

Yorkshire SLTs working with Dysfluency SIG(Affiliated to the National SIG in Dysfluency(UKRI6)16 June, 9.30am - 12.30pmOutcome measures; Waiting list management: isthere a tool to predict risk of continuing tostammer? Daniel Hunter and Eileen Hope.Tadcaster Health Centre. Cost: Free. ContactEileen Hope, tel: 01756 792233 ext 208, email:[email protected]

Acquired Brain Injury SIG (ABISIG) (N28)19 June, 9am – 5pmManagement of cognitive language impairmentafter acquired brain injury, speakers: SLTs from theRoyal Hospital for Neuro-disability, Putney. PrioryHighbank Rehabilitation Centre, WalmersleyHouse, Walmersley Road, Bury BL9 5LX. Members£30/non-members £40 (includes indefinitemembership)/lunch £5.50. Contact Lianne

Reynolds, tel: 01706 829540, email:[email protected]

National SIG in Disorders of Fluency (UKRI6)22 June, 9.30am – 4.30pm (registration 9 -9.30am)Brief therapy with Willie Botterill and KidgeBurns. Room 3.1 Joseph Cowan House, Universityof Newcastle, St Thomas Street, Newcastle NE17RU. Members £5/non-members £25 (to includemembership)/students £10. Contact: HelenJenkins, tel: 0121 331 5716/email:[email protected]

Thames Valley Aphasia SIG (E40)28 June, 9.45am - 4pmAiming to meet the needs of people with aphasia.Speakers tbc. Postgrad Centre, St Peter’s Hospital,Chertsey, Surrey. Contact Deborah Thomas, email:[email protected]

Domiciliary and Community SIG (Adult Neuro)Central and Eastern Region (L8)30 June, 9.30am - 4.30pmMotor neurone disease and the SLT in thecommunity. RCSLT London. Members £15/non-members £25. Email: [email protected]

Speech and Language Difficulties inSecondary Education SIG (C19)3 July, 2pm - 5pmCog Neuro - we’ve all heard the theory, but howdoes it work in practice? An opportunity to discusscase studies: What works and why. Also briefAGM. Dawn House School, FE Study Centre,Helmsley Road, Rainworth, Notts NG21 ODG(Map available). Max 20 places. Contact CarolReffin, tel: 0116 295 4670 or email:[email protected]

Local Groups

SLUG16 May, 7.45 for 8pmAGM. Discussion of hot topics affecting the SLTprofession. Please send ideas and suggestions thatyou would like to discuss to Ann Adams email:[email protected] or Rachel Hubbardemail: [email protected] or telephonewith your ideas. Cost: £2 per meeting. SLTs, SLTAs,non-practising or retired SLTs and studentswelcome. Contact Ann Adams, tel: 01737 768511ext 6090 (work) or 01737 843378 (home)

North Hampshire Local Group5 June, 9am - 12 noonBusiness matters for SLTs - discussion led by ToniShawley. Station Cottage, Micheldever Station.For travel directions and full agenda contact SueBell, email: [email protected]


email:[email protected]

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