Speechmag

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

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

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

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

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

Holography as phonetics teaching resource

In the Winter 09 issue of Speech & Language Therapy in Practice, we report on the development of a student teaching resource which could become a useful tool for speech and language therapists.

Pip Cornelius, a lecturer in phonetics and phonology at De Montfort University, has worked with Professor Martin Richardson who specialises in holography to produce the 3D visualisations of different sounds. Here are 3 examples (uploaded to You Tube by kind permission of De Montfort University).

 

 

 

 

 

Faces for Tomorrow half marathon

Regular contributor to Speech & Language Therapy in Practice Paula Leslie is running a half marathon to raise funds for a small charity with a big goal of providing medical and surgical services to children around the world with facial deformities. (You can support her at firstgiving.)

One of Paula's colleagues Rhona Galera worked with Faces of Tomorrow on its first mission in Ecuador, and hopes to return in January 2010. Rhona and Paula wrote an evidence-based article in the Summer 09 issue about the importance of nurturing native language and traditional family cultures. Faces of Tomorrow emphasises that it works within the cultures of the communities it serves. On the 2009 trip the team carried out over 100 assessments, over 80 surgical procedures and dental work, and offered education sessions on subjects such as speech issues.

Paula explains, "The Speech Pathology component of this clinical team is essential to the communication outcomes of the people who have surgery. Rhona's work goes beyond just the trip because she trains and supports the local speech team in many aspects of our field, not just the cleft lip and palate work." Rhona features in this trailer of a film made by Meg Pinsonneault about the team's experience in Ecuador.