Speechmag

'Benefit finding' and coping with head and neck cancer

ENT & Audiology News for Nov/Dec 2010 includes a summary review (p.132) of Morwenna White-Thomson's article 'How I support TEP closure: an open and shut case?' from the Autumn 10 issue of Speech & Language Therapy in Practice.

The Nov/Dec issue of ENT & Audiology News also contains a thought-provoking article by Sandy Cavell (pp.49-50), 'Head and Neck Cancer: quality of life and beyond.'

Sandy is a Health Psychologist in New Zealand. As she says, "quality of life assessment and further information on psychological factors are important in enabling the clinician to improve communication with the patient, to ensure there is a more informed choice regarding treatment options and that better health outcomes are achieved" (p.49).  

Health professionals are increasingly recognising the importance of qualities such as resilience, so I was particularly interested in her comments on 'benefit finding' and its positive association with effective coping strategies. Examples of benefit finding were where the person's experience "caused them to think differently about their relationships with family and friends, altered their worldview and their prioritising of life issues" (p.49).

Between its print publication and online presence, ENT & Audiology News says it aims to offer "an invaluable forum for the communication of news and information from every aspect of ENT and audiology". For subscription rates and offers, contact Pinpoint Scotland Ltd, tel. 0131 557 4184.

Supporting people with aphasia to volunteer: useful publications

Do you encourage or support people with aphasia to volunteer?

This topic was explored in the article 'Any volunteers?' in the Winter 10 issue of Speech & Language Therapy in Practice. Carole Cross of Connect has been in touch to alert readers to two further publications that might be of use: 'How to volunteer - A guide for people with aphasia' and 'Volunteering and aphasia - A guide for organisations recruiting people with aphasia as volunteers'. The titles are self-explanatory, but you can read more and order them via the Connect website. They cost £7.50 each. 

In the article Gill Pearl and Gill Jackson reported on a pilot study of the Personal Development Programme and concluded that it engaged and supported people to do more with aphasia. Identified activities included gardening at the local YMCA sports centre, teaching bowls to new members of the bowls club, helping at the local Citizens Advice Bureau, helping in a charity shop, taking on a new role in a Masonic club, volunteering at Dyscover, and making tea in a residential home. The Personal Development Programme is available to buy at cost from Speakeasy, tel. 01706 825802.

In an accompanying article, 'Actions not words', Rebecca Allwood and Jane Terry found a volunteer placement at Wheelbase for their client Colin. This has enabled him to embark on a journey back to work in spite of his communication difficulties.

 

Speech and language therapist Annabel Bosanquet

I was saddened to learn via the Voice Care Network UK of the recent death of speech and language therapist Annabel Bosanquet.

Annabel worked in independent practice as a voice specialist. Coming from a background in the theatre, she was also a reader for InterAct. This charity provides the services of professional actors to read poetry and stories on an individual basis to people who are in hospital following a stroke. 

Annabel had subscribed to Speech & Language Therapy in Practice for 21 years, since well before my time as editor. She always provided encouraging feedback, reviewed books and as recently as March contacted me to say she would be interested to hear readers' reflections on perceived 'failures' in therapy. Although we didn't get the opportunity to develop this idea together, it is well worth thinking about. 

As the Voice Care Network UK said in their announcement, Annabel had been diagnosed with cancer just a few months ago and died on 16 November. They added a telling message from her husband Mike: "She has always won hearts - and did so yet again amongst the wonderful staff at the hospital, one of whom, a student nurse, has decided to change career direction in admiration for Annabel."

 

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.

Better Communication Research Programme needs input from practising therapists

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

'Hello' to the National Year of Communication

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

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

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

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

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

Making a succinct case for speech and language therapy

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

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

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

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

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

Blu-Tack and speech and language therapy

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

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

 

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

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

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

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