Speechmag

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.

'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.

Training people with learning disabilities to tell stories

"Stories give meaning to our lives - we are storytelling creatures who are constantly reviewing and interpreting our experiences and making link with what has happened to others" (Storytracks, 2009)

Lesley Johnson used this quote to open an article about a collaborative approach to developing narrative in people with learning disabilities in the Winter 09 issue of Speech & Language Therapy in Practice (see abstract). She explains how a visit from four members of Openstorytellers, including speech and language therapist Nicola Grove and musician Jane Harwood, inspired the development of her own project with "wonderful practical ideas for structure of the sessions, opening and closing activities and stories".

Openstorytellers enables people with learning disabilities to tell stories and build a strong sense of personal and cultural heritage. While it has secured a grant to train people with learning disabilities to manage the organisation, it has at the same time lost business in cancelled projects due to the current financial climate. If you would be interested in commissioning the group to do training or a performance, or in linking as partners in some way email Director Nicola Grove ([email protected]).  

Openstorytellers also has a page on Facebook.

Reference
Johnson, L. (2009) 'How I create creativity (2): Defining who I am', Speech & Language Therapy in Practice Winter, pp.26-28.

Going for a coffee - aids, prototypes and service developments for people with aphasia

Back in 2001, Speech & Language Therapy in Practice featured an article 'Imprints of the mind' about a group of people with aphasia from Dundee who had participated in an exciting research project 'Expression'.  

Christine Kingsley (then Farrell), who lectures in Design at the University of Dundee, was one of the staff members involved. I am delighted to hear that her interest in aphasia has continued. She is currently working with second year design students on an aphasia awareness project as part of a 'Design for social inclusion' brief.

You can follow the students' work on their blog. They developed their ideas with the help of the Dundee Speakability group, meeting for coffee at the University's Top of the Tower cafe. The students learned that a cafe - a favourite social setting for many of us - is a challenging environment for people with aphasia given the levels of noise, busy staff, time pressures and limited communication aids. The six teams of students then tackled their brief in a variety of ways. Although delighted with the support of the University catering service, Christine is disappointed that "other high street chains were non-commital and apathetic when approached by Speakability members."

The approaches adopted by the 6 teams were:

• Team 1 - development of a visual talking wallet
• Team 2 - telling an individual story through sequences of photographs (suitable for people in the early stages of aphasia)
• Team 3 - a variety of hand held tools covering signage and menus
• Team 4 - i-phone apps
• Team 5 - a training scheme for the catering community
• Team 6 - an awareness campaign about aphasia using social networking strategies such as blogging.

The students welcome feedback on their work.

National Literacy Trust to survey young people's attitudes to communication

The National Literacy Trust is looking for schools to participate in a survey to investigate young people’s attitudes towards speaking, listening and more general communication skills.

The online survey will run from 14 June to 3 July 2010 and involve 8-16 year olds from a variety of socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds.

The Trust says “very little” is known about this subject. The survey will include attitudes about the importance of speaking and listening, what the young people think employers, society and education establishments expect and the degree to which they are confident in and good at using different communication skills.

Interested schools need to reply by 23^rd May 2010.

The National Literacy Trust has recently overhauled its website and in my view is well worth a look. Like many organisations, it is keeping a close and interested eye on how the change in government will impact on education and other children's services in England.

Connecting people with aphasia with parliament

With the date of the UK general election expected to be announced later this morning, it is no surprise to find Connect - the communication disability network already prepared with a typically direct and positive manifesto for people with aphasia.

The message is that every 11 minutes in the UK three people have a stroke, and one of them will have aphasia. There are 50,000 new cases of aphasia every year in the UK, making it more common than breast cancer and multiple sclerosis combined. The manifesto adds, "...in the average parliamentary constituency nearly 400 people will have aphasia. They need your support in Parliament."

The manifesto further stresses the connection between election candidates and people with aphasia by including communication tips developed by people with aphasia. As well as helping candidates communicate better with people with aphasia, it suggests implementing the ideas will help them get their campaign messages across to everyone.

Connect recognises recent improvements in acute and emergency care, but is calling for the Life after Stroke recommendations of the National Stroke Strategy to be implemented fully as those affected will "live the rest of their lives with aphasia".

Connect also has a new DVD explaining aphasia, a page on Facebook and aphasia-friendly instructions for joining Facebook.

Wordworks supports early literacy, empowers parents and fosters resilience

Cynthia Pelman, who joined Speech & Language Therapy in Practice recently following several years working abroad, says the Wordworks charity in South Africa is "continuing to do wonderful work which I am a bit sad not to be part of any more."

The three main strands of Wordworks are:

1. supporting early literacy and language development through training volunteers, teaching assistants, library staff and community workers
2. empowering parents to support learning in the home, especially when they may not have had the benefit of educational opportunities themselves. This is the legacy for many families in South Africa from the apartheid years. (This photo includes a dad who had never held a pen or pencil before.)
3. addressing the psychosocial needs of children in disadvantaged communities - in other words, "doing hope".

It is interesting to note that the project doesn't just value learning but recognises the strong, consistent, supportive relationships forged with volunteers are key to the success of the literacy program. The use of Hero Books alongside the literacy work aims to foster resilience, with the emphasis on "how they cope with difficulties, what brings them joy and uplifts them, what they do to get the support they need to make the best of their lives". Therapists who wish to run programs for parents and volunteers should have a look at the Wordworks' freely available resources.

Cynthia says that, thanks to previous generosity on the part of donors, the charity has more than enough books, but you can contact her or see the website to find out how to contribute financially. Speech and language therapists may be particularly interested in the suggestions of practical support which could make interesting projects for their clients. (For more information on project work, see Simpson, Denman & Gale's 'Walking with Dobermanns' in the Autumn and Winter 09 issues of Speech & Language Therapy in Practice.)

How to run peer-led conversation groups

The communication disability network Connect will shortly be releasing a new toolkit and training package for speech and language therapists who want to run conversation groups led by people with aphasia.

This is the latest step in the national charity's drive to involve people with aphasia in service development, and recognises the particular skills needed to train leaders with aphasia and keep them motivated. Having learned over the years what gives a new scheme the best chance of sustainability, Connect offers initial support and training in your own setting with a toolkit including a CD ROM with training handouts and a DVD.

The Connect website also has a number of inspiring articles which show how the charity's approach to training is bringing about real change for people with aphasia.

For more information about 'How to run peer-led conversation groups: A guide for group coordinators', e-mail [email protected].  

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.