Throughout my career I have worked with children and young people with a variety of communication difficulties.
Below is the specific training, qualifications and experience related to my specialisms.
Selective Mutism
I have completed the Maggie Johnsons Selective Mutism Training: Core and Advanced Levels and have attended the National Selective Mutism Centre of Excellence Network.
I was the lead for Selective Mutism within the NHS BCHC (Birmingham Community Healthcare) Plus Speech and Language Therapy Team.
I have obtained a Postgraduate Training in Integrated Counselling and Psychotherapy where a Person Centred Approach and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy were core subjects within the course. I have also attended a Solution Focused Brief Therapy course. This enables me to have a greater understanding of people’s situations and experiences as well as supporting and developing their feelings, thoughts and behaviour linked to their communication difficulty.
I worked in a family of schools for pupils who had social, emotional and mental health needs for over four and half years. Some of these pupils had selective mutism.
Stammering
I have successfully completed two Michael Palin Centre Stammering Courses: Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Children Under 7 who Stammer and Secondary School Children who Stammer – Realising their Potential.
I have obtained a Postgraduate Training in Integrated Counselling and Psychotherapy where Person Centred Approach and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy were core subjects within the course. I have also attended a Solution Focused Brief Therapy course. This enables me to have a greater understanding of people’s situations and experiences as well as supporting and developing their feelings, thoughts and behaviour linked to their communication difficulty.
I worked in a family of schools for pupils who had social, emotional and mental health needs for over four and half years. Some of these pupils had a stammer.
Speech delay/disorder
I have consistently worked with speech delays and disorders (including developmental verbal dyspraxia) throughout my career as a Speech and Language Therapist. This includes working with young children all the way through to teenagers.
I have successfully completed the Nuffield Dyspraxia course and I was the lead for Speech Delay/Disorders Working Group within the Cannock Speech and Language Therapy team.
I worked in a speech and language therapy resource unit for children with Developmental Language Disorders including those with specific speech difficulties.
I can sometimes help those with dyslexia by developing their phonological awareness skills. I have also successfully completed a Teaching of Children with Dyslexia course through distance learning to enable me to have a greater understanding of the condition.
Early Language Developmental delay
For the majority of my career I have worked with early language development difficulties. For two years I exclusively worked in SureStart; a government initiative to develop the communication skills in the under 5s. I presented at the National SureStart conference in how to run language groups in nursery settings.
I have completed the Hanen Early Language Program from the Hanen Centre, the Derbyshire Language Scheme and the Total Training Package – Speech and Language Support for under 5s by Elklan.
I have successfully attended 2 Makaton training courses (a communication system which includes signing) in 2007 and in 2018.
Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs
Difficulties with communicating can cause social, emotional and mental health difficulties. If you are continually unable to fully comprehend what someone has said or effectively express yourself or understand a social situation, it can lead to confusion, frustration, anxiety, depression or anger.
I have developed children and young people’s social skills and supported their emotional well-being in the communication specialisms mentioned above as well as for those who either have autism or language difficulties.
I frequently use different techniques to understand the child’s perspective and develop their communication, interaction skills and emotional literacy. This includes PECS, intensive interaction, communication books, Comic Strips, Social Stories, Talking Mats, social thinking and social skills development. I have developed social skills through using published and well known resources, such as Talkabout and SULP (Social Use of Language Programme).
I supported the interaction skills of pupils in a family of schools for those with social, emotional and mental health needs for over four and a half years. Many of these pupils had a diagnosis of autism.
I have received training in SCERTS – Social Communication Emotional Regulation Transactional Support through the Hampshire Autistic Society, as well as PECS communication workshops, TEACCH and intensive interaction training through my NHS Trusts.
Schools
I have worked in a range of school settings. This includes mainstream primary and secondary schools, special needs schools for those with mild to severe learning difficulties, nurseries, a speech and language therapy unit for those with Developmental Language Disorders and a family of schools for those with social, emotional and mental health needs.
Within all these settings, I have worked with a variety of communication difficulties and each school service is tailored to meet the needs of the school, taking into account Universal, Targeted and Specialist intervention.