Tricky Tongue Twisters for Afasic!

The Afasic Tongue Twister Challenge is a fun and simple way to raise awareness of Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN). The idea for this challenge came from the children at Backstage Youth Group in Wales, which is run in partnership with Tape Community Music and Film. To view some of their videos, check out the Afasic Cymru Facebook page.  Get involved today by following these easy steps!  Step 1 – Choose a tongue twister (see below for some great examples!) Step 2 – Video yourself saying the tongue twister Step 3 – Upload your video on to Facebook so all of your friends can see! Step 4 – Donate £3 to Afasic by texting ‘TWST 50 £3’ TO 70070 Step 5 – Nominate others to do the challenge too! You can also make a donation directly onto the Just Giving page here!

• She sells seashells on the seashore.
• Flash message. Flash message.
• Mix a box of mixed biscuits with a boxed biscuit mixer.
• A proper copper coffee pot.
• I saw Esau sitting on a seesaw. Esau, he saw me.
• Toy boat. Toy boat. Toy boat.
• Lovely lemon liniment.
• Six thick thistle sticks. Six thick thistles stick.
• Good blood, bad blood.
• Three free throws.The instinct of an extinct insect stinks.
• Comical economists. Comical economists.
• Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?
• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
  A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
  If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
  Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
• One-One was a racehorse.
  Two-Two was one, too.
  When One-One won one race,
  Two-Two won one, too.

Please help AFASIC... and have some fun too! 'Zip It' for Afasic

As we enter a New Year, AFASIC are encouraging us to get involved in their latest challenge that should be a bit of fun, and also raise some money towards their work. They are often the only place a parent can turn when they have a child with SLCN and no-one else seems to understand that it affects the entire family.
 
They really need  help to ensure that Afasic has the funds it needs to provide this ongoing help and support for children, young people and their families who are affected by speech, language and communication disabilities now and into the future.
 
How to get involved
Please take part in the Afasic ‘Zip It!’ challenge this spring  - you can take part yourself, encourage your local school to take part, get people in the office to take up the challenge, or get the family to have a quiet and challenging evening at home!
 
The challenge is to stay silent and use only non-verbal methods of communication for a period that you can decide (it could be 5 minutes, an hour, a morning, a day etc.). For more information and to register for a full information pack go to  http://www.afasic.org.uk/support-us/fundraise-for-us/zip-it-challenge/

AFASIC: help and support for parents

Listen to Abby's story as she talks about her early childhood and the frustrations she felt by not being able to express herself and to understand others. There's lots of helpful advice for parents on the AFASIC website http://www.afasic.org.uk/

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Finding the ‘invisible’ voice of children with speech and language needs

Abigail Beverly

A group of experts in speech, language and communication has teamed up to create a book about the importance of listening to children with SLCN. Listening to Children and Young People with Speech, Language and Communication Needs, edited by Sue Roulstone and Sharynne McLeod, features chapters by many well-known experts in the field including The Communication Trust’s Professional Director Wendy Lee,
Hazel Roddam PhD, Chair of Council at the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, and Chris Markham PhD, a senior lecturer from University of Portsmouth.


Chapters have also been contributed by Abigail Beverly – a young person who grew up with speech and language difficulties and graduated from Central St Martin’s in London – and Robbie Simons, a student with Asperger’s Syndrome who took part in the Speech and Language Therapy Project.


It is widely known that there are great benefits to consulting children with speech, language and communication needs, but very little has previously been written about the challenges involved in the process.
The editors and authors of the book, published by J& R Press, have pledged to donate £1.50 from the sale of each book to Afasic, a charity which supports children with speech and language difficulties and their parents.


In the book, the authors look at:


• The voice of the children and young people with speech, language and
communication needs
• Insights from researchers, speech and language therapists, social workers, psychologists, teachers, advocates and parents
• A diversity of disciplines: health, education and social care
• A range of creative techniques and solutions for listening to children and young people
• Links to service implications.


Linda Lascelles, Chief Executive Officer at Afasic, said: “We’re delighted to have contributed to this book and that the authors have decided to give all the royalties to Afasic. This will go towards our work in helping children who have a speech and language impairment. Too often this group of children is invisible. If we are to understand what they want from services and how they can best be tailored to meet their needs, it is crucial for us to listen and consult with them.”

Sue Roulstone said “It has been a fantastic experience to collaborate with so many knowledgeable people. The book is full of their expertise in listening to the voices of those with speech, language and communication needs. Professor McLeod and I hope that the book provides a useful resource and stimulus to others who work with these children and young people.”


The book is available to order from publisher JR Press priced at £19.99 (not including postage and packing). To order a copy visit the website http://www.jrpress.co.uk/communication-needs.html

Parents, has your child got Specific Language Impairment?

Parents and families of children and young people with Specific Language Impairment (SLI)
now have access to the first comprehensive guide on SLI, officially launched today by
I CAN, the children’s communication charity, and Afasic.
Commissioned by The Communication Trust, as part of the Hello campaign, the SLI
Handbook aims to provide a clear and concise guide on SLI, to help identify and support
children with this ‘invisible’ difficulty. Endorsed by Jean Gross, the Government’s
Communication Champion, this handbook will help both parents and practitioners to better
understand the issue, find practical ways to support children and young people with SLI and
signpost to further support.
About 7% of all children and young people have SLI, and are often as intelligent, able and
healthy as other children, except they have enormous difficulty talking and understanding
language. SLI is not caused by any known neurological, sensory, intellectual or emotional
difficulty, so many children and young people across the UK have needs that may be missed
or misdiagnosed. SLI is a very broad term, with some children having mild problems that are
short-lived, with others having severe and persistent difficulties with both understanding and
talking.
The SLI Handbook uses clear language and illustrations to ensure it is accessible to parents
and professionals who will encounter children with these needs. This will include: teachers,
TAs, SENCOs, Educational Psychologists, SLTs, Paediatricians and Occupational
Therapists.
Mandy Grist, I CAN Communication Advisor and SLI Handbook author, said, “Parents and
practitioners often tell us there isn’t one place to find comprehensive information about SLI.
The Bercow Review of Services for Children and Young People with Speech, Language and
Communication Needs (SLCN) in 2008 found that 77% of parents did not get the information
and support that they needed when they needed it. SLI is often misunderstood and ‘invisible’ as children try to hide their difficulties by imitating others or their frustrations come out
through negative behaviour. Finally, families and practitioners can use this handbook to help
identify, understand and support these children and young people so they can live life to the
full and achieve their potential.”
Linda Lascelles, Afasic Chief Executive, said, “At the heart of the Hello campaign is
supporting children and families affected by speech, language and communication
difficulties, including SLI.  7% of all children struggle in school and throughout their lives with
this ‘invisible’ difficulty. The SLI Handbook is an essential resource to empower parents and
families by providing them with easy to understand information on SLI. The SLI Handbook
was written by I CAN and Afasic with parents specifically in mind, and will give them
accessible information and useful guidance from the first instance when their child’s needs
are identified, through to accessing the right services and how to support children throughout
their education.”
A parent of child with SLI, said, “The handbook explains SLI clearly and in an easy to
understand way.  We found it very difficult to get any information when our child was
diagnosed, especially a clear explanation of SLI. This is a really helpful booklet and will
definitely be very useful and informative to other parents.”

For more information, interviews and pictures, please contact Emma Selim (Press and PR Officer)

eselim@ican.org.uk or 0207 843 254

Lost for Words: Lost for Life Conference highlights persistent gaps in services for young people with speech, language and communication difficulties

Delegates attending a recent conference, expressed their concern at persistent gaps in services for teenagers and young people with speech, language and communication difficulties and stressed that the proposed NHS reforms could exacerbate the situation. 400 delegates from across the country and overseas met at City University London for the three-day Lost for Words: Lost for Life conference, which was timed to coincide with the National Year of Communication. The event was arranged and hosted by City University London in conjunction with UK charities, I CAN and Afasic, and was opened by the Rt Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons. 


The conference was unique in bringing together teachers, teaching support staff, speech and language therapists, psychologists, academic researchers, youth workers and Primary Care Trust managers and Commissioners. It also featured talks from young people who have used speech and language services and their families. Dr. Victoria Joffe, Reader in Developmental Speech, Language and Communication Difficulties, City University London, said that despite the 2008 Bercow review highlighting the gap in speech and language services for secondary aged students, delegates were united in their concern about a continued lack of facilities for this group, as well as for young people with speech, language and communication difficulties in further education and into adulthood. “While some improvements have been made and awareness has been raised in some areas, the reality is that particularly for secondary aged students there are still big inconsistencies in terms of local speech and language resources. It really is a postcode lottery with no uniformity across areas and in most cases significant gaps in services.  “Furthermore, there are also virtually no services available for young adults after they have left school. “Research suggests that speech and language problems in secondary school aged children and young adults are more likely to be complex and are associated with other difficulties including memory, attention, behaviour and social and emotional functioning.  “There is also clear evidence that without the right services, young people who don’t have the right access to speech and language services are vulnerable to being left behind and disadvantaged in life, so this is clearly a big issue.” “Research shows that students in secondary schools, who have not been picked up previously in primary school, are showing significant speech, language and communication difficulties which impact on educational attainment and general well being. These students need to be identified as quickly and early as possible in secondary school and a range of appropriate and effective support structures need to be put in place.” Delegates and speakers also expressed their concern that the proposed NHS reforms could worsen the situation, particularly if it results in the further fragmentation of health, education and social services.


“Inconsistency in commissioning, local austerity measures, coupled with the probability that the proposed NHS reforms may result in less integration between health, education and welfare services, means that we are facing a situation where things could get even worse,” said Dr Joffe. Mary Hartshorne, Head of Quality and Outcomes at I CAN, said that the event highlighted the need to move beyond merely identifying the service gaps. 


“Raising awareness of the issues of language and communication in young people at secondary school is not enough. We have to also ensure that there is support in place to ensure these needs are met. Delegates at the conference indicated that more training and support is needed in secondary schools; schools need to have access to programmes and interventions that work for this group. Presenters shared some good examples of the positive impact of this in schools.
“We have come a long way since the last major survey of services to support young people with speech, language and communication needs in 2000. But it is important not to lose this momentum. We know that the relationship between language, literacy skills and learning continues to be important during the secondary years, so a continued focus on supporting young people’s language skills in secondary school is very important, despite increasing pressure on local services.” Linda Lascelles, Afasic Chief Executive, said: “For young people with communication needs, secondary school can be a difficult place. The conference was an opportunity to hear from young people with communication difficulties directly. Young people can have very different perspectives than their teachers or parents on what it is like to be at school and what support they need. Therefore it is imperative that we listen to them. This conference helped to raise these young people’s concerns with a range of practitioners, who will take their messages
back to local schools and service providers.”


The three day conference included a host of keynote talks, symposiums, presentations, workshops and posters which address issues around speech, language and communication, educational attainment, social and emotional functioning, employment and well-being of older children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.

Make up a word

Ever chillax in a nifty gaff?

Tell Afasic your favourite made up word and support the Afasic 'My Word' challenge
Children's communication charity Afasic is asking thousands of schools to support their 'My Word' challenge. Pupils can choose a word that they use on a regular basis that's made up or not currently in the dictionary, write it on the 'My Word' postcard and explain what it means to them. The aim is to have fun, start a conversation and increase children's understanding of communication.

Postcards are then sent back to Afasic who will produce a booklet from all the postcards they receive to share during the national year of communication. All pupils can take part in the fundraising activity and all participating schools will receive a certificate from Afasic's President and Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow MP.

To download your postcard please click here or contact Afasic on 0207 490 9410 or emd@afasic.org.uk for further information.

Closing date for entries is Monday 4 July.

To find out more about Afasic's work and the Handbook they have recently produced with I CAN about specific language impairment, please clickhere.

Is it always autism?

NO!!! We're too quick to jump to conclusions when a child doesn't tick all the boxes for 'normal'! (Can you tell this is another of my personal bug bears?!)
Everyone has heard of autism but few know anything about receptive language difficulties or other language disorders which can mean that the child has trouble making sense of the world, fitting in with his peers and communicating his needs and thoughts. These are all symptoms of autism but do not necessarily mean the child has ASD. My own clinical case-load has several children who have been referred for ASD assessments by their school but actually have language based disorders. As they've already been referred when I pick them up it's too late to stop the parent needlessly worrying.

This is why  proper assessment for a differential diagnosis of ASD needs to be very thorough and requires Paediatrician, highly specialist speech & language therapist and expert Clinical Psychologist. At Small Talk our assesments follow the NAS guidelines. A one-off assessment in clinic is not sufficient to label a child for a life-time.
We used to have a term called semantic-pragmatic disorder: Semantic refers to the meanings of words and phrases while Pragmatic refers to the use of language in a social context (knowing what to say and when and how to say it to other people). We now try to separate the two so that we can work on the exact needs of the child. 
The Charity AFASIC have lots more information and they describe it in a way I can't improve upon. The following is from their website www.afasic.org.uk © Afasic 
"Children with semantic difficulties:

• Struggle to understand the meaning of sentences or words. 
• Words which refer to abstract concepts such as feelings (sad, puzzled, jealous) or status (important, official) can be especially hard for these children to understand. 
• They misinterpret and take literally phrases such as "Cut it out!", "Stop it" or "He's a push-over". 
• Often it can be difficult for children with a semantic disorder to work out the topic or key information in a sentence. 

Children with pragmatic difficulties struggle:

• To use language socially. 
• They do not understand how we take turns when we talk. 
• They interrupt more than is acceptable. 
• Their conversation often seems inappropriate or irrelevant. 
• They can seem to be unaware of what their conversational partner needs to know - and can therefore say too much or too little about a subject. 

Some children have both semantic and pragmatic difficulties" other children might have significant receptive language impairment which lead to problems understanding spoken language. I met a 15 year old earlier this year with severe behaviour problems... he had an auditory memory of just 2 items, no wonder he punched first, he knows what outcome is expected from that type of interchange! Imagine how frightening it would be to live in a world when you 'just don't get it' all the time (to use his words).
One of the only benefits of the long wait for ASD diagnosis in Staffordshire (up to 90 weeks for some) has been that it's now clearer when the child's problems are more language based than autistic spectrum based. The difference lies mainly in the rigidity of thinking.
I can highly recommend the AFASIC web site for any parent or professional who wants to know more.
We know more about autism as society now so its time to spread the word about other disorders and problems that affect our chidren's ability to communicate. Problems of any kind, however mild, will certainly lead to isolation, frustration and an inability to fully integrate into society. Children will have a harder time making friends and fitting into nursery or school.