Come and join Small Talk!

Small Talk are looking for qualified paediatric Speech & Language Therapists across the UK to join our dynamic, independent team.

If you are looking to work for yourself but not sure how to start, worry that you don’t have the business knowledge to be successful and need the support/mentoring of a team, this is ideal for you.

We offer a chosen distinct geographical area, within the hours that suit you. 

Work as little as a few hours to a full time week. Combine with NHS or other employed work.

The new posts will look to commence as soon as possible for each candidate.

For more about us www.private-speech-therapy.co.uk 0844 704 5888

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S & L World: A global bulletin for SLT/SLPs

They say that the internet is making the world a smaller place and this has certainly been our experience  I began to use social media as a way of marketing my speech therapy business, Small Talk and also the pre-school groups, Smart Talkers. I knew that social media marketing had become an important part for any business’ marketing campaign, so I set up this blog, created Face Book pages and joined Twitter. I soon realised that people from all over the world were interested in what I was writing. I began to have ‘conversations’ with speech & language therapists and pathologist from the US, South Africa, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand and UAE. We shared ideas, discussed new topics, looked at new innovations, and reviewed some old practises. It brought home how we are all working towards the same aims despite different names or countries.

It's easy to forget that Speech & Language Therapy/Pathology is a profession full of enthusiasm and passion for speech, language and communication with great ideas to share and endless examples of good practise. Here in the UK the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists publish the excellent Bulletin which is mainly full of British work but I felt there was a need to do an international one. It’s not an academic forum as there is already an international journal; I wanted something informal with features, articles, news stories and interviews with SLT/SLPs from different parts of the world.

A survey by the RCSLT recently showed that 70% of British therapists would go abroad to follow their career, so this magazine will help therapist/pathologists to see what’s going on in different countries. This will undoubtedly help in the transition from one country-base to another. 

S & L world will be published quarterly and is available on-line by subscription only. Small Talk will co-ordinate the publication in conjunction with Ray Wellington and his team Milton Bayer Communications Ltd, a creative agency from Northampton. It has been launched to co-incide with The Year of Speech, Language and Communication in Britain. 

To access a free first edition please go to www.slworldbulletin.com 

For more information 0844 704 5888 or e-mail info@smalltalk-ltd.co.uk

The number one skill

Talking Point http://www.talkingpoint.org.uk/video.aspx is an excellent web site with lots of information and support for parents and professionals. They have a series of videos. This is the first in the series about the importance of being able to Learn to speak, listen and communicate well. Its really the most important thing that children can learn. There are great tips and information in this video.

 

A sign of things to come?

Speech & Language Therapy has always been the 'Cinderella' of the services within the NHS, historically, whenever there have been cut-backs to be made, the NHS bosses have known that it's an easy option. This is in, part due to the fact that the departments are mostly staffed by very nice ladies who wouldn't complain (or of they did, it would be 'ever so politely' and not very loudly). They know there would be little chance of strike action or industrial dispute. And who else would moan? Our clients have problems communicating their everyday needs, thoughts and wants, never mind be able to make a statement in support of the shortage of therapists. 

Yet, any communication difficulty, however small, can be devastating to the individual and have a major impact on the whole of that person's life. As I've put at the top of the blog, and can't say any better,‘The ability to communicate is central to all that we do, to who we are, how we learn and how we relate to others’ (Ross, Leeds Metropolitan University, 2007). Communication 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 while adults will have inummerable social, emotional and day to day difficulties.


Whether it's an adult who has suffered a stroke or a young child who is not developing language as they should, it is vital that they receive the help they need from suitably qualified, experienced professionals...I.E. SPEECH & LANGUAGE THERAPISTS. The Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists' Giving Voice Campaign is an excellent attempt to bring home the issues from the clients point of view. Unfortunately, this might have little impact in today's climate of cut-backs see http://www.northernireland.gov.uk/news/news-dhssps/news-dhssps-20102010-lack-of-funding.htm for what's happening in one area.


Am I falling into 'nimby-ism' (i.e. not in my back yard')? No, as I'm an independent therapist, who is likely to benefit from any NHS cutbacks. I am, however, a sad observer of what is happening to an essential service. I know speech, language and communication problems are not life threatening but they are thoroughly life impacting.

Tweet

Nearly one in six children - and almost one quarter of boys - have difficulty learning to talk, research suggests.

A YouGov online survey of 1,015 parents found only half of children with speech problems received expert help. The survey, for England's first "Communication Champion" Jean Gross, found some three-year-olds were unable to say a single word. Ms Gross said the proportion of children with problems is "high" and that getting help early was essential. "Our ability to communicate is fundamental and underpins everything else. Learning to talk is one of the most important skills a child can master in the 21st Century," she said. Click to play Click to play "The proportion of children who have difficulty learning to talk and understand speech is high, particularly among boys. "It is essential that all children get the help they need from skilled professionals as early as possible." Six out of 10 people questioned for the survey said the ability to talk, listen and understand was the most important skill for children to develop in the early years. This priority came ahead of the ability to interact with others (26%), reading skills (11%), numeracy skills (2%) and writing skills (1%). FIRST WORDS Dada - 15% Daddy - 13% Mama - 10% Dad - 10% Mummy 8% Mum - 7% Cat 2% No - 1% Dog - 1% All those questioned said they looked at picture books with their children, told them stories and sang nursery rhymes with them - all activities which boost language development. The survey showed that the majority of children (51%) did not enjoy looking at picture books with their parents until they were over six months old, but 18% enjoyed this at three months or younger. Children from more affluent families were reported to enjoy looking at picture books, and listening to stories and rhymes, at a younger age than children from less affluent families, researchers said. First words The most common age for children to say their first word, according to the parents surveyed, was between 10 and 11 months. More girls than boys (34% against 27%) said their first word before they reached nine months. But 4% of children had not said their first word by the age of three. There were no real social class differences in when children said their first word, the researchers said. Most parents (95%) could remember what their child's first word was. Among those surveyed, that word was most likely to be "Dadda" (15%) or "Daddy" (13%), with "Mama" (10%) and "Mummy" (8%) trailing a little behind. Speech experts generally think the "da" sound is easier for babies to say than "m". The YouGov research involved 1,015 parents of children aged one to to seven, questioned online in December. The figures have been weighted to provide a representative sample. Tweet

Speech and Language Therapist? What's that then??

We had a local group meeting for the association of speech and language therapists in independent (ASLTIP) practise last night. We had decided to have 3 presentations about 3 different aspects of our work. Christine Charles discussed a case of severe stammering, Franky Shepperson reported on ASD from a parent's and professional perspective and Sumathi Sinnapan shared her quest to have vitalstim therapy recognised in the UK.

What occurred to me most was that all three women were completely passionate about what they did. They are skilled, knowledgeable and expert in their field. It also reminded me of how fantastic  it is to be a speech and language therapist. Human communication is one of the most wonderful achievements and to be able to study it and use the knowledge gained to assist people is really a privilege.

Unfortunately in a busy, over stretched NHS, we easily forget this! It also means we tend to keep quiet about what we can do. I thought a reminder was needed, this is taken from the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists website:

Speech and language therapy is concerned with the management of disorders of speech, language, communication and swallowing in children and adults. Speech and language therapists (SLTs) are allied health professionals. They work closely with parents, carers and other professionals, such as teachers, nurses, occupational therapists and doctors. There are around 11,500 practising SLTs in the UK.  

They work in:

·         Community clinics

·         Hospital wards

·         outpatient departments

·         mainstream and special schools

·         children's centres

·         day centres

·         clients' homes

·         courtrooms

·         prisons

·         young offenders' institutions

·         independently/in private practice

Speech and language therapists work with:

Babies with:

·         feeding and swallowing difficulties

Children with:

·         mild, moderate or severe learning difficulties

·         physical disabilities

·         language delay

·         specific language impairment

·         specific difficulties in producing sounds

·         hearing impairment

·         cleft palate

·         stammering

·         autism/social interaction difficulties

·         dyslexia

·         voice disorders

·         selective mutism

Adults with

·         communication or eating and swallowing problems following neurological impairments and degenerative conditions, including stroke, head injury, Parkinson's disease and dementia

·         head, neck or throat cancer

·         voice problems

·         mental health issues

·         learning difficulties

·         physical disabilities

·         stammering

·         hearing impairment

How can I become a Speech & Language Therapist?

All speech and language therapists must complete a recognised three- or four-year degree course and register with the Health Professions Council before being able to practise. The courses combine academic study and practice/clinical placements.

Most courses require three A-level passes or five Scottish highers as minimum entry qualifications. Some courses require specific GCSE and A-levels, such as English and biology, so check the entry requirements with each university.
The practical components of the courses are very important. These may take place in schools, NHS hospitals and community health clinics and are designed to develop skills in assessing and treating people with communication disorders.

For more information contact the Royal College of SLTs  on www.rcslt.org or http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/details/Default.aspx?Id=288  For more about Small Talk Speech & Language Therapy www.private-speech-therapy.co.uk

August up-date Podcast