I enjoy working with children and families and feel passionate about supporting a child to develop their communication skills. The ability to communicate is an essential life skill, and I find it extremely rewarding to be part of some life-changing moments for children and their families.

I have experience in assessing and treating a wide range of communication needs including speech sound delay and disorder, language delay and disorder, developmental delay, dysfluency and Autism.

My work has been carried out in a variety of settings including clinics, mainstream schools, special schools and children’s centres.

As a speech and language therapist I have worked in a Specialist Autistic Spectrum Conditions school with children aged 5-19 years. I worked using a Total Communication Approach where all forms of communication were valued and used, including Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS) and Makaton. I also supported children in community based education to support their functional communication skills.

More recently I worked with an award winning team in Norfolk – ‘Talk About’ – where I delivered training to nursery settings on a range of communication needs. This training had a positive impact on staff and the data collected post training showed a significant reduction in the number of children with delayed Speech and Language skills.

I have experience of working with a range of professionals including Health Visitors, teachers, Educational Psychologists and Paediatricians. I feel the value of working collaboratively is essential in developing and supporting a child’s communication.

I am currently completing a Diploma in Psychotherapy. Mental health and emotional well-being are of particular interest to me, and I am keen to use this training to support children and young people with communication difficulties who may be experiencing anxiety/stress or depression.