International Stammering Awareness Day 2014: My Shout!

Raising public awareness is rife these days. There seem to be colourful wrist bands and ribbons for almost every health and social issue you can think of, and stammering is no exception. Today, on International Stammering Awareness Day, you can mark the occasion by sporting a unique sea-green version. It may be a small gesture, … Read more

News Group: Behind the Scenes (2/2)

I wrote last month about how some of our neuro-rehabilitation service users benefit from the experience of attending the news group we run on the ward.   As a service, we have found that we can use our group provision for a number of purposes:   We can use the group to provide different packages … Read more

News group: ‘being part of something’ (1/2)

10.30am and this week’s News Group is about to start on the neuro-rehabilitation unit where I work as a speech and language therapist. As I arrange chairs and sort through the newspapers, John arrives without any prompting, having remembered to consult his diary for his programme for the day. John is working on strategies to … Read more

Reflections on my first BSA Conference: inspiration, connection, courage and community

A week later and I am still feeling buoyed up by the positivity of the British Stammering Association’s National 2014 Conference, held in association with the Scottish Stammering Network in Glasgow. I was not sure what to expect as I made the long train journey north on Friday 22nd August, arriving just in time to … Read more

Stammering and the social model of disability: challenge and opportunity

Where does the real problem of stammering lie? How does society communicate its values and norms about fluency and how does this affect people who stammer? How does the SLT tread the delicate path between helping their client manage their stammering more effectively (and increase ease of communication) without reinforcing unhelpful ideas about stammering (and … Read more

A treasured space

Six years ago I started my independent practice as a speech and language therapist, working with children. I left the relative safety of working in the NHS to a new world where it was my responsibility to generate work and subsequent income to support family and home… initially both a daunting and exciting thought. With … Read more

Helping people with aphasia have better conversations

Aphasia is the name given to a condition where speaking, understanding, reading and writing are damaged. If you experience aphasia, it can be devastating. Speaking is a bit like blinking – it is something you take for granted until that bit of grit lands in your eye, then you realise just how much you rely … Read more

Living with a communication disability: insider accounts

‘Nothing ever becomes real till it is experienced’ John Keats One of the greatest challenges in acquiring any new skill is taking the knowledge you have gained and applying it to the real world in a meaningful and positive way. Bridging the gap between theory and experience is something I, as a student speech and language … Read more

Therapy: admitting defeat or an accomplishment?

It took 18 years of living with my stammer before I finally decided to seek help in the form of stammering therapy with Sam at intandem. So, why did it take me so long? Well, the answer was because I did not want to admit I had a stammer. By pretending it wasn’t there meant that it … Read more

Reflections on what supports change and personal growth (2/2)

Continuing with our two-part blog post on the different strategies people employ to support change, this month’s entry reflects the voice of some of our clients who have generously shared their ideas below: Dom: “When I am planning anything I am always trying to save myself energy and to plan anything I need to be … Read more