Philip Breedon – Face to face- Using the Microsoft ‘Kinect’ as a facial paralysis stroke rehabilitation tool
Philip Breedon is Professor of Smart Technologies at Nottingham Trent University and leads the Design for Health and Wellbeing research group. He has given guest lectures on smart materials in a number of European Countries as well as in Canada and New Zealand. His research interests and latest projects centre on new and emerging technologies and materials. This includes technical textiles/smart fabrics, wearable technologies, Biomimetics, swarm robotics and investigative research related to the utilisation of ‘smart materials’ for medical applications and surgical implants. Phil believes that multidisciplinary research activity is a significant and major contributor to innovative curriculum development. Recently this has included the development of four postgraduate programmes, MSc/MA Medical product Design and MSc/MA Smart Design. He also chaired the first International Design for Health and Wellbeing conference in February 2014.
Rhiannan Walton – Start your SLT blog today
Rhiannan is a paediatric SLT in West London and one of the first SLT bloggers. In 2008 she started the therapy ideas blog. She organises Therapy Ideas Live, a series of professional development events for therapists. In her workshop you’ll learn how to start a blog with just a small weekly time commitment, without any budget, IT support or a new computer. You’ll learn how to get started and how to keep going, how to write for the web, and what resources you can use to develop your skills.
Gina Davis – Attention and Communication – an outline of the Attention Autism Approach for children on the autism spectrum
Gina has worked in the field of special educational Needs for over 20 years in both clinic and education and family settings. She set up and ran an early intervention centre – a specialist nursery for children with autism where speech and language therapy and teaching were integrated into an intensive specialist early intervention curriculum. For the last 8 years Gina has been taking the work developed within the specialist nursery setting to a wider age range and variety of educational placements – both specialist and mainstream. She is passionate about delivering joyful and motivating speech and language therapy that has at its heart a real understanding of communication, the impact of autism on learning and the need to involve the children in dynamic and engaging activities. Gina is an experienced trainer and lecturer and currently works as a freelance Speech and Language Therapist and Autism specialist.
Rebecca Palmer – Making the most of technology in aphasia therapy
Dr Rebecca Palmer is a Senior Academic Clinical Lecturer in the Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology group at the University of Sheffield. Rebecca’s research work focuses on development and evaluation of computer therapy software and related approaches to delivering therapy. To complement this work, she has a clinical case load within Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in which she provides speech and language therapy using technology to people with communication impairments in the longer term post stroke.
Lucy Lowson – Tools of the Trade: How techonolgy can assist you in clinic
Lucy works as a Speech & Language Therapist in Yorkshire. She has been qualified for 10 years and independent since 2008 and runs her own practice, Glossa, from York, supporting adults with communication and swallowing difficulties. Lucy has a regular clinic at the Nuffield Hospital in York and also sees people within their own homes. Her ethos is one of functionality and practicality aiming to help clients achieve their potential and be happy, effective and confident in their skills.
Hannah Coles – Lego Therapy
Hannah Coles is a highly specialist speech and language therapist currently working in Hackney. Hannah graduated from The University of Reading with a first class degree and clinical distinction. Since graduating, Hannah has worked in nurseries and schools, resource bases and Special Educational Needs provisions. Most recently, Hannah has begun to work with young people in the criminal justice system. Hannah, along with her colleague, has just been awarded the Sternberg Award for clinical innovation. This was for setting up the speech and language therapy provision in the Lambeth Youth Offending Service. Hannah discovered Lego therapy 3 years ago and has been using it ever since. This is not for only with children and young people with autism and social communication difficulties, but also to develop language skills. Hannah commented that she has found it to be one of the most effective and versatile methods of therapy she has used.
