We all know what it's like. You're driving home, and there's that irritating pothole in the road yet again. It seemed like just last month that the council were out fixing it, and yet it's back already. It's frustrating - most of the time you're paying attention and remember to swerve and avoid it, but sometimes you forget and you head straight into it, leading you to have to stop and assess for damage. Now, imagine that pothole is on the roof of your mouth.
Speech & Language Tips for Working with Children with a Cleft
Around 1 in 700 children in the UK are born with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate. This happens when the two sides of the lip and/or hard and soft palate (roof of the mouth) don’t join together and form a seam during antenatal development. The resulting gap or ‘cleft’ leads to an altered appearance, and often can result in difficulties with speech and hearing which are important to be aware of in the classroom environment. Fortunately, with a bit of understanding and support, children who were born with a cleft can succeed in the classroom and achieve their literacy goals.
Treatment is being offered, but does it mean I should accept it?
You've been for an appointment where you've had all your options laid out on the table. A surgical solution has been proposed that is designed to improve your appearance or your function, so naturally, you should grab the opportunity with open arms right?
Rhinoplasty Surgery
I have spent a large amount of my working life encouraging people to feel comfortable in their skin and to accept themselves for who they are, so you can probably appreciate why I initially had thoughts that by opting for a nose job that I was being somewhat hypocritical.
Interview on BBC Radio Scotland, 27 Jun 2018
Listen in on demand as Kenny, Iona and Jon speak with BBC Radio Scotland's John Beattie about growing up with Cleft Lip and Palate, and the Adult Services Project. Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b7mjqm
100 Days of the CLAPA Adults Services Project
In this video from CLAPA, Kenny looks back on the first 100 days of the Cleft Adult Services Project. Find more information on the project at http://www.clapa.com/adultservicesproject.
Sprechen Sie Englisch? – Understanding what it’s like to not be understood
As those who know me well will know, in my earlier years, I struggled significantly to express myself using speech, and am all too aware of how painfully frustrating that is. I have been fortunate however, for the last 15 years or so, to have had speech which has been able to be understood widely... Continue Reading →
Cleft Awareness Week 2018 Summary
Cleft Awareness Week ran from the 5th-13th of May. Each day during Cleft Awareness Week, I pulled out a post, interview or presentation about cleft lip and palate to share - whatever your background, I hope that you found it interesting, and most importantly, that you learned something about the UK and NZ's most common... Continue Reading →
Presentation and Q&A with CleftPALS Australia
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the live presentation on Thursday 26 April - it was a pleasure to speak to you all. Thank you also to Belinda from CleftPALS for organising this opportunity. If you would like to watch the video again, you can now find this in the main part of... Continue Reading →
The Central Nervous System if it were the London Underground
When studying the Central Nervous System, I used to try and remember what every component was and how it it all fits together. So, I tried to think of something visual that makes sense to me (and many others too), and thought of the London Underground Tube Map - a map that's not to scale,... Continue Reading →
Voice Banking Webinar – 27 Feb 2018
Brought to you by ATANZ and the TalkLink Trust, this voice banking webinar outlines how to voice bank using the ModelTalker service. Copyright 2018 ATANZ / TalkLink Trust.
Spending some time with CleftPALS in Queensland, Australia
Last weekend and earlier this week, I had the privilege of spending some time with the folks at CleftPALS Queensland - the cleft lip and palate support network for people affected by cleft in Queensland, Australia (there are also other branches of CleftPALS in other Australian states).
