Thank you Prof Yvonne Wren and Bristol Benjamin Meaker Visiting Distinguished Professor program

Thank you Professor Yvonne Wren and the Bristol Dental School who have sponsored my Bristol Benjamin Meaker Visiting Distinguished Professorship over the past 5 weeks. I have worked with Prof Yvonne Wren and her team to support their research, capacity building endeavours, and to write up research from the Cleft Collective Cohort. I have enjoyed learning from Yvonne and her teams and to contributing to the research and life of the University of Bristol. We have forged many new research agendas and I look forward to returning. It has been an inspirational and productive visit. 

 

Here is the summary of the outcomes from my visit

As Bristol Benjamin Meaker Visiting Distinguished Professor, Sharynne McLeod collaborated with colleagues in the Bristol Dental School, the Faculty of Health Sciences, and the wider University of Bristol community to advocate for communication for all, acknowledging the untapped potential of those who are underrepresented in society's conversations. Prof. McLeod was hosted by Prof. Yvonne Wren, who leads the Cleft Collective Cohort Study, a national longitudinal cohort study with over 11,000 participants from over 4000 families in the United Kingdom. The Cleft Collective uses the Intelligibility in Context Scale (ICS), an outcome measure developed by Prof. McLeod and team, that is also recommended in the International Consortium of Health Outcome Measures (ICHOM) Set of Patient-Centered Outcome Measures for Cleft Lip & Palate. During this visit, Prof McLeod worked with the Cleft Collective team to generate reference data at ages 3 and 5 years and found significant differences based on cleft type and whether a syndrome was present. Despite being available in over 70 languages, this is the first time the ICS has been studied longitudinally. In addition to her well-received lectures, Prof. McLeod undertook capacity building workshops and mentoring to support students and staff across the wider University of Bristol community.

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/international-research-development/visiting-researchers/visitors-for-202324/sharynne_mcleod/

 

Here are Yvonne's current roles that I have participated in during my visit:

• Professor of Speech and Communication, University of Bristol
• Professor of Speech and Language Therapy, Cardiff Metropolitan University
• Director, Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit, North Bristol NHS Trust www.speech-therapy.org.uk
• Chief Investigator – Cleft@18-23, NIHR Programme Grant, Bristol Dental School, University of Bristol
• Chief Investigator - The Cleft Collective, Bristol Dental School, University of Bristol, www.cleftcollective.org.uk
• Chief Investigator - MISLToe-SSD, North Bristol NHS Trust, MISLToe SSD | North Bristol NHS Trust (nbt.nhs.uk)

I have provided the following lectures as part of the visit:

1. Open Lecture at Southmead Hospital: Communicating with Children and Families in a Multilingual World
https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/bristol-speech-language-therapy-research-unit/about-bsltru/bsltru-events
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/northbristolnhstrust/1140990
https://speakingmylanguages.blogspot.com/2024/05/invited-lecture-all-children-should-be.html

2. Bristol Dental School seminar: Speech, Language and Communication: An Overview for Dentists
Recent evidence-based techniques will enable dentists to be better equipped to work with individuals with speech, language and communication needs including those with oral structural alterations (tongue tie and cleft palate)
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/international-research-development/diary/2024/dental-school-talk-by-professor-sharynne-mcleod.html  
https://speakingmylanguages.blogspot.com/2024/04/invited-lecture-speech-language-and.html
 

3. Faculty of Health Sciences lecture: Multilingual Children’s Speech
Aimed at students and staff in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Presentation of the benefits of multilingualism and insights from an international research program into how monolingual professionals can successfully work with multilingual children and families.
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/international-research-development/diary/2024/health-sciences-talk-by-professor-sharynne-mcleod.html
https://speakingmylanguages.blogspot.com/2024/05/university-of-bristol-health-sciences.html

 I also provided the following lectures and workshops:

4. Communicating with children and families in a multilingual world - Cardiff Metropolitan University Centre of Hearing, Language and Communication Research Lecture Series

5. Communication rights and social justice: Enhancing communicative participation for children with speech, language and communication needs - University of Cambridge Faculty of Education

6. Communication professionals need to advocate for communication rights and the Sustainable Development Goals  - Cylch Ieithyddiaeth/Bangor Linguistics Circle, Bangor University

7. Research wellness retreat - Cardiff Metropolitan University Centre of Hearing, Language and Communication Research Lecture Series

https://speakingmylanguages.blogspot.com/2024/05/writing-research-papers-in-bristol.html

Seldom heard voices in service user involvement

While at BSLTRU I had a chance to learn more about the work of Dr Kath Broomfield and her new book that she edited with Anna Volkmer: Seldom heard voices in service user involvement: The how and why of meaningful collaboration https://www.jr-press.co.uk/product/seldom-heard-voices/. Here is the description from the publisher's website:

Many communities are often excluded from research, service development and public consultations because they are considered too difficult to engage with. This list of seldom heard voices includes people with communication difficulties and/or mental health diagnoses, children and young people, minority and ethnic groups, and many more. Increasingly, there is a drive to be more inclusive and what sparse guidance there is suggests there should be engagement and communication with the relevant community, involving them in decision-making, co-design or co-produce at all levels. But how is this carried out?

Seldom Heard Voices in Service User Involvement is the first book that shares experiences and examples of service user involvement with communities of seldom heard voices. As well as being a practical resource for clinicians, it will provide a resource for future health and social care professionals and researchers. Additionally, it will bring together expertise and experience from across a range of seldom heard voices, ultimately sharing and maximizing the transfer of knowledge and resource.

There are many synergies with our new Children's Voices Centre and our book Listening to Children and Young People with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (https://www.jr-press.co.uk/product/communication-needs). Kath gave me a copy of her book and I have already enjoyed reading it.

Thank you Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit (BSLTRU)

Thank you to the Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit (BSLTRU) https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/bristol-speech-language-therapy-research-unit/bsltru-research who have welcomed me, inspired me, and provided me with good coffees during my 5 week visit to Bristol. Today I was able to join the team meeting. The BSLTRU team include the following people:

• Prof Yvonne Wren (Director)
• Dr Samantha Harding
• Dr Sam Burr
• Dr Katherine Broomfield
• Caitlin Holme
• Dr Lucy Southby
• Charlotte McCarthy 
• Dr Rhonwen Lewis
• Shani Ackford
• Dominika Kruszynska

BSLTRU has been directed by Prof Pam Enderby, Prof Sue Roulstone, and Prof Karen Sage and I have been honoured to visit BSLTRU in 2010, 2013 and undertake projects with the team over many years.

Sam Burr, Kath Broomfield, Yvonne Wren, Dominika Kruszynska
(online Sam Harding, Caitlin Holme)

Here are some of the projects that they are working on at the moment:

• Cleft Collective - Cleft Speech & Language Study | North Bristol NHS Trust (nbt.nhs.uk);  Bristol Dental School | University of Bristol 
• MISLToe - MISLToe SSD | North Bristol NHS Trust
• Prosiect Pengwin - Prosiect Pengwin - Early Years Co-design Panel | Early Years Wales 
• Understanding the causal pathways for persistent speech sound disorder | North Bristol NHS Trus
• Investigating the impact of COVID 19 on language development in children born with cleft palate 
• The CHATTER study  | North Bristol NHS Trust
• Exploring access to SLT for stroke survivors who speak Welsh Exploring access to Speech and Language Therapy for Welsh speaking survivors of stroke | North Bristol NHS Trust
• Unspoken Voices project Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) | North Bristol NHS Trust
• Working closely with ALSPAC and have been involved in developing and using the speech and language data with international collaborators - https://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/

On my final day, they gave me a lovely gift listing women who changed the world.

Research Wellness Retreat in Wales

I was invited to run a Research Wellness Retreat for staff at Cardiff Metropolitan University and Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit. The retreat was held at Cardiff Metropolitan University and during the afternoon we enjoyed St Fagans National Museum of History in Cardiff https://museum.wales/stfagans/about/

The following people were able to attend: Prof Yvonne Wren, Dr Robert Mayr, Prof Fei Zhao, Dr Rhonwen Lewis, Dr Sam Burr, Ria Bayliss, Annie Li Jiaying, and Charlotte McCarthy. We were also pleased to welcome Dr Rhiannon Phillips (Deputy Associate Dean for Research, Cardiff Met) for part of the day.

The next week I also had wonderful individual meetings with Dr Rhonwen Lewis, Annie Li Jiaying, Anna Kowalska, Charlie Strutt, and Caitlin Holmes.

Dr Robert Mayr inspiring the attendees

Fei, Rhonwen, Annie, Rhiannon, Ria, Robert, Yvonne, Sam, Charlotte, Sharynne

Welsh cakes and Tim Tams

Rhonwen Lewis planning a book

Lunch at Cardiff Met

St Fagans National Museum of History in Cardiff

St Fagans National Museum of History in Cardiff

Sam, Sharynne, Yvonne, Charlotte, Annie, Robert and Rhonwen at
St Fagans National Museum of History in Cardiff

Sharynne meeting with Charlie Strutt about the new tertiary clinic
for children with complex speech sound disorders at Cardiff Met

Invited lecture at BSLTRU: All Children Should be Seen AND Heard: The Importance of Communication so Children can Thrive

Yesterday I gave the Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit Annual Lecture at Southmead Hospital as part of my Benjamin Meaker Visiting Distinguished Professor program.

Title: All Children Should be Seen AND Heard: The Importance of Communication so Children can Thrive

Abstract: Communication is a human right for everyone – including children. Being an effective communicator is essential for children’s belonging, being, and becoming – and their ability to thrive. The United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights describes our right to freedom of opinion and expression and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas. This right is echoed in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This presentation will draw on extensive large-scale evidence regarding children’s communicative competence and capacity. Data from thousands of children within the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) will be supplemented with insights from children’s drawings and insights. The communicative competence of multilingual children and families will be celebrated. This presentation will conclude with a range of solutions for international, interdisciplinary, and cross-sectoral change to enable children to be seen AND heard so they can thrive.

 What a fabulous event - with people traveling from London, Worcestershire, Exeter and Cardiff to attend, including Steve Jamieson, CEO from the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) and Emeritus Professor Sue Roulstone.

Steve Jamieson, CEO from the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT)

 

Visiting the Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit

What a pleasure to visit the Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit (BSLTRU) again. I first visited in 2010, and again in 2013. BSLTRU was founded by Prof Pam Enderby, then has been led by Prof Sue Roulstone and now by Prof Yvonne Wren. I constantly quote work from the PhD students and staff from BSLTRU. I was honoured to present their annual lecture and am enjoying my collaborative conversations during my fellowship.

Famous PhD theses from BSLTRU: including Enderby, Roulstone, Wren ...

Benjamin Meaker Distinguished Professor Invited Presentations

I will the next five weeks at the University of Bristol as the Bristol Benjamin Meaker Visiting Distinguished Professor https://www.bristol.ac.uk/international-research-development/visiting-researchers/visitors-for-202324/sharynne_mcleod/ 

During my visit to the University of Bristol I will give the following presentations in this role as :

1. Open Lecture at Southmead Hospital: Communicating with Children and Families in a Multilingual World 

https://speakingmylanguages.blogspot.com/2024/05/invited-lecture-all-children-should-be.html 

2. Departmental seminar: Speech, Language and Communication: An Overview for Dentists
Recent evidence-based techniques will enable dentists to be better equipped to work with individuals with speech, language and communication needs including those with oral structural alterations (tongue tie and cleft palate) 

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/international-research-development/diary/2024/dental-school-talk-by-professor-sharynne-mcleod.html 

https://speakingmylanguages.blogspot.com/2024/04/invited-lecture-speech-language-and.html 

3. Faculty of Health Sciences lecture: Multilingual Children’s Speech.
Aimed at students and staff in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Presentation of the benefits of multilingualism and insights from an international research program into how monolingual professionals can successfully work with multilingual children and families.

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/international-research-development/diary/2024/health-sciences-talk-by-professor-sharynne-mcleod.html 

https://speakingmylanguages.blogspot.com/2024/05/university-of-bristol-health-sciences.html