Hira completed the BSc Speech and Language Therapy course at Manchester in 2022. Here, she tells us about how the course helped prepare her for a role as a paediatric speech and language therapist.
My journey into speech and language therapy
I completed a week of work experience in a specialist high school provision when I was in Year 12. During this week, I met a range of professionals working in the high school, including speech and language therapists, and found out about the amazing work they do in supporting children to communicate.
I remember a child with autism who used buttons to communicate – he pressed a button which said ‘good morning’ during the class register, and his smile when another child said ‘good morning’ back to him was so heart-warming. I could see how rewarding being a Speech and Language Therapist was.
It was moments like these in various volunteer roles that inspired me to look into the profession. I was surprised by how varied the degree course content was and, after speaking to students who were studying speech and language therapy at the time, I realised this was a profession I wanted to be a part of.
Studying speech and language therapy
At university, I had lots of opportunities to develop my skillset and put the theory into practice. Clinical simulations on mock hospital wards provided opportunities to practise assessments and develop our communication skills, like giving appropriate advice in a professional and concise manner.
The range of placements I had allowed me to use a variety of assessments and therapies and work with clinical populations I had limited experience working with, such as patients on mental health wards.
One of my placements involved working in primary schools, which supported me to develop my communication skills, writing notes and reports in a timely manner and discussing a child’s progress with the wider team – skills I now use every day.
Entering the world of work
I started working as a paediatric speech and language therapist shortly after graduating. I currently work in clinics, delivering therapy, and I work in schools, regularly assessing and reviewing children’s targets.
My caseload is really varied, which means I’m always developing and improving my skillset. For example, I work with children with speech sound difficulties, language disorder, hearing impairments, children who stammer and children with cleft lip and palates.
The therapies I deliver vary depending on the child’s needs. However, in clinic, I’m always trying new games and activities to incorporate into therapy. I’m often jumping around or running across the clinic room with the children!
Delivering therapy in clinic also allows me to work closely with parents and caregivers, helping them to support their child’s development at home with speech and language activities.
Within schools, I liaise with school staff and create speech and language therapy programmes for staff to implement. I regularly visit seven schools around the city, so I have gotten to know the staff and children well.
I use assessments designed for SLTs to measure a child’s progress and identify their needs. For example, I will assess a child’s understanding of language and their ability to follow long instructions. If a child struggles with this, they may have difficulties completing school work and participating in lessons.
My degree helped develop my understanding of the principles of assessing speech, language and communication needs, and providing therapies. This included comparing and evaluating different approaches to ensure the therapy I delivered was the most appropriate for that person. I continue to frequently refer back to research discussed during the degree.
A rewarding role
The most rewarding aspect of the job is seeing children make progress over time and achieve their targets. And I enjoy sharing this progress with the child’s family and school staff!
It’s important to acknowledge how key adults in a child’s life have supported the child to make progress. It’s lovely to see parents’ reactions when you share that their child has reached a target, or that they are making really positive progress towards a target they were previously struggling with.
I also enjoy working in a large team and meeting therapists with a range of specialities who can share their experiences and knowledge. I am always developing my understanding of the different approaches to therapies and ways of working with children with a variety of needs.
Learn more about studying speech and language therapy at Manchester.
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