That Speech Lady: About Me

Lauren Wright, Children's Speech and Language Therapist

I was inspired to train as a speech and language therapist due to my parents who both had experiences of accessing speech and language therapy. My father had a very severe stammer and my mother has a diagnosis of Multiple
  Sclerosis.

In 2009 I graduated with a Bachelor of Science Honours in Speech and Language Therapy at Birmingham City
  University. I have worked in Hertfordshire, Surrey and Sussex and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with children,
  young people and their families. My career has mainly involved working with children however I have some experience working with adults in a post 16 setting and supporting an adult youth group in a voluntary role. In addition to
services for children, I am beginning to offer services working with adults who stammer and working with adults who
  have a mild-moderate learning disability.

I feel honoured to have worked in the National Health Service (NHS) for 8 years before venturing into independent practice. I have met many wonderful colleagues, people and families along the way. I love empowering families and seeing positive changes in the people I work with.

During my career I have worked with Gareth Gates hosting a Stammer School for primary aged children. I have been interviewed by Tino De Silva at Business Radio and interviewed by Lara McNaste at Radio Woking.

More Information about me...

As a speech and language therapist , I have extensive experience of working with children and young people aged 2-17 years old.

I have always worked in primary and secondary schools, however I also have worked a range of other settings including:

Community clinics
Nurseries and preschools
Schools for students with special needs
Specialist Centres and Units including a Speech and Language Centre, Visual Impairment Centre, Pupil Referral Unit and Post 16 Centre.

Specialist Areas

Stammering
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)

Stammering:
Throughout my career I have developed specialist skills and knowledge in the area of stammering.

Formal training I have received:

Working with Children who Stammer, Michael Palin Centre
Palin Parent Child Interaction (Palin PCI)
Primary School Children Who Stammer: Realising Their Potential, Michael Palin Centre
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Michael Palin Centre
The Lidcombe Program, Trainers Consortium

Other experience and skills:

Throughout my career I have worked with children and young people who stammer in both NHS and Independent Practices.
In 2020 I attended a Resiliency Promotion Workshop by Reaching In Reaching Out.
In 2018 I worked with Gareth Gates in Gareth Gates' Stammer School. I designed and ran workshops for primary aged children who stammer.
In 2017 I attended the Oxford Dysfluency Conference (a three day event).
I have experience running, leading and managing a Stammering Service in the NHS.

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD):
Another specialist area of mine is working with children who have Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). This is a common yet hidden condition that affects approximately 2 children in every classroom. Below is a video clip I created with a student for DLD Awareness Day in 2019 as part of my Associate work with ClarkSLT. I'd like to give a big thank you to Becky Clark who has been a huge inspiration for her work and commitment in raising awareness of DLD.

DLD is when a child or adult has difficulties understanding or using language.

I am currently an ambassador for the RADLD Campaign (RADLD stands for Raising Awareness of Developmental Language Disorder). In 2019 I auditioned for BBC's New Voice and used my time to talk about Developmental Language Disorder (DLD).

Every therapist has unique skills, experiences and training. It is important that you find the right therapist for you and your family. I'd love to hear from you so please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Fun Fact...

My late cat Bailey features in some of my free speech and language videos - try and see if you can spot her!
She continues to have her own YouTube channel called 'That Bailey Cat' which has clips of her memorable and funny
moments!

That Speech Lady: About Me​

That Speech Lady: About Me