Speech and language therapists have been celebrating the 75th anniversary of their professional body, the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT).

The Isle of Man service started in the 1960s when Valmai Kenyon, the island’s first speech and language therapist, arrived from England and stayed for seven years, later returning in the 1970s to recommence her role.

Peel-based independent speech and language therapist Rebekah Traynor said: ’As a young speech therapist, I met with Valmai and talked about her experiences which included walking or cycling to all her appointments carrying her toys in her bag.

’She was mainly working with children at the beginning.

’There was not as much equipment in those days, in the early stages of speech and language therapy.

’Often they (the therapists) just had their bag of toys really, for when it came to interacting with children.

strength

’The Isle of Man service has grown from strength to strength and now has three teams within the Department of Health working with adults and children, in addition to independent practitioners.

She added: ’When people hear the word speech and language therapy they often think of the film "The King;s Speech" which is a real story of Lionel Logue, an Australian speech and language therapist, working with King George VI who had a stammer.

’This is only one aspect of the profession. Some of the lesser known aspects include assessing and managing swallowing impairments and supporting individuals who have difficulty eating and drinking.

’This is a relatively new aspect.

’Speech and language therapists were first recognised in this area of work in 1986.

’Within adults, this has become the majority of the caseload we hold.

’As a profession we are continually developing into new areas of work recognising that communication impacts on all aspects of life from a newborn through to adulthood.’

She added: ’Within my career I have been inspired by many clients who have overcome many challenges to achieve their goal.

’One was a person with motor neuron disease who told their life story using an ipad and voice output system to a room full of health professionals, emphasising the importance of our profession in providing ideas to break down barriers that communication impairment can cause’

Kim Wheeler, the current team lead for the children’s speech therapy service on the island, who lives in Glen Vine, talked about how she was inspired to take up the profession.

She said: ’When I was working at Barclays in Birmingham 30 years ago I volunteered to attend a sign language course for the deaf (to potentially communicate with deaf customers).

career

’Through that I visited a deaf and blind school in Birmingham - and realised that I was in the wrong career!

’I researched speech and language therapy and thought ’’this is for me’’.

’I shadowed Maureen Redmayne who was the (Isle of Man) adult speech and language therapist at that time (the 2000s) and the rest was history!’

From just over 200 members in 1945, the RCSLT has grown to the most recent figure of 17,422 members.

There are 14 speech and language therapists active in the island, including private practice as well as those who work in the health service. Mrs Traynor added: ’As a group we split between several services which cover the island population.

’As a small number we cover a large amount of services, including all schools and nurseries, community visits and outpatient clinics, both Noble’s Hospital and Ramsey Cottage Hospital in-patient units and all the learning disability units on the Isle of Man.’

Speech and language therapists are required to have a three- or four-year degree, plus additional postgraduate qualifications to specialise in certain areas, such as the treatment of swallowing.

Mrs Traynor said that she would love to hear from anyone with any stories about their experience of speech and language therapy, who can contact: info@traynorspeechtherapy