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A short time ago I received a request to review a book. To begin with I was a little taken aback by the request because the subject is speech and language therapy. This is only very loosely part of my job and is hardly my specialist subject. Fair enough I teach children with special needs, many of whom have communication difficulties so I know a little bit. I also know my way around most AAC technology used to support those without a voice. I’m also reasonably good at making visual aids for communication to support my instructions and help those with speech challenges. I’m trained in PECS too, but actual speech and language therapy I know very little. By the time I had thought all this through in my head I decided I might actually be a good person to look at the book. After all, it could only be good for me and for my personal development. There is also the fact that having just written a book myself I know how much effort goes into writing one. I wanted to support the team who had written this book. Press here for link to my book.

The book is called ‘A Parent’s Guide to the Speech Therapy process’ and it is written by Helen Coleman and Elizabeth Gunner (from Speechbloguk). The team are on Twitter and they tweet as @Speechbloguk. This is what I found.

*Written in an easy to read style so parents aren’t wading through terminology at a time when they may already be worried.

*Masses of useful advice eg. how to fill in forms, time scales for waiting times etc.

*What to expect and when for speech development.

*Very reassuring read, not patronising. Allays parental fears.

*If you do have a problem there is advice.

*Pictures to break up text which makes it appealing to read after a hard day.

*Clear explanations.

*Good advice re what to expect from schools.

*Some overlaps with teaching so valuable to teachers (as I suspected) eg. makaton, symbols.

*Use of real life examples, always useful.

*Terminology clearly explained.

*Top tips section. Very useful. I learnt a great deal from this section.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I’m pleased I took the time to read and review it. It has given me a greater understanding of the complex world of speech and language therapy that I simply didn’t have. I recommend it to parents, teachers, speech and language therapists and anyone who has an interest in language development. It was an honour to read the book. Thank you to the ladies for giving me an advanced opportunity.

For further information see Speechbloguk.