Archive news

EGM - 7 January 2008
Carol Concert 2007
Parliamentary Adjournment Debate
Afasic Northern Ireland website
Afasic Appeal on Radio 4
New Communication Trust
4 Peaks Challenge Update
Young person award result
Afasic cycle challenge
Hydro Active Women's Challenge 2007
DfES Letter to Directors of Children's Services
Special Women for Special Children vigil
Nuffield SLU - new consultation
DfES investigates complaints about Surrey County Council
RBS Make It Happen charity giveaway
John Bercow MP champions SLI issues
Sir Sigmund Sternberg Award
Government response
Parliamentary hearings
Research participation
Hydro Active Women's Challenge 2006
Nuffield Speech and Language Unit: Update
Education and Skills Committee publish critical report on SEN
Job vacancy at the Communications Forum
Manchester research study
Ofsted report on SEN
Herts EA found guilty of discrimination
Early Support review of materials
London Marathon 2006
Survey - PPS and the role of SENCOs
Afasic is now registered with ebay
London Marathon sponsorship
Parents survey results
Early Support booklet
Afasic young person award result
Carol Service 2005
Annual General Meeting
New information sheets on signing
Hydro Active Women's Challenge 2005
Parliamentary enquiry into SEN
Afasic trustee highlights SLI on television
Up for a challenge?
Nuffield Foundation Research Award
Special children's day at London Zoo
London Marathon 2005
Hydro Active Women's Challenge
New Year Brain Teaser Quiz
New funding for Wales
Summer Schools 2005
Young People's Day
Afasic guide to making a Will and leaving a Legacy
Early Intervention Feasibility Study
Latest news in Wales
Afasic 2004 Parents' Survey
Flora Women's Challenge 2004
Afasic Young Persons' Event - Sat 8 May
Afasic Summer School in Barking and Dagenham
Afasic Young People's Forum
Special Children's day at London Zoo
Carol Service - 450 supporters celebrate Afasic's work
Flora Women's Run 2003
Threat of closure to specialist language units
Research competition results
New Office for Afasic Scotland
Community Legal Service Quality Mark
The changing legal framework for SEN in Scotland
New Afasic secure payments website
Promoting Positive Partnerships
Afasic Abstract
Abbey National donation
Talking Point website launch
Christmas Card Competition
Afasic wins the Lottery for children in Wales!
New office in Wales
Research competition results
New Office for Afasic Scotland
Community Legal Service Quality Mark
Special Education Needs (Information) Bill

Special Education Needs (Information) Bill

Sharon Hodgson MP is sponsoring a private members Bill 'The Special Educational Needs (Information) Bill which has its second reading on 1 February 2008.

The Bill would place a statutory duty on the Secretary of State to collect and publish information relating to outcomes for children with special educational needs.

In order for the Bill to progress through Parliament, 100 hundred MPs must be in the House of Commons on 1 February 2008 to vote.

posted January 2008 [top of page]

EGM - 7 January 2008

Notice is hereby given of an Extraordinary General Meeting of Afasic on Monday 7th January 2008, to be held at 50-52 Great Sutton Street, London EC1, commencing at 10.00am.

The purpose of the meeting is to pass a Special Resolution as follows:

That to comply with section 7 of the Charities & Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 the following amendments be made to the Memorandum and Articles of Association -

• Clause 8 of the Memorandum of Association to have the following wording added “Nothing in this constitution shall authorise an application of the property of the charity for purposes which are not charitable in accordance with section 7, Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005.”
• Clause 61 of the Articles of Association to have the following wording added “Nothing in this constitution shall authorise an application of the property of the charity for purposes which are not charitable in accordance with section 7, Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005.”

Members of the organisation can attend the meeting to vote or, if this is not possible, can return the ‘proxy’ form to nominate either the Chair of the meeting or another member to vote for them.

posted December 2007 [top of page]

Carol Concert 2007

On a very chilly, wintery evening over 150 Afasic supporters were welcomed to a carol concert at the church of St Andrew, Holborn in London with wine and mince pies. This very enjoyable and successful event celebrated the work of Afasic on the eve of its 40th anniversary. The full article will be published in our members' January newsletter.

posted December 2007 [top of page]

Parliamentary Adjournment Debate

John Bercow MP, a vice-president of Afasic, managed to secure a Parliamentary Adjournment Debate on Tuesday October 9th 2007 on the subject of speech, language and communication support in educational settings. John spoke at length during the debate, outlining some of the shortcomings of the current situation, and setting out what he hoped to achieve in his new role heading a government review of services for children with speech, language and communication needs. You can read a transcript of the debate.

posted October 2007 [top of page]

Afasic Northern Ireland website

Afasic Northern Ireland has just launched its brand new website full of news and information. Mary Wright, Director, Afasic Northern Ireland is keen to develop the site over the coming months to include participation from local school children, parents and professionals. Mary has won 3 years Lottery funding to extend her work with many exciting projects in the pipe line.

Visit the Afasic Northern Ireland website.

posted September 2007 [top of page]

Afasic Appeal on Radio 4

Afasic is very lucky to have Sir Derek Jacobi making an appeal on our behalf on Radio 4 on Sunday 30th September. This will be broadcast at 7.55am and 10.56pm, and repeated on the following Thursday at 3.27pm.

We hope that all of our friends and supporters will listen to this and also tell your friends, colleagues, and family to listen too!

This is a wonderful opportunity to spread awareness of this hidden disability and also to raise much needed income towards the costs of our unique services like the helpline.

Given that it is our 40th Anniversary next year the appeal is very timely and we hope that as many people as possible will listen to this. Radio 4 can be found at 92.4 - 94.6 FM and 198 LW. The appeal will also be available to listen to on the BBC website during the week after the appeal first goes out.

posted July 2007 [top of page]

New Communication Trust

In England, Afasic, I Can, Council for Disabled Children and the BT Better World Campaign are delighted to announce the development of a Communication Trust supported by a £900,000 grant from DfES Special Educational Needs divison.

The formation of the Trust was announced at a reception in June by the Schools Minister, Lord Adonis (pictured 2nd right) who said, “Children with a communication disability face significant obstacles in their day-to-day lives, which is why we are committed to giving them the support they need to prosper. The Communication Trust will further improve provision for these pupils, by devising, promoting and delivering training resources, programmes and services that will help teachers develop new skills and a greater understanding of communication difficulties.

The Trust’s goals are to:

• Raise the profile of communication as the key life skill for all children, with a particular focus on the challenges faced by children with a communication disability and those who need additional help to develop their communication skills
• Promote and support the delivery of effective programmes that can be shown to develop the capacity of the childrens workforce to include and support children with communication disability
• Improve efficiencies in delivery by encouraging collaboration across voluntary and community sector organisations and developing relationships with commercial and public sector bodies

There is more information on the Communication Trust website.

posted July 2007 [top of page]

4 Peaks Challenge Update

Earlier this year a team of 12 soldiers from the Royal Signals Regiment successfully took on the 4 Peaks Challenge for Afasic. In July our fundraiser Mark Thompson went to their base in Blandford Forum to be presented with a cheque for £2,003.21 that the team had raised in sponsorship.

Our thanks go to all the team and their sponsors for raising this wonderful amount, it is greatly appreciated.

posted July 2007 [top of page]

Afasic young person award result

Twenty-one year old Nazar Rubai is the latest winner of the Sir Sigmund Sternberg Award.

Nazar attended The Language Unit at Whitefields School in Walthamstow, London, later attending a mainstream secondary. He moved to Northern Ireland five years ago, where he comments 'I first encountered sectarianism'.

'Sometimes I have problems getting my message across and this can be very difficult for me' comments Nazar, 'so with this award I will be able to pay for a befriender who can help me with my communication skills, independence and personal and social skills. The award will also help me to go to Strasbourg to visit the European Parliament since I cannot use public transport'.

With the award, Nazar is also planning to buy a digital video camera to make a video diary "This is what life is like" in order to help integrate young people with special needs.

We congratulate Nazar on gaining the 2006 Sir Sigmund Sternberg Award.

posted June 2007 [top of page]

Afasic Cycle Challenge 2007 - Mouth to Mouth and Coast to Coast

At 10am on the morning of Sunday 17th June the first ever Afasic sponsored bike ride started in front of the pier at Great Yarmouth on the Norfolk coast. The brave riders faced a total of 350 miles that took them through the heart of England and into the mountains of North Wales and finished on the harbour front at Barmouth on Saturday 23rd June.

The team has raised around £16,000 for Afasic from their efforts and we all congratulate and thank them.

Mark Thompson has written a diary of the cycle ride and we have a gallery of photos from the cycle challenge.

posted June 2007 [top of page]

Hydro Active Women's Challenge 2007

Please join our team for this popular and fun event on Sunday 16th September 2007 that is taking place in Hyde Park in London, central Birmingham and Liverpool. It is a 3-mile (5 kilometre) fun run for females of all ages. You can run or walk - it is up to you.

We really want to get a team of over 30 for this years run so please do consider joining us for this fun event. It's a great day out, you get a bit fitter, and we get a bit of much needed cash, so everyone's a winner! We cover the entry fee, provide a top for the day and all finishers get a medal and goody bag - all we ask is that you raise a minimum of £50 in sponsorship for Afasic.

For an entry form please contact Mark Thompson by email or phone him on 020 7490 9410. Entries should be sent to us by 30th June to ensure that you get a place. We need your support!

posted April 2007 [top of page]

DfES Letter to Directors of Children's Services

Chris Wells, the Head of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Division at the DfES has recently written to all Directors of Children's Services in England (who run LEAs) to point out a number of recent changes to the law on SEN. These include:

• a requirement for the SENCO to be a teacher and part of the school's senior leadership team, though the letter does concede that aspects of the SENCO's role might be delegated to other members of staff
• a requirement for all new SENCOs to go on a nationally accredited training course
• statements of children transferring from infants' to a separate junior school must be amended by February 15th in the year of transfer (applies from February 2008)
• statements of children moving from one LEA to another must be transferred within 15 days of the old 'LEA' being informed of the move
• there are also changes to the time limits within which LEAs must comply with SENDIST orders

The letter in full is available to read.

posted March 2007 [top of page]

Special Women for Special Children All Night Vigil

The vigil in front of Parliament Square will take place on March 8th 5.00 pm - March 9th 7am. Anyone who would like to is invited to participate in this vigil. You are welcome to stay for the whole event or just pop along for 10 minutes.

For more information about the vigil and its organisers please see the press release.

posted March 2007 [top of page]

Nuffield SLU - new consultation

The Secretary of State for Health has rejected the consultation carried out by the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust on the future of the Nuffield SLU.

The situation at present is that NHS London has directed Ealing PCT to carry out another consultation. This is due to start probably at the end of February.

If you would like to take part in the consultation, please email Jo Cooke-Kitson urgently with your address and ask to be put on the mailing list.

posted January 2007 [top of page]

DfES investigates complaints about Surrey County Council

The Department for Education & Skills (DFES) has recently written to Surrey County Council in response to a number of complaints it has received from parents' of children with special educational needs (SEN). Surrey County Council's policy for funding SEN has changed, leading to complaints the council has:

1. a blanket policy relating to criteria to carry out a statutory assessment and,
2. a blanket policy of never quantifying special educational provision in children's statements.

posted January 2007 [top of page]

RBS Make It Happen charity giveaway

The Royal Bank of Scotland and the Daily Mail have teamed up to give £1 million to children's charities.

£1 million will be donated to UK registered children's charities throughout the country. For Afasic to be considered in the scheme we would ask our supporters to collect 5 tokens from the Daily Mail until 10 December. We appreciate that this may not be everyone's regular newspaper but Afasic may be selected to win £10,000 if we have enough people collecting the tokens and nominating us as their chosen charity.

Full details are in the Daily Mail so please start collecting the tokens today!

posted December 2006 [top of page]

John Bercow MP champions SLI issues

John Bercow MP has been recently raising speech and language impairment issues in government debates. Mr Bercow is a father of a three year old boy who has been diagnosed as suffering from severe verbal dyspraxia.

Linda Lascelles, Afasic's chief executive, is working with Mr Bercow to highlight the difficulties some parents are experiencing with speech and language provision for their children.

Here are some links to the relevant debates provided by Hansard on 26 October and 28 November. We also have a version of the 28 November debate complete with photographs of the participants (Word document).

posted December 2006 [top of page]

Second year for Sir Sigmund Sternberg Award

Sir Sigmund Sternberg, Afasic Vice-President, is once more funding an award of £1,000 to help a young person with a speech and language impairment fulfil their potential through participation in an activity which will:

• Enhance life skills
  
• Enable participation in active citizenship
  
• Increase skills or creativity
  

The award will not be made to meet or contribute towards the costs of:

• Fees or maintenance support for attendance at school, college or university for which statutory arrangements are made
  
• Equipment

Who can apply?
Young people between the ages of 16-25 who have a speech and language impairment and who are members of Afasic.

How to apply?

• Write a maximum of 300 words on why you feel you should get the award and what you would do with the money.
  
• Include your name, address and daytime telephone number.
  
• Send applications to: Afasic, Sternberg Award, 2nd Floor, 50-52 Great Sutton Street, London EC1V 0DJ.
  
• Closing date for applications: Friday 1st December 2006

All applications will be considered by a panel and it is hoped that the award will be announced in the next issue of Afasic News.

posted November 2006 [top of page]

Government Response to the Select Committee report on SEN

In their lengthy response to the report, the government promises some improvements in the training of teachers and SENCOs. Otherwise, it offers little tangible action and seems to assume that existing initiatives will bring about gradual progress.

Read the report from the Stationery Office's website.

posted November 2006 [top of page]

Parliamentary hearings on services for disabled children

The parliamentary hearings on services for disabled children, convened by the Treasury and DfES, have published their report. Afasic submitted evidence to the hearings and are quoted in the report.

Read the full report (247kb pdf file)

posted October 2006 [top of page]

An interesting opportunity to participate in research

As Clinical Researchers at Guy's Hospital we are looking for families where one or more children aged 6-16 has a persistent speech and/or language impairment to take part in a project looking for the genes associated with such developmental problems. Families will be seen in London where possible so living in the South of England will help! Oxford Wellcome genetics laboratory are involved in the genetics analysis part of the research.

If you are interested, please contact either Gillian Baird, Vicky Slonims or Katharina Dworzynski at the address below or Email: Katharina.Dworzynski@iop.kcl.ac.uk and we will send information.

GUY'S HOSPITAL, Newcomen Centre, St Thomas' Street, LONDON SE1 9RT
Tel: 020 7378 3229

posted September 2006 [top of page]

Hydro Active Women's Challenge 2006

On Sunday 3rd September Afasic had a team of 23 women and girls of all ages take part in this annual 5 kilometre (3 mile) fun run. All but one of these were in London, so well done to our lonely runner in Birmingham, Joanne Turner, hopefully next year we'll have a few more there to keep you company!

This year the weather was overcast and breezy, making for much better running conditions than in the past couple of years. The queues for the toilets were as long as ever though, with one of our ladies queuing for about 40 minutes!

Following a suggestion last year a number of our runners had dressed up as schoolgirls and they reported that they got a lot more cheers and support as a result. One runner made a (very) brief appearance on the TV highlights as she crossed the line (well done Anne del Greco) and one of our "fancy dress" runners had the announcer calling out congratulations to the first "St Trinians runner" home (well done Lynn McMenemy).

Everyone seemed to enjoy the event and the unique atmosphere that getting over 20,000 women together generates!

A very big thank you to all those who took part for Afasic, we hope to have raised over £3,000 from your efforts (which would be a record) and, for a relatively small charity like Afasic this is very much appreciated.

If you would like to join in the fun next year then just contact Mark Thompson at central office. The event takes place on the first Sunday in September each year and will be in London, Birmingham and Liverpool.

posted September 2006 [top of page]

Nuffield Speech and Language Unit: Update

The Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust began a consultation in April over its proposal to close the Nuffield Speech and Language Unit. Parents and other interested parties have been campaigning very hard to save the unit ever since as well as attending public meetings as part of the consultation process.

posted July 2006 [top of page]

The Education and Skills Committee publish highly critical report on SEN

Following its recent inquiry into the SEN system in England, the House of Commons Education and Skills Select Committee published its report on July 6th 2006. It finds many faults with the current system and makes a number of recommendations for improvement.

The report can be accessed from the House of Commons website.

posted July 2006 [top of page]

Job vacancy at the Communications Forum

This is a part-time vacancy at the Communications Forum, an umbrella body and registered charity.

posted August 2006 [top of page]

Manchester research study

Some children with speech and language problems are referred for therapy earlier than others. A research study at the University of Manchester is trying to find out why that is.

The team will be talking to parents about their experiences of referral to a speech and language therapist.

If you live in the Manchester area and would like more information about the research, or would like to take part, please contact Dr Anne Rannard at the University of Manchester on: 0161 275 7958 or email anne.rannard@manchester.ac.uk.

posted August 2006 [top of page]

Ofsted Report on SEN

Ofsted's recent report entitled "Inclusion: does it matter where pupils are taught" has now been published. It looks at SEN provision and highlights a number of recommendations.

Read the full story.

posted July 2006 [top of page]

Hertfordshire Education Authority found guilty of discrimination

The government has been urged to consider changing disability discrimination rules judged unfair to children under the age of nine. Hertfordshire Education Authority has been found guilty of discriminating against a six-year-old.

Read the full story from the BBC website.

posted June 2006 [top of page]

Early Support review of materials - have your say

• Early Support Family file
• Information for parents booklets (on various disabilities)
• Background information file (from the blue box, booklets about 'the system')
• Early Support Service audit tool

You can send comments online or post a message. The opportunity to comment runs to 21 July. Visit the Early Support website for more information.

posted June 2006 [top of page]

London Marathon 2006

This year we had five brave runners take part in the London Marathon and are very pleased to report that they all managed to cross the finish line and get their well-deserved medal, some have even rather foolishly said that they would do it again.

The weather on the day was almost perfect for running - overcast, mild, a light drizzle with no wind and, as always, the crowds turned out in their thousands to cheer the runners every step of the way.

Our thanks go to Stephen Horton, Ann McGovern, Michelle Palmer (pictured above), Zoe Welch, and of course to our fundraiser Mark Thompson (pictured right) for all their efforts on behalf of Afasic, it is very much appreciated.

We hope that in total our runners will have raised over £10,000 towards the vital work of Afasic from this years Marathon.

Thank you very much to everyone that sponsored Mark and the other runners, it really is very much appreciated and makes their hard work in training and the day itself all that more worthwhile.

posted May 2006 [top of page]

Survey - PPS and the role of SENCOs

Following a recent meeting that Afasic has had, in England, with the Minister responsible for SEN at the DfES we are conducting a very brief survey to canvass views of the Parent Partneship Services and the role of SENCOs.

Thank you to everyone who made a contribution to the online survey which closed on Thursday 11 May.

Thank you for your help.

posted April 2006 [top of page]

Afasic is now registered with eBay

There is a new and unique way that you can support Afasic.

Now you can sell an item on eBay and donate from 10% (min. £5) to 100% of the final sale price to help us in our work with children and young people affected by the hidden disability of speech, language and communication impairments.

Clean out that closet, garage or loft - you can sell practically anything on eBay and donate a percentage of your net proceeds to Afasic. Even better, you can agree to "Gift Aid" being collected on the amount of the donation, and eBay will match your percentage donation by donating this percentage of their final fee on the item being sold.

Full details of how to donate and and sell on ebay are detailed in our "individual supporters" section of how you can help.

posted March 2006 [top of page]

London Marathon sponsorship

Afasic fundraiser, Mark Thompson, has agreed to put his (ageing) body and (creaking) knees on the line again for Afasic and is running the Flora London Marathon on Sunday 23rd April 2006. Please make his efforts worthwhile by sponsoring him via our secure website (or sending us a cheque).

Mark aims to raise £5,000 - please help him achieve this target.

posted March 2006 [top of page]

Parents survey results

Thank you to everyone who filled out the various sections of the recent parents survey. There were a fair few questions to answer so we appreciate the time taken to supply the information and provide comments.

The results have given us a better idea of the differing experiences of many parents across the country. We will use the information to help inform our work during the next few years.

Please click of the links below to view the results to the multi-choice questions.

survey 0 to 3 years
survey 3 to 5 years
survey 4 to 7 years
survey 7 to 11 years
survey 11 to 16 years
survey 16 plus years

[top of page]

Early Support Booklet

The Early Support Booklet for Parents on speech and language difficulties is now available from the Early Support website (ref ESPP14).

It is published in both PDF format and hardcopy, the printed version being available, free of charge:

• if you live or work in England and
• are the parent of a child with speech and language difficulties under 3 years, or
• a professional working with such families

For printed copies please contact:
DFES Publications PO Box 5050 Sherwood Park Annesley Nottingham NG15 0DJ Tel: 0845 602 2260 email: dfes@prolog.uk.com

[top of page]

Afasic young person award result top

We are delighted to announce that the winner of the first annual Sir Sigmund Sternberg Award is Abigail Beverly. "Abby" is 22 and currently in her final year at Central St. Martins College of Art, studying for a degree in textile design.

Abby, who has worked as a volunteer since the age of 16 at the Afasic Youth Project in Redbridge, has a speech and language disorder and intends to use the award to mount an exhibition of her work which "portrays the feeling that I get when I come up against words, illustrating how words can become a barrier to communication" creating images "with understanding."

Our congratulations go to Abby.

Carol Service 2005 top

A Carol Service was held on the 8th December at the Guild Church of St Andrew, in Holborn, London to celebrate the work of Afasic.

From the amount of applause during the evening and the time it took people to leave at the end, everyone who attended had a very enjoyable time and appreciated the mixture of carols, music, readings and songs.

Our thanks go to the Brighton & Hove Youth String Ensemble and the Brighton Singers, conducted by Andrew Sherwood, and the signing choir from St Mary's School in East Sussex for providing the entertainment. Our thanks also go to Helen Yates from Moor House school, who read the poem "Words" by Brian Patten, and to Damian Quinn who gave a very moving account of what it is like to live with a speech and language impairment - read Damian's account here (pdf file).

We are also grateful to our readers for the evening, Karen Middleton from the Department of Health and Hannah Candlin from Speechley Bircham solicitors (who also bravely made an impromptu appearance with the musicians), as well as our President Sir Peter Baldwin who gave the final address.

Last, but definitely not least, we must say a big thank you to all at St Andrew for hosting the event and their support throughout, to Colin Midlane for leading the service so well, and to Christopher Butler and Speechley Bircham for their financial support that made the whole event possible. It was a great event and from the feedback we have received people are looking forward to the next one !

View a selection of photos from the night in the gallery.

Annual General Meeting top

Afasic's Annual General Meeting will take place on Saturday 12 November 2005 at 10.00am at the Voluntary Resource Centre, Holloway Road, London N7 6PA.

All Afasic members can attend the AGM meeting starting at 10.00am. Any non-members are very welcome to attend the talk by Dr Gillian Baird on Assessment and Diagnosis of Children with Speech, Language and Communications impairments. A questions and answers session will follow. The talk will start at 10.30am and should last around an hour.

Please let us know if you would like to attend by phoning the office on 020 7490 9410 or by emailing info@afasic.org.uk. We look forward to seeing you there.

New information sheets about signing top

Afasic now has information sheets about 3 different methods of signing which can be of help to some children with speech and language impairments.

Thanks goes to Makakton, Paget Gorman and Signalong for providing the information. The sheets can be downloaded free from our publications section or ordered on our secure site for 50p per sheet.

Hydro Active Women's Challenge 2005 top

We had a team of 22 ladies of all ages take part this year in the 5 kilometre (3 mile) fun run in London and Birmingham.

It was a hot day as the sun beat down to make the event a bit more difficult for those taking part. But there is always a great atmosphere at this event which helped to ensure that all our ladies reached the finish to receive a medal and goody bag, followed by a much deserved sit down in the shade and a spot of lunch.

A very big thank you to all those who took part for Afasic, we hope to have raised over £2,000 from your efforts and this is very much appreciated. If you would like to join in the fun next year then just contact Mark Thompson at central office. The event takes place on the first Sunday in September each year and will be in London, Birmingham and Liverpool.

Parliamentary enquiry into SEN top

We have just found out about a parliamentary enquiry into special educational needs.

This is your chance to express your concerns for example about the level of speech and language therapy, OT, or physio your child is receiving, or whether the teaching and support staff are sufficiently well trained to meet your child's SEN. Individuals and organisations can make submissions to the Committee by letter or by email.

Full details and guidance can be found on the parliament uk site.

SEN has had a lot of coverage in the news lately. This is your chance to express your views at the highest level - the deadline for submissions is October 3rd .

Afasic trustee highlights SLI on television top

Caron Atwood one of Afasic's trustees will be featured with her family on a new BBC programme 'Holidays at Home' presented by Nikki Chapman. Caron, her husband and 3 children (one of whom has a SLI) spend 3 days at Inverness and 3 days in their home area exploring the local attractions.

This programme highlights the difficulties families with children with speech and language impairments experience especially in the planning and participating in activities that the whole family can enjoy together.

The programme can be seen on BBC1 on 17 October at 7pm.

Up for a challenge? top

Afasic is seeking keen volunteers who are willing to take on an adventure challenge and raise much needed sponsorship money for Afasic. We have full colour brochures detailing all the worldwide challenges available, just email Mark Thompson and he will send you a copy. We have had people climb Kilimanjaro and walk the Great Wall of China - why not give it a go?!

Nuffield Foundation Research Awards top

The Nuffield Foundation intends to support one or two research-based intervention studies aimed at improving policy and/or professional practice in the field of specific speech and language difficulties.

Outline proposals are now invited from interdisciplinary teams which combine research and professional expertise and which can demonstrate in their proposal a contribution to building research capacity.

Awards will be for two or three years’ duration, up to a value of £250,000 each. Further particulars are available here.
The closing date for outlines is 19th July 2005.

Special children's day at London Zoo top

The Education Department at London Zoo is organising this annual event on Saturday 11 June for children with disabilities and impairments. The special day will include a programme of events, highlights include:

• new walk-through squirrel monkey exhibit


• new walk-through aviary of colourful African birds


• Komodo Dragon


• Animals in Action - live animal display


• British Sign Language Interpretation - all talks and displays are interpreted

A reduced admission price will be offered ONLY for pre-booked tickets

For full details, booking forms and ticket prices, please contact Fiona Smyth in the Education Department on 020 7449 6551.

London Marathon 2005 top

This year we had our biggest ever team of runners in this event, nine in total. The sun shone down, the crowds cheered and all of our brave runners made it to the finish line to get their 25th Anniversary medal, some with more difficulty than others! Finishing times ranged from 3 hours 50 minutes to just over 6 hours. In total we hope to have raised over £10,000 in sponsorship from this years event and this is greatly appreciated by all of us at Afasic.

Our sincere thanks go to Huw Austin, Will Barraclough, William Burtt, Andy Henderson, Martin Neville, Neil Powell, Nick Riches, Rowena Walton, and Mark Whitton for all their efforts on our behalf on the day, in the months of training, and in raising much needed sponsorship for us. Congratulations also to Graham Webb who was running for our North Surrey group. If you are keen to run the London Marathon and raise money for Afasic in 2006 then please contact Mark Thompson at central office for further information.

Hydro Active Women's Challenge top

Join the Afasic team for the Hydro Active Women's Challenge (previously the Flora Women's Challenge). Application forms are now available for this popular event, which has had a change of sponsor this year.

The event is a 3-mile (5 kilometre) fun run for females of all ages with three venues at Hyde Park in London, central Birmingham and Liverpool. The date this year is Sunday 4th September. Please consider joining our team for this fun event; it's a good day out, you get a bit fitter, and we get some much needed sponsorship money so everyone's a winner! We cover the entry fee, provide a top for the day and all finishers get a medal and goody bag - all we ask is that you raise a minimum of £50 in sponsorship for Afasic.

You can either contact Mark Thompson at central office for an entry form or click here for a form and send it in to him. Places go very fast so entries should be sent to us by 30th June at the very latest to ensure that you get a place - last year some people missed out as they sent their forms in late so do try to get in early. We need your support!

New Year Brain Teaser Quiz top

Why not have a go at our new quiz - it's £3 per entry with a top prize of £40. Just fill in the entry form with the fee before Monday 21 Feburary. Good luck!

New funding for wales top

The Welsh Assembly Government has agreed to a grant totalling £210,500 over a period of three years that will enable us to continue and develop our work across Wales. Further funding has also been agreed for the production of publications in English and Welsh that will be distributed across the country, including the transaltion of the popular Youth information Pack into Welsh.

Summer Schools 2005 top

We have been successful in attracting funding for our summer schools programme for children who are about to move from primary to secondary school, and will be able to run at least six of these non-residential weeks this year.

We are very grateful to the Hilton in the Community Foundation, the Ajahma Charitable Trust, the Garfield Weston Foundation, and the Albert Hunt Trust for their support for this innovative project. More details about locations will be available in the near future.

Young People's Day top

After the successes of recent events, we are running another young people's event in Cambridge on Saturday 29 January 2005. The day is aimed at the 11-18 year old age group with games, music and a variety of activites.
If you are interested, you can get more information about the day, and to reserve a place fill in the booking forms.

The new Afasic guide to making a Will and leaving a Legacy top

Afasic has just produced a new leaflet on how to go about making a Will and leaving a legacy. By taking a little time to draw up a Will now you can make sure that those you want to benefit from your estate actually do so, you have control to say who should get what in very clear terms.
This becomes more important once you have children or other dependents and even more so when those we leave behind may need some form of ongoing care, help or special provision. To ensure that your wishes are carried out it is advisable to have this drawn up by a solicitor who will make sure that it is legally correct, giving you and your family increased peace of mind.
For a free copy, contact Mark Thompson at central office on 020 7490 9410, or email markt@afasic.org.uk. You can also download a copy in PDF format.

E-forum launched to inform the centre for early intervention feasibility study top

Mencap is leading on a feasibility study to set up a national centre for early intervention. This has been commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills. As part of the study, a discussion forum has now been launched at www.earlyintervention.org.uk . We need to hear your views about how the centre will carry out it's functions. To join in the discussion and get a password, email password@earlyintervention.org.uk

Latest News in Wales top

Afasic Cymru now has its own website full of information about Wales. Read of the latest news here.

Afasic 2004 Parents' Survey top

The parents' survey is now published. The survey is an online multi-choice questionnaire and should take minimal time to complete. It is critical that as many parents as possible complete the survey so that we can lobby Government for necessary change.
Further details are available here.

Flora Women's Challenge 2004 top

Join our team for this annual event, get fit, have some fun and raise some money for Afasic ! Last year we had 25 runners take part who raised over £3,000 between them. This year we'd really like to top that and hope that you will be able to help. The date this year is Sunday 5th September and there will again be two venues, Hyde Park in London and central Birmingham. This is a 3-mile (5 kilometre) fun run for females of all ages with an expected entry of 25,000 in London and 7,500 in Birmingham.
Please do consider joining our team for this fun event. We cover the entry fee, provide a top for the day and all finishers get a medal and goody bag - all we ask is that you raise £50 in sponsorship for Afasic. Please contact Mark Thompson at central office for an entry form (020 7490 9410) or email markt@afasic.org.uk. Entries should be sent to us by 30th June to ensure you get a place. We need your support!

Afasic Young Person's Event - Sat 8 May top

This is a follow up to the event held in November 2003. Everyone who attended that event had a good time and asked that we run another. It does not matter if you were unable to come in November. You will be made very welcome if you can come.
The event will be held at the Islington District Scout Centre, Holloway Road, London. We are expecting 20 young people from around the country to come to the event. To enjoy the day it is important that you like being with other young people like yourself, and are happy to spend the day without your parents. The age range will be from 14-25. For parts of the day we may split into 2 groups. 14-17 year olds and 18-25 year olds.
When everyone has had some refreshments there will be an opportunity for us to get to know you, everyone to get to know each other and play a few games. This will be followed by, based on feedback from the first event, opportunities to participate in a number of challenges and discussions, which are aimed at tackling concerns that young people face in their lives. The day is intended to be SERIOUS FUN. There will be opportunities during the day to play pool, table tennis, indoor football and basketball. There will be music to listen to if you like.
The event will start with registration between 9.30 - 10am and will end at about 3.45 pm.
If you are interested, please contact us and we will forward some more information to you and a booking form. The day is free and places are limited. Bookings close on the 3rd May.

Afasic Summer School in Barking and Dagenham top

Afasic is pleased to offer a Summer School during July for children with speech and language impairments who are facing the move from primary to secondary school in the borough of Barking and Dagenham this summer.

The week will be run by a local speech and language therapist and will aim to make them better equipped to face the challenges of the secondary environment. This will be a non-residential week, with dates still to be confirmed but it will run during the school summer holidays.

The week is likely to include sessions on homework, bullying and how to deal with it, asking for help, making and keeping friends, using public transport, understanding school rules and improving listening and talking skills. The week ends with a trip out that the participants help to organise.

This has been made possible with funding received from the Alex Roberts-Miller Foundation and we are extremely grateful to the Trustees for their support.

We are also looking to run similar courses in Newham and Tower Hamlets where the model for the summer school format has been successfully piloted in previous years.
For more information please contact our development office for North East London, Clare Davies-Jones at her email address or watch our website.

Afasic Young People's Forum top

Afasic's new young people's forum has just been launched at www.afasic.org.uk/ypforum and gives young people the opportunity to communciate with each other on various topics.

The message board is aimed at the 14 to 25 age group with registered users gaining access to a host of fun features. Full instructions on how to use the message board are available by clicking Help on the forum pages.

Special children's day at London Zoo top

The Education Department at London Zoo is organising this annual event on 12 June for children with disabilities and impairments. The special day will include a programme of events including multi-sensory sessions with some animals, face-painting, crafts and entertainment. A reduced admission price will be offered for prebooked tickets

For full details, booking forms and ticket prices, please contact Laura Geary, Event Co-ordinator on 020 7449 6551.

Carol Service top

A carol service was held on Tuesday 9 December 2003 at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the founding of Afasic.

It was wonderful to see the church packed with so many Afasic friends, old and new. The event took place in the presence of the Afasic patron HRH The Duchess of Gloucester GCVO, who kind read the first lesson.

Eamonn Holmes of GMTV read the second lesson, whilst Kelly White gave a moving presentation of her life with a speech and language disorder. At the end of the service Sir Peter Baldwin KCB, Afasic President, reviewed the impact of Afasic's work over the last 35 years.

Thanks go to the Brighton Youth Orchestra and Choir, conducted by Andrew Sherwood, together with the wonderful singing choir from St Mary's School, Bexhill. Grateful thanks are extended to the three anonymous donors who covered the cost of the event with special thanks to our patron HRH The Duchess of Gloucester GCVO and to St Martin-in-the-Fields, especially the Reverend Liz Russell for hosting the event.

And last, but certainly not least, a big "thank you" to Chris, Mark and Anna who worked so hard to make this event happen.

Flora Women's Run 2003 top

Well done to all our runners in the Flora Women's Run 2003. We had our biggest ever entry for this event this year, with 24 in London and 5 in Birmingham. The runners included our very own Chief Executive Linda Lascelles, (pictured below) who finished the course despite carrying an injury, so well done Linda!

The sun shone, the crowds cheered, and everyone enjoyed the atmosphere of the day. In Birmingham one of our runners got very keen and was seen on the TV highlights right at the front on the start line, and she managed to finish in a personal best time.

We also had our youngest participant in Birmingham, young Rosalie Carter was only a few months old, but then she did get to be pushed round by mum!

Well done to all our runners, thank you all for your efforts on our behalf and for raising an estimated £2,000 in sponsorship for us - we hope you will want to join our team next year !

Threat of closure to specialist language units top

Afasic has been receiving reports about threats of closure to specialist language units within schools. In order for us to build a fuller picture about this worrying trend, we would ask parents to let us know about any possible cuts to LEA services in their local area.

Afasic will collate the information received and make a representation to the Department for Education and Skills. Please send any information to info@afasic.org.uk

Legal framework for SEN in Scotland top

The Scottish Executive is currently consulting on the Draft Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill which is intended to abolish the Record of Needs and introduce a new system for identifying and addressing the needs of children who have learning difficulties.

The draft Bill introduces new duties on education authorities to take account of the Additional Support Needs necessary to enable a child to benefit from education and, in addition, to open and maintain a Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP) for children whose needs arise from long-term or complex factors.

The Bill also proposes new duties on Health Boards and Trusts as wells as other local authority services such as Social Work, to help identify and support children with additional support needs for learning.

Full details and the draft Bill can be viewed on the Scottish Executive website. Consultation closes on March 28.

If you have comments, or want to explore any concerns you have, please contact our Director in Scotland, Ann Auchterlonie, preferably by email to: afasicscotland@btopenworld.com.

New Afasic secure payments website top

Afasic has introduced a new site for the secure online payment of donations, membership subscriptions and publication orders. It's fast, simple and secure. So if you prefer paying online then visit the site.

Promoting Positive Partnerships top

Afasic Scotland has been awarded another grant under the Scottish Executive's SEN Innovation Grant Scheme.

The grant will fund a new project, Promoting Positive Partnerships. In collaboration with three Education Authorities in East Ayrshire, East Dumbartonshire and Dundee, the project will offer training initiatives bringing parents and professionals together to focus on local issues in special educational needs and encourage parent participation. Funding will also be made available to the Afasic Local groups in Edinburgh, Fife and Glasgow to lead initiatives in their areas. Contact Afasic Scotland on 01382 666560 for more details

Afasic Abstract top

The latest issue of Afasic's research-into-practice newsletter, the Afasic Abstract, has just been published. Click here to view the Afasic Abstract online.

Abbey National donation top

Afasic has been awarded £1,550 by The Abbey National Charitable Trust. Abbey National's donation will be used to fund a leaflet to publicise Afasic's helpline service. The leaflet will help parents to be aware of their legal rights concerning speech and language issues and help them in getting the right support.

Talking Point website launch top

Afasic, I CAN and The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists have joined together to develop and launch a new website - www.talkingpoint.org.uk - with the support of BT and Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales.

The website was launched on 2 June and provides vital, quick and accessible information and support on the needs of children with speech and language difficulties, plus details of organisations and professionals who can help.

Christmas Card Competition top

We know it's barely summer but we're looking for a Christmas card design that you think will sell well for us. The competition is open to all (members and non-members) with cash prizes from two categories. The closing date is Friday 4 July 2003.

Afasic wins the Lottery for children in Wales! top

There was a massive boost for children and young people with speech and language difficulties in Wales, with the news that Afasic has been awarded a grant of nearly £300,000 by the Wales Office of the National Lottery Community Fund. According to Afasic's UK Directory of Development Tony Curtis, "This award is going to make a huge difference to our ability to support children with speech and language difficulties in Wales - we're looking forward to pressing ahead with this exciting project".

The award will enable Afasic to establish an office and three members of staff in Wales for the next three years. The Afasic Wales office will organise training workshops, oversee translation of Afasic's publications into Welsh, and produce an information pack to be sent to every school in Wales. Afasic will also be working to secure appropriate speech and language therapy and educational provision for children across the nation.

New office in Wales top

The new Afasic Wales office, funded by the Welsh Community Fund, has recently appointed Clare Moyle as director. An office base in Cardiff has now been secured and recruitment for a part-time administrative officer and a part-time development officer is now underway.

The next few months are going to be extremely exciting for Afasic in Wales. Clare Moyle is planning to issue a quarterly 'mini' newsletter to all Welsh Afasic members to keep them up to date with events and issues specific to Wales.

Clare can be contacted at the following address:

Clare Moyle
Director Afasic Cymru
1st Floor
The Exchange Building
Mount Stuart Square
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff CF10 5EB

Tel: 02920 465854
Fax: 02920 465861
Email: Clareafasic@aol.com/jeannetteafasic@aol.com

Research competition results top

The competition, funded by Penny and Jeremy Toyne-Bridges, was won by Victoria Joffe of City University, London.

The project will look to pilot and develop an intervention package targeting the understanding and use of narratives (storytelling) with adolescents with speech and language impairments. The outcomes of the project will be published on completion.

New Office for Afasic Scotland top

Afasic Scotland has now moved to its new office in Dundee. The contact details for Ann Auchterlonie and her team are as follows:
Afasic Scotland
Gemini Crescent
Dundee Technology Park
Dundee DD2 1TY

Tel: 01382 561891
Email: afasicscotland@btopenworld.com

Community Legal Service Quality Mark top

Afasic has been awarded the Community Legal Service Quality Mark for giving clear legal information on speech and language issues affecting young people.

The Quality Mark was developed to help people gain trust in the legal system and is awarded only to organisations that pass regular quality checks carried out by the Legal Services Commission.

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Registered charity no. 1045617
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