Our Founder and Director, Amanda, started Words First Ltd in 2009 out of a desire to bridge the gap between spoken and written language in schools. She was tired of her pupils being seen by a Speech and Language Therapist AND a literacy specialist when it was clear that they were both working on LANGUAGE! Amanda’s belief is that when you’re reading, you’re reading LANGUAGE and when you’re writing you don’t just need to form letters, you need to form sentences (i.e. LANGUAGE!). 

You may have noticed that in her own bio on this website, our Founder and Director states that she doesn’t enjoy reading at all. She has never really ‘got lost in a book’ and certainly would never read to relax…After completing her 2nd Master’s in Education and attempting to understand why she didn’t like reading (so that she could help children to find the joy in reading she never could), Amanda found a huge gap in her professional fields (Speech and Language Therapist and Dyslexia Specialist). 

The field of Speech and Language Therapy stops short of supporting children with reading and spelling and the literacy field builds on a solid language foundation… but WHO is connecting the dots between these two vital areas? That’s where Words First was born. The space between spoken and written language… in that space is an emerging field of research that is concerned with naming speed and reading fluency / comprehension.

A relentless pursuit to understand naming speed and language processing, to create better approaches, better materials, more appropriate resources has led to Words First being one of the most well-respected and sought after companies for schools and therapists alike. 

Over time, the Words First Approach has been refined and shared with hundreds of Speech and Language Therapists, teachers and TAs across London. The Words First Approach is now a continuum that includes ‘traditional’ SaLT and is responsive to the needs of each school and child. In the 22/23 academic year her focus was on building a Multi-Disciplinary service with an inter-disciplinary approach. In the 23/24 academic year, Words First will be a team of 120 professionals from SaLT, OT, Ed Psych, Counselling and Play Therapy all working towards the gold standard of inter-disciplinary practise. 

Amanda is incredibly proud of everything this little company has achieved since its inception in 2009 and cannot wait to see how many more children, families and schools we can reach. 

When I started Words First, I did so to make a positive difference to children experiencing spoken AND written language difficulties in mainstream and special schools around where I lived in South London. I had no idea that 15 years later, Words First would be made up of 80 Speech and Language Therapists (all trained in the Words First Approach to linking literacy and language), 21 Occupational Therapists, 3 Educational Psychologists, a Play Therapist and counsellor supporting 250 schools in London. My hope is that Words First continues to reach the children and young people who need us. I am incredibly proud to work alongside outstanding professionals who make a positive impact on schools and children’ lives. 

Amanda Davis – Founder and Director of Words First Ltd