Bryony Longmaid
SaLT
BSc (Hons) Speech and Language Therapy
Hello, my name is Bryony. I studied as an undergraduate at City University London and qualified in July 2016. I have worked across a range of settings, including mainstream primary and secondary schools, specialist provisions for children with autism spectrum conditions, and at our Kids First clinic. I am particularly interested in working with children in Early Years settings on their speech, language and communication, as I truly believe that early intervention is key. I am happy to welcome parents and teachers into my sessions, as generalisation of skills mastered in therapy sessions can ensure progress is achieved much more quickly. Within the Words First team I am a clinical supervisor; my role is to guide other therapists to reflect on, and develop, their clinical practice skills. I am also part of the team that provides training to school staff on how to use our phonological awareness programme Sound Smart. Additionally, I am part of the team involved in preparing our new starter SaLTs to feel confident delivering assessments and learn all about our library of Words First resources. Words First has provided me with such a fantastic opportunity to see each of my clients through their entire speech and language journey, from initial observation and assessment planning, to planning and delivering intervention, and then discharge. This has truly let me grow as a therapist and understand the importance of the SaLT’s role. As a creative person, I also enjoy having the time to plan my sessions and create individualised resources for my clients, while still having access to some of Words First’s amazing company resources. A book that has probably had the biggest impact on my life is The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. Not only is it full of beautiful drawings and descriptions, but the rhythm and rhyme make for a wonderful read. Plus, there is an amazing example of inference used as the major plot point, and talking to children about this is great fun.
