Tech and Toys Are Therapeutic

Becca Burr (left) and Speech and Language Therapy Assistant Gemma Cowley, with the iPads and some of the many toys. Two iPads were included in the Friends’ £2,523 grant to Children’s Speech and Language Therapy, located in the hospital’s South Block. Putting the case for the pads, Becca Burr, Professional Lead for the department, said, “Technology has become a really important part of our job, as people now communicate via computers, internet, Skype etc. “We support children and families in therapy sessions, and iPads are vital for supporting children with a stammer. “Our work takes us to schools, pre-schools, family centres, homes and children’s hospital wards. “High-tech computers help support communication, language acquisition, cognitive processes, and drilling of strategies etc. The grant was also for a wide range of toys which, Becca explained, helped with speech, attention, and listening skills, and encouraged motor and auditory processing skills, problem solving and narrative thinking. The department comprises 12 people, including 10 therapists and therapist assistants, some of them part-time.