I qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist in 2004 from De Montfort University Leicester. I then spent 18 years working in Mid-Essex within a wide variety of clinical settings including Speech and Language Units, Community Clinics and Specialist Schools. Following my ADOS training in 2010, I began to work within the diagnostic clinics and developed my interest in working with Neurodiverse children and young people. Subsequent training has largely focused on this topic and I have completed additional training in PACT, PECS, Attention Autism, BOSA, Intensive Interaction as well as other courses relating to more general communication and speech therapy. During the Pandemic, I was redeployed with the Integrated Care Team alongside the District Nurses, dressing leg ulcers and pressure sores, confirming to me that I was definitely not built for nursing!

I started work with ESNEFT in April 2022 and am now part of the team assessing children and young people on the ASD pathway, seeing them for ADOS assessments, observing them in school and carrying out clinic based assessments to gather information about their communication and interaction.

I am passionate about the impact early intervention can make, not only to the child but to their family and would like to be able to develop my role in supporting and empowering families along their individual journeys.

I have been working in the NHS for 12 years having graduated from the University of East Anglia in 2010. I started my career working with babies and pre-schoolers within a Prevention and Early Intervention team. Since then I have worked to support children and young people with a range of communication difficulties helping their parents, carers, mainstream and special educational settings to support them to achieve their full communicative potential. I have also worked with babies, children and young people with feeding and swallowing difficulties.

I have always had a special interest in Autism and am happy to now be working within the Community Paediatrics Team in ESNEFT supporting assessment and diagnosis of autism. I enjoy visiting schools to carry out observations and meeting children and families for clinic appointments and ADOS assessments to contribute to their overall multi-disciplinary assessment.

I continue to have a passion for Early Intervention and I am keen to support the development of services in this area in order to be able to support children and families in their autism journey. I have post graduate training in Intensive Interaction, PECS, Attention Autism as well as ADOS and ADIR.

I qualified as a Speech and Language therapist in 2008. Since that time, I have enjoyed working in a variety of roles across both health and education sectors; including community clinics, mainstream and specialist schools, adult rehabilitation, and acute inpatient settings. I have experience of working with children and adults with a range of developmental and acquired neurological conditions; providing assessment and therapy. I have completed a range of post graduate training, including PECS, Attention Autism, Intensive Interaction and Lego Therapy.

I joined the trust in 2018 and since that time have continued to provide assessment and therapy for complex communication difficulties and expanded my expertise to include assessment and management of acquired swallowing difficulties (dysphagia).

I am now looking forward to joining the community paediatrics team in October 2022 to support children and young people on their ASD diagnostic journey, through working with the multi-disciplinary team to provide assessment, classroom observations and clinic appointments. I am passionate about identifying areas of strength and need and supporting individuals to reach their potential.