Summary
Overview
Work history
Education
Skills
Certification
Timeline
Generic
Yvonne Barlow

Yvonne Barlow

Alcester,Warwickshire

Summary

A highly experienced Speech and Language Therapist with 25 years of experience working in the NHS, specialising in working with children with a wide range of complex needs. Demonstrates excellent communication skills, both spoken and written. Adept at delivering training packages and managing group dynamics. Extensive expertise in report writing, including EHCNA reports for the EHCP assessment process and tailoring written content for diverse audiences. Proven ability to read, collate, and summarise complex medical information. A collaborative team member with a history of liaising effectively in multidisciplinary settings to achieve optimal outcomes for children.

Overview

25
25
years of professional experience
4
4
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification

Work history

Freelance trainer for TACPAC

Self employed
Alcester, Warwickshire
06.2023 - Current
  • Deliver training courses online and face to face for TACPAC for groups of around 20 delegates. TACPAC is a sensory communication intervention suitable for people with a range of needs, including significant communication difficulties and sensory processing differences.
  • Create blogs for TACPAC on related subjects, for example, sensory processing, neurodiversity, gestalt language processing.
  • Develop new training materials in collaboration with colleagues.
  • Attend conferences to promote TACPAC.

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust
Nuneaton, Warwickshire
11.2000 - Current

July 2011 - current - Highly Specialist Band 7 role as Children's Speech and Language Therapist for Complex Needs 0-3. This involves:

  • Assessment of the communication skills and dysphagia needs of children with a range of complex needs, including cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, sensory impairment.
  • Co-producing SMART targets with families and/or Nurseries to develop the children's communication skills.
  • Devising mealtime plans for dysphagia which reduce the child's risk of aspiration and also aim to develop eating and drinking skills.
  • Liaison and attendance at meetings with the multidisciplinary team that is often involved with children with complex needs to ensure the best possible care.
  • Providing training to families and education settings on topics such as creating communication friendly environments, Makaton signing and dysphagia awareness.
  • Liaison with and providing a second opinion to colleagues within Speech and Language Therapy around children with a complex medical presentation.


September 2008 -July 2011:


Highly specialist role as Team Leader for Speech and Language Therapy Team at a Specialist School for children with a range of disabilities, including visual impairment, physical disabilities and learning disabilities.


Highly Specialist role as AAC (Alternative and Augmentative Communication) lead across the Speech and Language Therapy Team in South Warwickshire.


November 2000-July 2011:


Had various roles including working in a specialist Nursery provision, a specialist school for children with learning disabilities and autism, mainstream schools and mainstream Nurseries as well as clinic settings.




Education

2:1 BaHons in English Literature and Linguistics. - Arts

York University
York
10.1995 - 06.1998

MMedSci in Clinical Communication Studies - Clinical communication

Sheffield University
Sheffield
09.1998 - 06.2000

Skills

  • Excellent communication skills, both spoken and written:

-25 years experience working as a Speech and Language Therapist, communicating with a wide range of different people and learning to adapt communication as needed

-Experience with communicating difficult messages and dealing with potentially challenging situations

- 20 years experience delivering training packages related to communication to groups of delegates and managing the group dynamic

- Extensive experience in report writing, for example, EHCNA reports to contribute to the EHCP assessment process

- Experience in writing blogs and tailoring them according to the target audience


  • Extensive experience in working with children with additional needs in the community:

- 25 years experience of working as a Children's Speech and Language Therapist in the community

- Extensive experience of the needs of children and young people with communication and dysphagia needs and their therapeutic requirements from a young age right through to the teenage years

-Experience working with children with a broad range of needs, including children with cerebral palsy and acquired brain injury


  • Excellent attention to detail

- Often required to write detailed reports, for example, EHCNA reports to contribute to the EHCP process This requires careful proof reading and concise and accurate written information


  • Ability to read, collate and summarise complex information, relating to the child's medical and therapeutic needs

- Extensive experience in reading medical reports relating to children with complex needs and understanding their significance with regards to the child's prognosis and potential progression with therapy


  • Effective team member


- 25 years experience of working in the NHS, attending multidisciplinary meetings and liaising with other professionals in order to achieve the best outcomes for the child

-More recently, experience working in a small business as a member of the TACPAC training team - promoting new ideas to potentially grow the business





Certification

Licensed Makaton Regional Tutor - Sept, 2006.

Post graduate dysphagia training - 2007.

TACPAC training - 2023

Symbol UK training in Supporting Children with Down Syndrome - Sept 2023-May 2024.

Training in Gestalt Language Processing - Feb, 2025.

Timeline

Freelance trainer for TACPAC

Self employed
06.2023 - Current

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust
11.2000 - Current

MMedSci in Clinical Communication Studies - Clinical communication

Sheffield University
09.1998 - 06.2000

2:1 BaHons in English Literature and Linguistics. - Arts

York University
10.1995 - 06.1998
Yvonne Barlow