Louise works as an Inclusion Consultant supporting children and school staff across several different local authorities. She is also part of the Speech and Language Service at Cadmus Inclusive, part of the Cadmus Family of Schools. She is passionate about all things communication and has specialist skills in Neurodiversity Informed Practice and play based approaches.
Louise is also a qualified teacher and has over 17 years of teaching experience in mainstream schools. Louise specialises in the Early Years and was a Leader for over a decade in a primary school where children had a range of communication differences. Louise is also a Specialist Leader of Education and has worked with underperforming schools in both Walsall and Dudley, developing their Early Years provision and promoting high standards of teaching and learning.
Louise is passionate about raising outcomes for children, particularly those who have communication difficulties. Louise now strives to empower others by sharing knowledge and expertise in meeting the needs of every individual child.
A note from me to parents/carers
The first thing that I would like to say to parents who are worried about their child’s language development is that you know your child best and if your instinct is that there is something not quite typical about their language development then seek support. I had my concerns dismissed by doctors and was clearly labelled as an anxious parent. I chose to then seek support through my daughter’s nursery who made a speech and language referral to the NHS for me. Please note that you do not have to wait for an NHS referral as there are plenty of private practicing Speech and Language Therapists that are practicing in your area with very short waiting lists.
Actually receiving a diagnosis for my daughter was met with mixed feelings of both relief in finally understanding her challenges and the validation of my concerns alongside worry and concern for her future knowing that DLD is a life-long condition. By receiving the label of DLD it has allowed me to understand her developmental differences. It has also been a revelation for both myself and other members of my family who are now discovering within ourselves reasons for things that we have found and continue to find difficult. The label DLD has also been helpful for her to be understood in her primary school setting and to receive the supports that she needs there.
Finally I wanted to talk about talking! I was originally reluctant to engage in conversations with my daughter about DLD as I feared that she might become upset at the thought of being somehow ‘different’ to others. What I actually found was that by talking about things that she finds difficult and sharing some of my own difficulties, it has opened a dialogue between us which allows us to discuss strategies and things that work and don’t work for both of us. I now feel in a position that I know more clearly what she finds difficult and can therefore find ways of supporting her both today and ongoing into the future as she enters secondary school.
