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Over the past three years Afasic has piloted a number of unique and innovative projects in various parts of the country that work directly with children and young people affected by speech, language and communication impairments, as well as increasing the skills and knowledge of those providing services for them. These projects have proved to be very successful and we now wish to establish three regional posts to roll this work out more widely across England. The officers would also act as regional points of contact for the organisation, raise awareness in their region, support parents and develop links with the appropriate agencies and services with a view to improving levels of provision for those affected by this disability.
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As well as having a general remit to raise awareness and provide support within their area, each regional officer would be responsible for promoting three specific projects which have been successfully piloted. This will enable many more children and young people can benefit from them. These include: - Afasic Summer School courses, for children facing the move from primary to secondary school. This move can be difficult for any child, but for those with speech and language impairments it is particularly challenging. These week long courses aim to help the children attending to improve their organisational skills, social skills, prepare them for the differences in the secondary environment, and give them various strategies for dealing with things like being bullied and asking for help. - Activity days for young people aged 11-18 that enable them to mix with their peers in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere and take part in a range of activities including games, physical activities, art and craft sessions etc. Specialist facilitators are used to ensure that all participants become fully involved with the activities and discussions on offer. The days help them to develop their social skills and self esteem, reduce their social isolation, and allow them an opportunity to express themselves in a group setting. These young people are often excluded from similar activities in mainstream settings due to their problems with communication. - Afasic has piloted a training pack called ‘Watch Your Language’, which involves training youth and leisure service providers to increase their skills and knowledge so that more young people affected by this disability can access their provisions and so help reduce their social isolation. Afasic has also produced an information pack for secondary schools and the development officers would also be promoting this wherever possible to help increase the skills and knowledge of teachers and learning assistants.