Welcome to the first of three planned ultrasound 'dabble days' for speech and language therapists.

This event is running at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) on Tuesday 19th September 2023 10.00-16.00hrs BST. Subsequent events will be running:

- Wednesday 22nd November 2023: Sandwell Hospital, Birmingham

- January 2024 (exact date TBC): Leeds and/or Newcastle

These events will be advertised in due course.

The 'dabble days' have been set-up to enable speech and language therapists (SLTs) in the UK an opportunity to learn and explore the applications of ultrasound across the profession. The day is focused on providing practical experience rather than theoretical teaching. The training faculty include:

Jodi Allen: Clinical specialist speech & language therapist (SLT) and NIHR-clinical doctoral research fellow based at University College London and The National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery. Jodi chairs the international SLT ultrasound group and is using muscle ultrasound to explore changes in swallowing muscle size and structure in people living with neuromuscular disease.

Dr Joanne Cleland: Reader in speech and language therapy at the University of Strathclyde. Joanne has an interest in clinical phonetics and articulatory analysis using ultrasound tongue imaging. Her expertise lie in visual biofeedback techniques for the assessment and treatment of motor speech disorders.

Claire Slinger: Consultant speech and language therapist based at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust working in the field of upper airway dysfunction. Claire has a specific interest in the application of ultrasound to evaluate upper airway and laryngeal function. She is currently exploring the use of laryngeal ultrasound to visualise the vocal folds during breathing to evaluate altered patterns.

Dr Joan Ma: Senior Lecturer in speech and language therapy at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. Joan leads the Swallow Vision project (www.swallow-vision.com) which aims to develop UltraSound Evaluation of Swallowing (USES) as a new clinical assessment for swallowing.

This is a non-profit training event where delegates have been charged enough to cover only the costs of the training faculty travel and accommodation. For this reason, please do bring along - or be prepared to purchase - your own lunch and refreshments.

To allow as many SLTs from different specialisms to attend as possible, we kindly ask that only one SLT per team or department signs up to the event.

Important information: This course will not lead to an accreditation or competency in SLT-led ultrasound.

An ultrasound 'dabble day' for speech and language therapists