Sidonie Delaney
Sidonie decided when she was a child that she wanted to be a speech & language therapist. When Sidonie was seven, Esca, who was two years older, was diagnosed with a brain tumour, but it wasn’t the tumour that affected her speech; it was the damage done to her trachea and voice box caused by the tubes she had down her throat during her treatment. Esca had speech therapy at Great Ormond Street Hospital – often with Sidonie there with her.
Esca died when Sidonie was 11 but her career seeds had already been sewn; at 16, she wrote to Esca’s speech therapist to ask if she could be considered for work experience and after this, was set on her path to help other children in the same way Esca had been helped.
She worked hard at school, gained the A-Levels she needed to get into university and spent 4 years in Manchester studying for a degree in speech and language therapy; which included clinical placements across the medical profession.
Her first job was in Bradford as a newly qualified speech & language therapist, working for the NHS in schools and doctor’s surgery clinics. Many of the children she worked with had English as a second language – but were struggling with both their first language at home and English language at school.
After three years, she moved back down to Kent where she grew up, to work again for the NHS in Ashford, working again in clinics and schools.
It was during her seven years here that she also started her own family – and this then led to her setting up her own private clinic to be more flexible with her working hours.
She first saw patients at home, but after a while decided that a dedicated space away from home was better and the Chilham clinic was opened on April 1st 2018 to see private clients.
The clinic was opened alongside her work in schools, delivering speech and language provision.
In November 2022, a second clinic was opened in Tenterden to help families in that part of Kent.
Sidonie’s passion for her job comes with her own experience; one of her children required speech and language therapy so she knows the fight that some parents face to get the help they need, plus the frustrations felt as a parent when you can’t help your child quick enough.
Despite her being in the profession, giving your own child therapy isn’t always an easy option, so she was in a situation that many of her families come to her in – booking private therapy sessions to get ahead of NHS queues.
She also knows that the child she sees in therapy is different to the one at home – and she works with families to give them the help they need at home to bring speech therapy into everyday life – through chatting, playing, getting the toys out and avoiding sit-down, pressured home therapy sessions.
Children who come into Sidonie’s sessions will think they are toy heaven – her clinic room is full of toys – because therapy should always be fun.
Practising sounds can be enjoyed through play – without the child even noticing sometimes and it’s this method that has brought Sidonie so many success stories over the years. The more creative the better – disguising therapy as fun is the challenge!
She tunes in with the children to find out what goals they might have; singing happy birthday at a party, reading out loud, chatting to their granny and being understood – together they work to achieve what the child wants to do so that the sense of achievement is felt by them.
Sidonie loves nothing more than seeing the steps of progress in the children she works with – and when families have that moment of the worry being lifted from their shoulders having seen their child’s progress, it’s truly special to her and incredibly rewarding. The passion she has is evident from the get go!
Alongside child speech therapy, Sidonie also enjoys training professionals who work with children to be able to identify early on, potential speech and language difficulties, but also, to give them some tools to help too.
She’s worked in schools and nurseries, plus with many other professionals who work with children.
Her aim is to reach and help as many children as she can through both her schools and private client work so that children have confident communication and a bright future.
Jodie Herbert
Having always wanted to work with children, Jodie started out in the speech therapy profession straight from university and has 13 years’ experience. She works part-time within the NHS and has considerable experience working within mainstream schools, as well as specialised resource provisions. Jodie’s caseload within these provisions has included children with a diagnosis of autism and associated learning difficulties, and children with severe speech sound difficulties or Developmental Language Disorder. She also has a special interest in cleft palates.
Jodie takes a holistic approach to supporting a child. A period of ill health when her own children were small has given her an even greater awareness of the importance of working with the whole family to fully understand any other pressures going on in their lives. Parental-input is central to Jodie’s sessions and at an initial appointment, she takes the time to allow parents to open up about any concerns or worries they have, putting them at ease.
She strongly believes that a child’s whole world should be centred on play and this forms the basis of her sessions, to ensure children have an enjoyable experience. She uses various tools such as nursery rhymes, signing, books, and toys, according to their interests. Jodie focuses on helping parents to relax and enjoy supporting their child, as well as understand that language should be a two-way - and most importantly - fun interaction. She helps to grow parents’ confidence and empower them with new skills to continue practising with their child at home.
When not working, Jodie enjoys spending time at home in Ashford with her nine-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter. A self-confessed home-body, she enjoyed making the most of the extra family time during lockdown. Jodie likes to stay active and healthy and is a regular at the gym.
Nicci Gilchrist
With 5 years’ speech and language experience, and the past four years working with children, Nicci has always enjoyed helping others to thrive when it comes to mental health. After completing her psychology degree, she worked as a church youth worker. Following a Master’s in Speech & Language Therapy, Nicci initially went on to work with adult patients suffering from aphasia caused by stroke or acute brain injury. She later took a career break to have her two children and it was her experiences of being a mother to her eldest son who has autism, and her youngest, who has ADHD that altered her professional path. Experiencing first-hand the anxiety and difficulties trying to access support for children who have additional needs, she was interested in entering the paediatric sector to help children like her sons to flourish.
Nicci’s return to work involved a period of volunteering at a Chilham school, following which she was invited to stay on, and now works there part-time as an employee of Speech4Schools, our sister company.
Nicci is highly skilled at encouraging the best out of children. She relishes working with children who are reluctant to speak or have real difficulties getting their message across. She always wants children to leave her sessions feeling empowered and good about themselves, and hopeful that they have got what it takes to improve. Her sessions are all based around play and reward, and while it might appear the child is simply having a wonderful time, she is using verbal and non-verbal techniques to help identify and address any issues, while modelling simple exercises parents can use at home. Nicci always aims to make sure parents feel supported and listened to so that they also leave feeling hopeful and empowered.
Nicci lives near Chilham with her husband of 25 years and sons, Daniel, 13, and Ollie, 10. She enjoys playing tennis, reading and long walks with Bonnie, their cockapoo.
As well as working part time in Canterbury schools, Nicci is also the children’s worker for Emmanuel church, Canterbury. She thoroughly enjoys teaching Sunday school to children aged from 0-11yrs. This includes writing all the teaching resources, ensuring they are accessible for children with speech and language issues, and those with English as a second language. She also enjoys running various fun events and activities for children and families throughout the year.
Carol Atha
Since completing her Bsc (Hons) in Speech and Language Therapy in 1991, Carol has gained 32 years’ experience in the field, much of it working within the NHS with preschool and school-age children with a range of communication difficulties. She has a special interest in speech sound disorders, which is when a child has difficulty using sounds in words in an age appropriate way. She has expertise in working with children with cleft lip and palate, and has worked with the South Thames Cleft Service for around seven years.
Meeting a stranger can be scary for a child and so in Carol’s sessions, time is spent allowing them to feel comfortable, and explore and play with the toys in her room while she talks to their parent. She takes a full case history and asks questions to get a fuller picture; what were they like as a baby? When did they sit, crawl, and walk? When did they say their first word? Do they go to nursery? Of equal importance is listening to parents’ own concerns and their perspective regarding their child’s difficulties and how they affect daily life.
For very young children with language difficulties, sessions are very much child-led during non-directive play, where the non-verbal aspects of communication such as the child’s attention and eye contact are equally addressed. Parents are supported in recognising and fine-tuning the ways that they can encourage their child’s communication during a play activity at home. A team approach between therapist, parent and child, as well as consolidation of the learning at home is vital, and Carol focuses on empowering parents with the skills to continue supporting their child outside of sessions.
Originally from Leeds, Carol now lives in Ashford, and has two grown-up sons. In her spare time, she enjoys walking, music, and creating textile art using free motion embroidery, which is a way of drawing with thread and a sewing machine! For Carol, being creative is an important part of her therapy sessions; paying attention to a child’s particular interests and what motivates him or her is key to building a good rapport. It also helps them learn new and often difficult things by encouraging positive memories through novelty and fun.
Claire Chapman
Claire gained her BSc in Speech and language Therapy from the University of Reading in 2007. She has since gained 15 years’ experience of working within a mixture of roles within the NHS, where she continues to work part time. During her career Claire has worked within schools, nurseries and clinics, supporting children with severe and complex needs due to conditions such as Autistic Spectrum condition, Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, and neuro developmental delay. Most recently she works within a community team in the East Kent NHS, predominantly seeing children with language delays, social communication and interaction difficulties, and speech sound disorders and delays, carrying out assessments and supporting schools and nurseries to provide continuity of care.
The majority of children Claire sees in pre-school clinics have Autistic spectrum condition or are waiting on a potential diagnosis. Many are also ‘covid babies’; children who missed out on normal opportunities to socialise and communicate at a crucial age, due to lockdown restrictions, and so have not yet reached their potential when it comes to speech and language skills. Typically, the children she helps are non-verbal or have limited language, and much of her work with them will focus on attention and listening and early interaction skills.
Working with Speech4Kids, Claire helps children who range from completely non-verbal to those who struggle with speech sounds. An initial session will involve allowing the child to familiarise themselves with the clinic room, explore and play freely with the toys. Claire then focuses on listening to the parent or carer to fully understand their concerns, the family’s situation and anything else that is going on in their lives, all the while observing the child as they play. The aim is to identify what the child can already do, and what the parent wants to achieve.
Children learn through play, so much of the sessions concentrate on engaging the child through their likes and interests and showing parents tips and methods they can use when playing at home.
Above all, Claire aims to reassure parents. She understands the worry, anxiety, and even grief that parents feel if their child is developing or learning in a different way. She helps to empower parents, giving them the confidence and tools to help their child overcome any communication challenges they face.
With three boys of her own, aged 1, 7 and 11, Claire has a real understanding of the stresses, strains and joys of parenting. She appreciates the juggle her clients face when trying to squeeze some of the methods she teaches them into their daily lives and helps to make it as easy for them as possible, weaving them in rather than giving them something else to add to their day.
Outside of work, Claire loves spending time with her children, husband, family and friends. They also enjoy getting outdoors and spending time at the beach near their home in Whitstable as much as possible.
