News Archive

Celebrating 30 years of Clinical Language Sciences at Reading – University of Reading

A reception is taking place at the University on Tuesday 27 June to mark the highly successful move of Clinical Linguistics to the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, and 30 years of research and teaching activities in the field of communication disorders in children and adults. The event will be attended by Professor Gordon Marshall, Vice-Chancellor of the University, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Dianne Berry and health professionals and academics. Staff will be present to talk about their teaching and research and there will be tours of the clinical premises. There are approximately three million children and adults in the UK with communication disorders. Speech and language problems are associated with a number of conditions including stroke, head injuries, Parkinson's disease, cleft palate, hearing impairment, autism, learning difficulties and certain cancers. They also occur in otherwise normally developing young children. However, there is a national shortage of speech and language therapists, the professionals who work to help those with communication problems. The University of Reading has been engaged in research and teaching in the area of communication disorders for over 30 years. Speech and language therapy teaching was developed in the Department of Linguistics as an undergraduate degree in 1975 following a government report on the profession chaired by Professor Quirk. The degree programme was designed by Professor Crystal (a linguist) in collaboration with Professor Renata Whurr, a speech and language therapist (SLT), local SLT practitioners and medical consultants at the nearby Royal Berkshire Hospital. This close, integrated relationship between medical consultants, academics and speech and language therapists has continued over the past 30 years, earning the University international recognition in both teaching and research. The new premises in the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences include a suite of rooms which are shared with the local SLT services, a new arrangement that further integrates clinical and academic teaching. End For media enquiries, please contact Craig Hillsley, University press officer. T: 0118 378 7388 E: c.hillsley@rdg.ac.uk