Louisa Jane
Bio
British.
Paediatric speech and language therpaist.
Art enthusiast.
Amateur-dramatics amateur.
Francophile.
Traveller.
People person.
Of the general happy-go-lucky sort :)
Stories (17/0)
Times Disney Made Me Really Think
The films of Disney and Pixar are the foundations of many childhoods around the world, especially mine. Beautifully imagined and carefully written, they are able to capture imaginations and immerce children into magical worlds and instil the belief that anything is possible. Though they also manage to have deeper meanings to us now as adults and make us think; 'Wow, the feels!'
By Louisa Janeabout a year ago in Geeks
Just Call Me a Master of Science
Last week, on the Thursday 23rd September 2020, was significant for me. It was the day I'd dreaded and dare to dream for. The day I found out that I had, not only passed my master’s degree, but earned myself a merit. Cue the fanfare, people.
By Louisa Jane4 years ago in Motivation
"The Care Aims Model": A Speech Therapist's Approach to Swallowing Difficulties (dysphagia) after Stroke
Dysphagia is a common morbidity in the event of stroke (Cohen et al, 2016; González-Fernández et al., 2014; SIGN, 2010; Teasell et al., 2018) and while most cases resolve within the first fortnight (Cohen et al, 2016; Groher and Crary, 2016; González-Fernández et al., 2014; Langdon, Jardine and Cichero, 2013), persisting dysphagia can significantly impact the patient’s quality of life and increase chances of developing other more serious infections (Langdon, Jardine and Cichero, 2013; Martino et al., 2005; SIGN, 2014). The Care Aims model (Malcomess, 2005) provides clinicians with a structure to guide their practice and details of individual roles can be systematically adapted to each care aim. Through the hypothetical case of 'John', this essay will attempt to examine the role of the speech and language therapist (SLT) in dysphagia management against elements of this model.
By Louisa Jane4 years ago in Longevity
How Speech Impediments Impact Children's Learning
The discipline of speech therapy is often an overlooked and relatively unknown aspect of healthcare. Working with all ages from youth to adulthood, speech therapy specialises in the evaluation and treatment of communication and swallowing disorders, and its absence can dramatically impinge upon a person's life chances. Equipped with a personal connection with the subject, for the purpose of this essay I will be focusing on the aspect of speech impediments and how drastically they can impact a child's development and how it is managed within education. Contrasting with Chomsky's theory that everyone is born with a language acquisition device (L.A.D.) and that humans are built to learn language, it poses questions towards people with speech impediments and inquires if their L.A.D.'s are broken or are they even issued with one to being with.
By Louisa Jane4 years ago in Longevity
An Open Letter to Anyone Struggling to Cope with COVID-19
I'll start by saying I'm sorry for how this is affecting you. Wherever you are, whenever you're from, the outbreak of COVID-19 has completely shook all our worlds and this is a scary and uncertain time we are facing. At this moment we are becoming a part of history. We've been fortunate in our lives to only ever read about crisises such as this, and we've been lucky to know that in the stories we've read, it all came to an end at some point. We're not quite there yet in our story here and now and we don't know when we might go back to neutralisation, but we are getting there slowly.
By Louisa Jane4 years ago in Longevity
"I Only Eat Yellow Things"
Most kids are fussy with food at some point or another in their childhoods. I always tried to pretend that's what I was; "fussy". Except I took it to the extremes and would barely touch anything that didn't have a concrete certificate of approval, and even then the conditions had to be just right. My mum and dad were always brilliant and exotic eaters so it wasn't like I wasn't exposed to a vast culinary choice. I just could not bring myself to try new things, no matter how hard and tirelessly my parents tried. They took me to doctors and kept me off school to try and crack the problem. They tried being nice, they tried being harsh, shouting, pleading, every single trick in the book and beyond, but nothing anyone said could ever sway me to even hold new foods, let only taste them. I couldn't explain it, it just felt wrong. The very idea of putting anything new in my mouth overwhelmed me, like I might die. I truly would have rather gone hungry than just give something a go.
By Louisa Jane4 years ago in Psyche
Purgatory
I've never been the sharing type. Not openly to people anyway, not unless they blatantly ask. It's not my style to be so bold. (See previous post on bottling up emotions :'D ) I like to write. Put pen to paper and get my thoughts out on the table for me to finally make sense of. In the absence of real privacy, I like to tap away at my laptop's keys and vent. I can save and change things then, and come back to them when I can think of a way to say what I mean. I don't like to delete and rewrite stuff I've already saved though, then I feel like I'm betraying the feelings I had in those moments. They were raw and real, and needed saying.
By Louisa Jane5 years ago in Families
The Book of Wisdom
I've started writing a book. Well, not a real book. More like a Word document that I add to now and then. It's based on an idea I've had for ages now. I want to make something that I can give to my children, maybe on their eleventh, or twelve birthday, as a little Life Bible.
By Louisa Jane5 years ago in Families
Creative Approaches to the Curriculum
There are many methods within schools today that work to further facilitate pupil progress and maintain engagement and the motivation to learn. Though it has come far from the traditional schoolrooms of desks and chalkboards, the execution of education is an ever changing concept, with new ideas constantly being put forward and tested in attempt to improve its functionality and success. One of these being the process of experiential learning; the concept of learning through experience. However the debate of how education should be run is often in conflict as traditional ways clash with modern ideas and poses the question; "Does creativity flourish better in an informal classroom where children are responsible for much of their own work and for initiating a great deal of what goes on, or is it at its best in a more formal, structured context?" (Fontana, 1991)
By Louisa Jane5 years ago in Education
The Words I Was Never Brave Enough to Say
I think we've all gone through a time where we've written out a message to a person we've loved after they've hurt us. A message that depicts all our deepest and darkest vulnerabilities, and says all the things that we couldn't say to their face. Why couldn't we? Who really knows. Didn't want to hurt them? Felt helpless? Like it wouldn't make a difference anyway? Who can say. For me in this particular instance, I guess I didn't really know how I felt about the whole situation until long after the window of opportunity to say anything was gone. I was eighteen and had met a guy who had completely swept me off my feet. Nothing hurts like your first love, right?
By Louisa Jane5 years ago in Humans
