The Cleft Collective Cohort Studies investigate the biological and environmental causes of cleft lip and/or palate, the best treatments for cleft and the impact of cleft on those affected and their families. With the help of every cleft team in the UK, children and their families are being recruited into the studies. Families are asked to contribute biological samples (such as saliva) and complete a number of questionnaires at important time points during their child’s development. This information can be used by researchers including clinicians to answer important questions about the causes and treatments for cleft lip and/or palate and the well-being of children and adults born with a cleft and their families There are three cohorts; the birth cohort, the five-year cohort, the antenatal cohort and the Speech and Language study (CC-SL) which is a nested study within the main birth cohort and hosted by the BSLTRU. The CC-SL study is collecting data on a range of potential risk factors for speech outcomes in children born with cleft palate including parent-child interaction, infant vocalisations, the audio environment, SLT assessments at 24 and 36 months and hearing assessment data.  To find out more about the main study visit the home page www.bristol.ac.uk/cleft-collective/ or read more here.

 

The aim of the CC SL study is to create a resource for the study of the early speech and language development of children born with cleft palate.

 

Why is this important?

Although clefts are generally repaired within the first year of life in the UK, and some affected children develop typical speech patterns, there is evidence that more than 50% of children born with a cleft palate require SLT intervention at some point.  A review of speech outcomes from the Cleft Speech Audit Group found that 19% of 5-year-olds and 4% of 12-year-olds were judged to be impossible to understand or only just intelligible to strangers.

How can I get involved?

If you want to know more about the study, you could talk to your local cleft center speech and language therapy team if you are based in the UK, or you can contact Dr Yvonne Wren, principal investigator for the CCSL study yvonne.wren@bristol.ac.uk

More detail can be found in the downloadable PDF below.

Find out about how recruitment is progressing, dissemination of findings and other bits and pieces about the speech study:

• November 2022 - 
  BSLTRU_CCSL_Nov_2022.pdf137.83 KB
• August 2022 - 
  BSLTRU_CCSL_Aug_2022 final.pdf108.75 KB

 

The Unspoken Voices research project is part of Katherine Broomfield’s NIHR/HEE funded Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship (2017-2022) and is being undertaken with Manchester Metropolitan University. This project is concerned with people who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) because they cannot speak clearly, or cannot speak at all.  AAC refers to a set of strategies such as pointing to pictures, words or letters as well as the use of special equipment that can speak out messages entered into or stored within it.

The aim of this research project is to understand more about people’s experience of using AAC to communicate to inform the development of clinical tool that will evaluate AAC interventions from the perspective of the patient. Such tools are called patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). Kath has completed a systematic literature review of PROMs currently used in AAC, and a narrative review of qualitative literature about the experiences of people who use AAC to communicate. She has conducted over 40 interviews with people who have communication difficulties to understand more about their expectations and experience of AAC to understand what outcomes are important to them. Kath is due to complete her PhD by the end of 2022, but which time she will have identified the content for a PROM.

Kath is working with an expert group of people who use AAC in the delivery of this project and has developed expertise in supporting patient and public involvement creatively to enable the involvement of hard to engage with groups in research. She has published information about the creative methods she has used and co-edited a book with contributions from colleagues at BSLTRU.

Kath is writing a blog to increase awareness of this project.  The idea is to voice thoughts and ideas that are raised over the duration of the work.  If you are interested in reading more than the link to the blog is unspokenvoicesproject.wordpress.com

Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit (BSLTRU)

North Bristol NHS Trust
Pines and Steps
Southmead Hospital
Westbury-on-Trym
Bristol
BS10 5NB

Telephone: 0117 414 3951

Email: dominika.kruszynska@nbt.nhs.uk  and  yvonne.wren@bristol.ac.uk

As a research unit we do not have direct clinical contact with patients.

If you are enquiring about speech and language therapy for yourself or a member of your family you will need to contact your local speech and language therapy service.
The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) website has details of how to find your nearest NHS speech and language therapy department.
Alternatively, for independent (private) speech and language therapy, search the Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice (ASLTIP) website to find a local independent therapist.

We would love to hear from you if you are:

• A practitioner/commissioner interested in joining us as a co-applicant on a research grant proposal
• A member of the public interested in joining our patient group to meet, advise and shape our research ideas and projects
• An experienced or specialist clinician/researcher interested in leading a masterclass or workshop session at a BSLTRU organised Continuing Professional Development (CPD) event for allied health professionals, practitioners and academics

Aphasia Hope Foundation - A non-profit foundation that has a two-fold mission: (1) to promote research into the prevention and cure of aphasia and (2) to ensure that all survivors of aphasia and their caregivers are aware of and have access to the best possible treatments available http://aphasiahope.wpengine.com/

Aphasia Software Finder - This site enables people to specify their area of language difficulty and immediately be given a list of available relevant treatment software programs. Detailed information is then provided regarding each program, enabling an informed choice to be made. https://www.aphasiasoftwarefinder.org/

Association of Speech & Language Therapists In Independent Practice (ASLTIP) - provides information and a contact point for members of the public searching for a private Speech and Language Therapists. http://www.helpwithtalking.com/

British Aphasiology Society (BAS) - A national interest group formed to foster the development of the study of aphasia http://www.bas.org.uk/

National Aphasia Association (NAA) - A non-profit organization that promotes public education, research, rehabilitation and support services to assist people with aphasia and their families. https://www.aphasia.org/

Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) - The RCSLT is the professional body for speech and language therapists in the UK; providing leadership and setting professional standards. https://www.rcslt.org

Speak with IT - A non-profit organisation dedicated to providing ongoing help to people with Aphasia using computer-based programmes and one-to-one support via a team of volunteers.  http://www.speakwithit.org/

BSLTRU Research Strategy and the way forward

The Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit (BSLTRU) opened in 1987 and over the last 30 years the range of projects and expertise within this well known Unit has expanded considerably to cover many different aspects of the care and management of language and communication impairments including:

• Assessments, outcome measures and screening tools
• Perceptions of communication disorders and therapy from differing perspectives
• Therapists’ decision making
• Therapy development and evaluations
• Development and evaluation of computer software for adults and children with speech and language disorders

The methodologies used by the Unit cover the range of health service research methods including:

• Systematic reviews
• Epidemiology
• Applied research
• Mixed methods – qualitative and quantitative

Our vision for the future

We will be a National Health Service Research Unit with an international reputation for collaborative and interdisciplinary research which ultimately impacts and benefits/improves outcomes for people of all ages with communication impairments and their families.

The Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit (BSLTRU) was founded in 1987 by Professor Pam Enderby with the support of a grant from the Underwood Trust. Now, with an illustrious history behind us, we are continuing to investigate speech and language therapy; how it is implemented with the changing contexts of primary and secondary care and its impact of those receiving it.

Since BSLTRU was established, it has received significant funding from The Underwood Trust, this generosity has enabled us to develop and strengthen our programme of research.  We have worked with many academic institutions, and have had particularly close relationships with the University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE) and the University of Bristol (UoB).

Members of the Unit have led national teams with successful National Institute of Health Research Grants. Our research has led to national and international collaboration, including working with therapists in Australia and on an EU COST Action. 

The research teams membership has changed over time and we have seen staff develop their research skills and how they transfer research evidence into their clinical practice.  We have had the great pleasure of having more than 16 people achieve their PhD’s or MSc while with us and then watch them become independent researchers and practitioners.

The unit continues to combine a unique set of skills, expertise and proven research record, to ensure that we stay at the centre of research for speech, language and communication in the UK.

• Epidemiology
• Applied research
• Mixed methods – qualitative and quantitative

Our research has focused on children’s developmental speech and language impairments, stuttering and disorders associated to neurological disease in adults.
There is a wide range of projects in progress at the Research Unit. 

The main outputs of research are spoken or poster presentations given at clinical and academic conferences and publications in peer reviewed journal articles.  Where this is the case with BSLTRU research you can find details about these on individual researchers researchgate.com accounts.  Each researcher with these types of dissemination have a link at the bottom of their profile page.

Where permission has been given Video of public lectures are located on the 'video' page of this section of our website.

The Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit (BSLTRU) conducts research and development that aims to improve the care and management of people with speech, language and communication disorders by developing knowledge related to the prevention, management and social consequences of the disorders.

The Unit is hosted by North Bristol NHS Trust and is situated in the grounds of Southmead Hospital, Bristol. The team consists of speech & language therapy, psychology and information systems researchers with specialisms in primary language delays, speech impairments, aphasiology and stuttering as well as administrative and technical support.

Our research is entirely funded by grants and charitable donations.

To find out what we have been up to in the Spring of 2023 to the Summer of 2024, download our Annual Report. Or Catch up with our latest news via our newsletters.

 

NBT Cares. It’s a very simple statement; one which epitomises how everybody across our organisation goes the extra mile to ensure our patients get the best possible care.

Cares stands for Caring, Ambitious, Respectful and Supportive: 

• Caring – because it underpins everything we do for our patients and the way we care for one another
• Ambitious – because it signals that we always want to improve what we do on behalf of our patients and one another
• Respectful – because every individual has an important role to play
• Supportive – because we’re a team and deliver together