I am a speech and language therapist and carried out my initial training at the University of Manchester. I have worked as a clinician for over ten years for North Mersey Community Trust and United Bristol NHS Trust, working with both adult and child clients in both hospitals and schools.

 

In 1997, I worked with Sue Roulstone, Jill Parkhouse and Brian Hall to develop a school based speech and language therapy service known as WiSaLT (Withywood Speech and Language Therapy). Simultaneously, I completed a Masters of Education, specialising in psychology at the University of Bristol Graduate School of Education.


 In 1999, I moved to the Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit and worked on the 'Hear IT - Sound IT' project: an investigation into the use of computers in phonology therapy. During this project I carried out my PhD under the direction of Professor Sue Roulstone and Dr Chris Jarrold. I completed this in 2005

.

In 2003, I began work on a project to develop and evaluate a computerised assessment of children's speech sound difficulties. This work was supported by a grant from the Health Technology Devices programme of the Department of Health and was carried out in partnership with the educational software company, Granada Learning. This has resulted in the development of the Phoneme Factory series of products to assist teachers and speech and language therapists in working with children with speech difficulties in school.

 

Since 2006, I have worked on a project funded by the Medical Research Council to investigate the origins, outcomes and impact or persisting phonological impairment. This is in collaboration with the ALSPAC project (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children) using data from a large cohort study of 14000 children.


Research interests

 

Childrens phonological development and impairment

Assessment of children's speech

Use of software in phonology therapy

Education/school based therapy provision

 

Email:  Yvonne@speech-therapy.org.uk


Grants Held

 

Phonem Factory (Roulstone, Petheram, Wren, Nuttall, Hughes), £390350 (includes matched funding from Granada Learning) NHS Health Technology Devices Programme, 2004-2006.

 

The origins, outcomes and impact of persisting phonological impairment (roulstone, Emod, Peters, Wren), £181,624, MRC, 2006-2008.

 

Publications:

 

Wren Y. (2003)
Using scenarios to evaluate a professional development programme for teaching staff
Child Language Teaching and Therapy 19:2 115-134

 

Wren Y (2001)
Software and speech - a review of software in phonology therapy
International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders 36 Supplement 487-492

 

 

Wren Y, Roulstone S, Parkhouse J, and Hall B. (2001)
A model for a mainstream school-based speech and language therapy service
Child Language Teaching and Therapy 17:2 107-126

 

Wren Y, Parkhouse J. (1998)
Working towards an inclusive curriculum
International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders.
Proceedings of the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists 1998 Conference, Liverpool. Collaborative working in education 33: 620-625

 

Past Projects


Phonology Hear IT-Sound IT

Y Wren, S Roulstone

Funded by The Underwood Trust

November 1999 - March 2003

Phoneme Factory

S Roulstone, Y Wren, B Petheram, A Hughes in collaboration with Granada Learning and Gwen Lancaster

Funded by NHS R&D Health Technology Devices Programme

June 2004 - June 2006














 

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