Researchers:            Sue Roulstone, Yvonne Wren, Clodagh Miskelly

Source of funding:     The Underwood Trust

Start and end dates:  July 2006 - December 2008

What's it like to be a teenager...........

Many children have persistent communication difficulties which affect them throughout adolescence and sometimes beyond. However, little is known about how the teenagers themselves feel about their speech or language impairment or what they consider would be helpful to them.

The project aims to work with a small group of teenagers to explore their experiences and to find a way of expressing these through a video. The purpose of the video is to communicate the views of the teenagers to teachers, speech and language therapists and other professional who work with young people with communication impairments.

During the year we met with the boys to explore their views using a variety of activities and a wide range of media including drawings, pictures, film and camera work. Weare currently analysing data to identify key themes which will be used to inform the film making process. The young people are currently working directly with our partner film company, Brook Lapping to make a film. This is likely to take the form of an animation. The film will be completed and ready for distribution by autumn 2008.