Interconnections Worldwide

Working internationally to share information, help build knowledge and support teamwork around babies, children and young people who are disabled, marginalised or vulnerable

The home of Team Around the Child (TAC) and the Multiagency Keyworker

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Comprehensive handbook on Specific Language Impairment (SLI)

coverThis new publication is a clear and concise guide to SLI helping identify and support children with this ‘invisible’ difficulty.

 

The handbook was launched by I CAN, the children’s communication charity, and Afasic and was commissioned by The Communication Trust, as part of the Hello campaign.

 

About 7% of all children and young people have SLI, and are often as intelligent, able and healthy as other children, except they have enormous difficulty talking and understanding language. SLI is not caused by any known neurological, sensory, intellectual or emotional difficulty, so many children and young people across the UK have needs that may be missed or misdiagnosed. SLI is a very broad term, with some children having mild problems that are short-lived, with others having severe and persistent difficulties with both understanding and talking.

 

The SLI Handbook uses clear language and illustrations to ensure it is accessible to parents and professionals who will encounter children with these needs. This will include: teachers, TAs, SENCOs, Educational Psychologists, SLTs, Paediatricians and Occupational Therapists.

 

A parent of child with SLI, said, “The handbook explains SLI clearly and in an easy to understand way.  We found it very difficult to get any information when our child was diagnosed, especially a clear explanation of SLI. This is a really helpful booklet and will definitely be very useful and informative to other parents.”

 

For more information click here

 

TAC Around the World

globeTACinterconnections supports shared information, growing knowledge and effective teamwork:

  • around each individual baby, child, young person
  • nationally, around each country's disabled children
  • internationally, around the world's disabled children

Each of these represents a long journey that we are at the beginning of, that we share with others and that we will never be able to complete.

With the international aspiration in mind, I estimate that the TAC Bulletin goes each month to over 1,000 people outside the UK. The majority of these are in English speaking Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, USA, South Africa and Canada. We have a growing number of people in other African and European countries. As the TAC Bulletin circulation grows, I hope more countries will be represented.

Would you please forward this message to your national and international colleagues and networks?

Peter Limbrick

E-mail Peter Limbrick

Cartoon © Martina Jirankova-Limbrick

International Society on Early Intervention seeks new members

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The International Society on Early Intervention (ISEI) seeks new members from all parts of the world - particularly from Asia and South America

Would you please pass this information to your national and international colleagues and networks?

 

 

From the ISEI website:

WHAT IS ISEI?

The International Society on Early Intervention (ISEI) is an organization designed to provide a framework and forum for professionals from around the world to communicate about advances in the field of early intervention.

WHY WAS ISEI FORMED?

Issues relevant to early intervention transcend national boundaries. Providing effective early intervention programs for vulnerable children and their families constitutes one of the most important challenges for contemporary societies. The rapidly expanding numbers of children worldwide who are at-risk for developmental and health problems due, for example, to poverty, prematurity/low birthweight, infectious diseases, or to exposure to toxic substances prenatally or during early childhood demand a supportive and effective set of well-designed services. While the knowledge base in early intervention has grown considerably from contributions of researchers, clinicians, program developers, and policy-makers from numerous countries, and communication within and across national boundaries of these advances has improved in recent years, international early intervention collaborations and sharing of knowledge are far from adequate. ISEI's goal is to unite early intervention advocates throughout the world to work together to advance understanding of early intervention concepts and practices from an international perspective.

WHO CAN JOIN ISEI?

The membership of ISEI is composed of basic and clinical researchers relevant to the field of early intervention representing a diverse array of biomedical and behavioral disciplines, as well as clinicians and policy-makers in leadership positions. The ISEI membership is on an individual basis, but this structure is designed to take advantage of existing within-country networks and to complement established professional activities and organizations. ISEI now has approximately 2000 members representing 80 countries.

DUES

No dues are required or anticipated.

E-mail: mailto: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Go to website here

SWAN UK - Syndromes Without A Name

Did you know that between 30-40% of children with special needs do not have a specific diagnosis? 

For these families life can be particularly isolating – they do not naturally 'fit' into existing parent support groups,  can have problems accessing support and information and many have no idea what the future will hold for their child.

SWAN UK (Syndromes Without A Name) is a project run by Genetic Alliance UK specifically for these families.  Offering information and support to families, the project offers a friendly listening ear whilst also seeking to raise awareness of what life is like with an undiagnosed genetic condition.

If you or someone you know is raising a child with an undiagnosed condition please encourage them to get in touch to see how the project can support them:

E-mail: mailto: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Tel: 0207 704 3141 ext. 110

www.swanuk.wordpress.com

www.undiagnosed.org.uk

share your information  Cartoon © Martina Jirankova-Limbrick 2011