Biography

I am a highly specialist Speech and Language Therapist, with over 10 years clinical experience in the NHS.  I have led on the development of preventative initiatives for speech and language delay in Early Years and have worked extensively in collaboration with Children's Centres in Portsmouth City, on the South Coast of the UK. I have particular experience of developing services for families who find it difficult to access conventional clinical appointments (commonly termed as 'hard to reach').

Research Interests

I am carrying out a randomised controlled trial of a health promotion service for language development (The Babytalk Home Visiting Service).  I am interested in whether families who receive this service change the way in which they talk to children, and whether child language development improves as a result.  I am addressing these questions using language transcript analysis (from videotaped daily interactions in the home) and a standardised language assessment at age 2 years.

My areas of interest are:  Early Years Language development, Child Development and Social Deprivation, Language and Development of play, Parent and Child Interaction

Research group you are linked with: Developmental psychology

Supervisor[s]: Dr Emma Williams, Professor Karen Bryan (Sheffield Hallam University)

Publications

Smith C and Gibbard D (2011) Baby talk home visits: development and initial evaluations of a primary prevention service. Child Language Teaching and Therapy 27 (1) pp 68-83

Teaching

I have experience of teaching, training and running professional development seminars across a range of professions and knowledge levels, including undergraduate psychology students, postgraduate research students, teachers, health visitors, paediatricians, early years education staff and speech and language therapists.

Presentations and Posters

Smith C, Bryan K and Williams E (2012) An exploratory review of UK based early years primary prevention by speech and language therapists. (CPLOL European Congress, The Hague 25-26 May 2012)

Gibbard D and Smith C (2012) A transagency approach to enabling access to parent based intervention for early language delay (CPLOL European Congress, The Hague 25-26 May 2012)

Smith C, Bryan K and Williams E (2012) Preventing Language Delay in Young Children; What are we doing in the UK? (Research Into Practice Conference, Solent NHS Trust 27th April 2012)

Gibbard D, Smith C and Higgins L (2009) Babytalk Visits for Children's Centres; A primary prevention collaboration (Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists' Scientific Conference; London 17-18 March 2009)

Grants, Contracts and Funding

2009 - 2014 Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship - National Institute of Health Research

2007 - 2008 Education Bursary Award - Wessex Deanery (NHS)

Other information

Our collaborative work with Children's Centres gained our service a place in the finals of the South Central Health and Social Care Awards (2010) for working in partnership