Alison Mann

Studying for a speech and language therapy degree is demanding. It’s academically rigorous; I still quake at the thought of all those linguistics lectures I attended. I found them really hard going and shed m […]

On Mother’s day this year, all my “babies were back in the nest” for the weekend and I really enjoyed spending time with them.  One of the things that we did was to go for a walk in the woods together.  It wa […]

 With all things love in the air around February, I thought I would turn my attention to something that has been on my mind a lot recently…..  sex!   Well, before you get too shocked, I mean sex educa […]

It got me thinking about Down syndrome.  I have a close friend with a child with DS and she posted a photo of him on facebook recently along with the caption “celebrating differences”.  Then I realised that it is […]

I love Christmas, it is my favourite time of year.  I love decorating my house, putting up the tree, buying and giving gifts to people, singing carols, and spending time with my loved ones.  I love to have a h […]

If I had a penny for every time a parent or carer said to me I “just want them to talk”, I’d be well off (which I’m not).  Trust me; you only have to look at my car to know I’m just an average girl.  It’s some […]

What do you see?
Each month, I reflect on what to write in this blog.  This month I have had lots to think about.  The last few weeks have been personally stressful for me as I have helped one of my children g […]

October 22nd 2016 was International Stuttering Awareness Day. The day is intended to raise public awareness of the millions of people – one per cent of the world’s population who have the speech disorder of s […]

Many times over we were asked if we were Australian?  Now, if you’ve heard me talk you’ll know that I do not sound Australian.  I think I’m easy to understand, but nevertheless people struggled to grasp my acce […]

What can a bucket of icy water achieve?
It was a worldwide craze that celebrities old and young took part in.  Bill Gates, George Bush, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Ford, David Beckham, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Lady […]

According to the Communication Trust “good communication skills are essential for learning and making friends, with strong language and communication skills linked to better outcomes in school and beyond, for c […]

The postcard in question has a controversial message written on the back.  It says “out for a Saturday afternoon. Don’t come to Birmingham, it has no class and every street is up.  The building could do with […]

Then the poster went on to list the following 30 characteristics: resilience, compassion, strength, wit, faith, sense of humour, imitation, kindness, self-esteem, intelligence, motivation, fortitude, morals, work […]