Diana Williams – författare

Now in a revised and updated second edition, Early Listening Skills is a practical manual for use with children and young people with underdeveloped listening skills related to hearing loss. Thirteen clear and easy to follow sections focus on skills such as auditory detection, discrimination, recognition, sequencing and memory. Each one is filled with a series of carefully designed activities to stimulate and develop auditory awareness and discrimination skills in children with a range of developmental levels and abilities. Features include:A wide range of activities suited to both the early years and home settingsLinks to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework and topics reflecting the EYFS and Key Stage 1 curriculumPhotocopiable material designed to document the child’s development over timeAs most of the activities are non-verbal, they are well suited for children with limited spoken language as well as children with special educational needs and disability and English as an additional language (EAL) learners. Whilst primarily designed for early years practitioners, special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs), specialist teachers, therapists and other professionals, the activity sheets and guidance also make it an invaluable tool for parents and caregivers looking to stimulate listening skills at home.

Now in a revised and updated second edition, Early Visual Skills is a practical manual for use with children and young people who have underdeveloped visual perceptual skills. Twelve clear and easy-to-follow sections, focusing on skills such as attention, discrimination, sequencing, concentration and memory, are filled with carefully designed activities to stimulate visual attention and discrimination skills in children with a range of developmental levels and abilities.Features include:A wide range of activities suited to both the early years and home settingsLinks to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework and topics reflecting the EYFS and the Key Stage 1 curriculumPhotocopiable materials designed to document the child’s development over timeAs most of the activities are non-verbal, they are well suited for children with limited spoken language, including EAL (English as an Additional Language) learners, the deaf, sensory impaired, or those with autism or learning difficulties. Whilst primarily designed for early years practitioners, SENCOs (Special Educational Needs Coordinator), specialist teachers, therapists and other professionals, there are activity sheets and guidance for parents to provide them practical advice on how to stimulate visual perceptual skills at home, turning their child’s everyday routines into opportunities to stimulate visual awareness.

This revised and updated second edition of Working with Children’s Language has been created to support practitioners who work with young children with delayed language acquisition.Rooted in a developmental theory of language learning, it covers topics such as attention control and listening, the role of play, verbal comprehension and the acquisition of spoken expressive language. Each chapter offers a straightforward overview of current research relating to the specific language skill before introducing a wealth of targeted games and activities that can help support the development of those skills.Key features include:• A structured approach to language learning that can be followed as a programme or adapted for informal use by individual practitioners.• Accessible activities, games and ideas suitable for small group or individual intervention, linked to specific aims based on developmental norms.• Photocopiable and downloadable resources, including a record sheet to track progress in each skill against aims and outcomes for individual children.Clearly linking theory and practice in an engaging and easy-to-follow format, this is an invaluable resource to support children in early years settings and Key Stage 1 whose language is delayed, but who are otherwise developing normally. It is a must-have book for early years practitioners, teachers, SEND professionals and speech and language therapists with varying levels of experience.

Now in an exciting second edition, this fun and interactive board game has been designed to develop word-finding and categorisation skills for children and adults. With over 200 photographic cards and a colourful, versatile board, Find the Link can be used to facilitate a number of connecting and categorisation games, encouraging users to draw on their existing knowledge and descriptive skills to develop vocabulary, classification, logical thought and concentration. Collaborative and competitive games can be played individually, or in groups of 2 – 5 players, providing opportunities for social engagement alongside skill development.The game includes:• 200 hexagonal cards with new and updated images, which can also be used alone for sorting and classification• 40 card categories, ranging from basic groups such as animals, food, clothes and transport, to complex groups such as function and place• A colourful versatile board• An instruction booklet, with guidance and instructions for different gamesPart of the bestselling Colorcards series, this is an essential resource for anybody working with young children, adults with impaired language abilities, children and adults with special educational needs, or those learning English as an additional language.

Recent changes in the health service - such as the patients charter and the market forces principle - have highlighted the need for the health professional to have effective communication skills in order to maintain a high quality of service to the client. This book will meet the demands brought about by the changes in role from the student to practitioner through to managerial responsibilities.Offering practical advice and guidance, it shows how to develop communication skills for the health professional. The book is intended for speech therapists; health visitors; general practitioners; physiotherapists; occupational therapists and other professionals who provide health care.

The author of this book is a speech and language therapist, and is still practising in the health service, which gives her advice practical value. If all writers followed the principles in her book their readers, in whatever capacity, should owe Ms Williams a debt of gratitude.'- Physiotherapy Journal'... the book is written in a user-friendly format and flows in a logical way. It provides very practical ideas and advice, covering all areas of written information. It would be ideal as an introductory text for novice practitioners or those wanting to update their knowledge about standards in providing written information. This book would be useful for any department as a reference book for all practitioners at any level.'- British Journal of Occupational Therapy'This text offers clear and concise advice on the development and use of writing skills. The style is one of numerous checklists, applied to various writing contexts as a practical aid to clear written communication this book would be extremely beneficial in a healthcare setting.'- Journal of Community Nursing'... well presented and easy to read. I think it would assist practitioners from different backgrounds and would be particularly useful for students. It is a good aid to effective writing which could be referred to whenever needed.'- Rostrum'... this book contains comprehensive information and practical guidance on the wide range of writing skills that health professionals need in order to be effective practitioners and communicators. The content is relevant to dietitians and covers many writing skills they need.'- Dietetians Today'Written by an experienced lecturer and writer in communication skills who is a therapist, this book contains comprehensive information and practical guidance on the wide range of writing skillls that health professionals need in order to be more effective practitioners and communicators. The content is relevant to dietitians and covers many of the writing skills they need. Most dietitians would find this book a very useful resource. It could be used either as a reference guide to "dip into" when asked to write something for the first time, or by acting upon the action points to improve existing writing skills.'- Dietetics TodayWriting Skills in Practice presents a comprehensive overview of the development of writing skills for both students and practitioners in health care, offering useful information on all the main areas of writing practice in one volume.The first part introduces newly qualified professionals to the skills of clinical record keeping, report writing and supplying clear written information for clients. The section on teaching and learning provides hints for students on note-taking, structuring essays and writing up research projects. Health professionals and experienced social care practitioners undertaking an educational role will also find advice on preparing materials for teaching, setting questions and assessing students' work. Practitioners who wish to further their professional development by publishing their work will find a range of topics covered in the final section, from the initial stages of developing an idea, to presenting articles and manuscripts for publication.Clearly laid out with summary points, practical activities and checklists, Writing Skills in Practice makes relevant information easily accessible for the busy health professional.