Celebrate European SLT Day with IASLT - 25th March 2025

IASLT webinar to celebrate European SLT Day - 'Happy Talk', a new model of care for Primary Care SLT

Who is this webinar for:

Each year, IASLT hosts a webinar to coincide with European Day of Speech and Language Therapy to highlight the role of SLT across Europe. This year's theme "Enrich the environment to enrich communication" highlights the importance of creating supportive environments that foster speech, language, and communication for individuals of all ages, particularly those with communication difficulties. To celebrate this event, we are putting the spotlight on a new model of care in PCCC SLT in Cork City, 'Happy Talk'.

Description of webinar: 

Happy Talk is a model of care, currently part of Primary Care Speech and Language Therapy Services in Cork City. 

Happy Talk Speech and Language Therapists work in disadvantaged communities, with children aged 0 – 6 years, and their families and educators. 

Happy Talk develops and provides a number of programmes, interventions and resources to support this work. 

Happy Talk is currently being evaluated in a National Research Project in partnership with UCC, funded by the HRB. 

Learning Objectives; to Introduce Happy Talk Cork City to those who are unfamiliar, and to share the exploration and evaluation of how Happy Talk can be scaled up within Primary Care Services nationwide, all part of the Happy Talk National Research Project. 

Any questions re. Happy Talk email happy.talk@hse.ie

About the presenters:

Pauline Frizelle PhD, Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University College Cork  and Overall Lead on the Happy Talk Project

Pauline Frizelle is a Professor at University College Cork and a former speech and language therapy manager, with over 15 years’ experience working with children with a wide range of speech, language and communication needs. In 2008 she was the first speech and language therapist in Ireland to be awarded the Health Research Board (HRB) fellowship for the therapeutic professions. In 2015 she was awarded an ASSISTid Marie Curie Fellowship to begin the development of an electronic assessment of complex syntax at the University of Oxford. She has since built on this work through a HRB lead investigator award, comparing assessment methodologies and developing a robust and engaging assessment of complex syntax. Pauline is particularly interested in collaborative research projects with clinicians in the community and in the development of robust, theoretically- driven interventions. She has led the development of the language through music programme for children with Down syndrome and continues to work towards optimal use of key word signing in schools. Pauline has recently received a 1.3 million Definitive Intervention Feasibility award (DIFA), to complete a full definitive randomised control trial on the Happy Talk programme, for children from areas of social disadvantage, and a 2.5 million award to lead a programme of research to develop consensus on reporting guidelines to be used in language intervention studies, for children with or at risk for (D)LD.

Aoife O Shea is Happy Talk Coordinator, Clinical Lead & Senior Speech and Language Therapist at Happy Talk, HSE