The Gift of Speech

Thanks to our generous supporters, we raised £57,589 through theBigGive for our project, The Gift of Speech. This funding has been instrumental in advancing various elements of ataxia research, including our collaboration with Prof. Lowit at Strathclyde University on developing our speech therapy course. Since 2022, these funds have enabled us to run the speech therapy course and provide voice banking for people with ataxia, allowing them to use a personalised synthetic voice on communication devices. However, the fund is likely to run out this year. To continue offering these vital services, we will rely on new donations. Your continued support is crucial to ensure that individuals with ataxia can keep benefiting from these life-changing therapies.

Click here if you would like to make a donation.

Speech Therapy

People with progressive ataxias often rank speech and communication problems as one of the top three symptoms of their condition.

Did you know it takes about 100 muscles speak? Muscles that have to work in close collaboration and with precision. Ataxia attacks the body’s ability to coordinate its muscles, including those used to speak and communicate. Problems communicating can have significant impact on people:

• frustration with others and themselves about not getting the message across
• negative self-image or depression
• less motivation to speak with others, leading to social withdrawal and isolation

In 2021 Ataxia UK worked alongside Professor Anja Lowit at Strathclyde University to develop an online speech therapy approach for people with speech difficulties. The sessions were incredibly successful, and the group continues to meet and see improvements in their speech.

Read more about their experiences here: Peter, Mark, and Heather.

About the Speech Therapy Service

The course is a combined individual and group practice approach for people with speech difficulties.

The course is 6 weeks long and begins with four individual sessions with our Speech and Language Therapist to help identify and practise what you can do to improve your speech. In weeks 3-6 there are daily hour long group sessions at 11:00am. This requires continuous screen time for the hour and can impact on fatigue.

The strategies include speaking with a strong, LOUD voice and articulating in a CLEAR manner.

The four weeks of daily group practice without a clinician, four times a week, and one weekly clinician led group session.

Waiting list 

There is a waiting list for the speech therapy course which means that you may wait several months before we are able to contact you to offer you a place on a course.  

Limited places 

Please note, we are only able to offer speech therapy whilst we still have funding in place to cover the costs of delivering the course. This means that, whilst we hope to be able to offer a place to everyone who wants one, we cannot guarantee one.  

How can I join the waiting list?

If you are interested in taking part, please email volunteering@ataxia.org.uk. We will send you a short survey to establish how severely your speech is affected. When you return the survey, you will be placed on our waiting list until there is a suitable group for you to join.

Please note, groups cannot be convened until there are enough people at a similar level (of speech difficulty).

What you will need:

• Availability to attend all of the sessions for 6 weeks:  
  • Four, hour-long, one-to-one sessions delivered on Mondays and Fridays during weeks one and two  
  • Four weeks of daily, hour-long group sessions, 11am-12pm Monday to Friday. 
• A stable, reliable internet connection (the course involves around 20 online video calls) 
• Good level of reading and verbal English - the course is delivered in English, and involves reading and speaking in English 
• Screen time – The sessions are held over Zoom and are an hour each. This much screen time can cause discomfort and fatigue. If you think you may experience problems, please let us know and we can talk through some options with you.

What if this course is not for me?

We understand that this group speech therapy course is not appropriate for everyone who has ataxia. Speech and Language Therapy is available on the NHS and can be accessed via your GP. There is information on the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists website on how to find a Speech & Language Therapist both on the NHS and privately.

If you have difficulties in getting a referral and need help, please contact the Ataxia UK Helpline on 0800 995 6037 or help@ataxia.org.uk.

Speech Therapy Study in Need of Participants

Prof Anja Lowit is looking for participants to evaluate the effectiveness of a speech therapy programme called LSVT for people with ataxia. The programme includes 16 individual online sessions delivered over 4 weeks, i.e. 4 sessions a week. Participants will also be asked to complete some assessments prior to and after therapy. If you are interested, please contact Anja at a.lowit@strath.ac.uk or calling 07986080537.