Dr Susan Ebbels

Dr Susan Ebbels

@susanebbels.bsky.social

Research Speech & Language Therapist & Director @moorhouseinstitute.com. Created @shapecoding.com to help children with Developmental Language Disorder #DevLangDis. Views my own. www.moorhouseinstitute.com/dr-susan-ebbels www.shapecoding.com

1.5K followers736 following186 posts

For the longer 15 min video, that discusses a range of possible adaptations suitable for different challenges with communication, please see www.moorhouseinstitute.com/speech-langu...

moorhouseinstitute.comSpeech, language and communication – what’s the difference? -How do speech. language and communication differ and what does that mean for the challenges they can present?
Moor House Institute@moorhouseinstitute.com

In this 4-minute video, Dr Susan Ebbels briefly explains the difference between speech, language and communication. Being clear on the terms is a first step in working together for children with DLD. This is a short version of a longer video available on our blog. #DLDday #togetherfordld #DLD #SLCN

Dr Susan Ebbels reposted

4. communication does not only refer "to the social use of language", it is much broader than that. Communication refers to the transfer of ideas, messages, etc through a range of methods (not only through language, but also through non-verbal communication including signs, symbols, pictures etc).

5. the statement in the evidence summary that “Language includes both verbal and non-verbal communication” needs to be reversed. Communication includes verbal and signed languages and non-verbal communication. Communication is broader than language, not the other way round.

2. speech is not just "generating sound" (consider clapping or laughing) 3. facial expressions, gestures and body language are not examples of "non-verbal language", but rather of "non-verbal communication". Non-verbal languages are sign languages like British Sign Language

Dr Susan Ebbels reposted

Dr Susan Ebbels reposted

In his editorial on 6.7.2026 @jonsevers.bsky.social reflected on the new report published about white working class educational outcomes…. I am going to reflect back on this.. Long thread I have much experience (and years) of working in schools serving these populations successfully. 1/n

Dr Susan Ebbels reposted

Dr Susan Ebbels reposted

Face it, you've run out of things to say about the Labour leadership So here's my latest substack on the govt's plans to end the SEND crisis - and what it means to take parents' legal rights away Oh, and how it ties into the Labour leadership battle chamindajayanetti.substack.com/p/send-refor...

chamindajayanetti.substack.comSEND reform – a tightrope without a safety netIt’s late afternoon on Friday and you’re done for the week. So read this instead

For my more detailed thoughts on the SEND reform "areas of development" and "Specialist Provision Packages" see here: www.moorhouseinstitute.com/four-in-ten-...

moorhouseinstitute.comFour in ten risk falling through SEND reform gaps - Moor House Research & Training InstituteFour in ten risk falling through SEND reform gaps
Dr Susan Ebbels@susanebbels.bsky.social

Very pleased to have contributed to this important @tesmagazine.bsky.social article with my main concerns re #SENDreform. Please share. @nasschools.bsky.social @speechandlanguk.bsky.social @naplic.bsky.social @natspec.bsky.social @patoss-dyslexia.bsky.social @acamh.bsky.social @afasic.bsky.social

Dr Susan Ebbels reposted

Key messages from outgoing President Courtenay Norbury 1 we need to diagnose DLD. This builds awareness, research & services 2 language interventions give people with DLD more opportunities 3 use evidence based practice. And link what we do to what policy makers want to hear. #NAPLIC26

Dr Susan Ebbels reposted

Replying to @naplic.bsky.social

And a strong final message: small tweaks to lessons can have a big impact for learners with DLD #NAPLIC26

Dr Susan Ebbels reposted

Replying to @susanebbels.bsky.social

Here is a picture of the mapping exercise I carried out (which shows that about 40% of children who currently meet criteria for EHCPs risk falling through the significant gaps):

Phew, the culmination of 2 years work learning Greek, adapting the system and then making the slides and workshops. It is been an illuminating experience in many ways.

The SHAPE CODING system@shapecoding.com

Today I presented a full day course with workshops to 40 Greek SLTs. Learning enough Greek to be able to adapt the SHAPE CODING system to the specifics of the language was quite a challenge, but a very interesting process.

Learning Greek on Duolingo felt like having DLD & dyslexia. My limited knowledge of the script, vocabulary & grammar meant my speed of processing was very slow. This impacted both my auditory short-term (to about 3 words) & working memory, leaving little capacity for learning grammar implicitly.

When doing the same for Brazilian Portuguese, I found Babbel very good, but that also had the advantage that I already could read the script and knew a closely related language (Spanish), so that was so much easier. Unfortunately, Babbel didn't cover Greek....

Phew, the culmination of 2 years work learning Greek, adapting the system and then making the slides and workshops. It is been an illuminating experience in many ways.

The SHAPE CODING system@shapecoding.com

Today I presented a full day course with workshops to 40 Greek SLTs. Learning enough Greek to be able to adapt the SHAPE CODING system to the specifics of the language was quite a challenge, but a very interesting process.

Learning Greek on Duolingo felt like having DLD & dyslexia. My limited knowledge of the script, vocabulary & grammar meant my speed of processing was very slow. This impacted both my auditory short-term (to about 3 words) & working memory, leaving little capacity for learning grammar implicitly.

This improved with lots of practice and with explicit teaching of both grammar and vocabulary (including prefix and suffix meanings) using the Language Transfer podcast - would highly recommend!

Dr Susan Ebbels reposted

🆓 PREPRINT of “There’s Going to Have to be a Culture Shift”: Associate and Full Professors’ Perceptions and Experiences Related to Open Science Practices in Communication Sciences and Disorders 🆓 HERE: osf.io/preprints/ed... 🥳 Thank you for the heads up, @micahehirsch.bsky.social 🦋 #bskySPEECHIES

osf.ioOSF
Micah Hirsch, Ph.D.@micahehirsch.bsky.social

The journal version is unfortunately not free, but we have the preprint version of this article available online for free! osf.io/preprints/ed...

Dr Susan Ebbels reposted

Dr Susan Ebbels reposted

Dr Susan Ebbels reposted

Before Marion Downs, childhood hearing loss wasn’t caught until age 3+. #WorldHearingDay The 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘈𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 advocated for early detection/intervention & established the first large-scale newborn screening program (1963), proving early intervention is the key to language. #WomenInSTEM

I agree that this will be a severe challenge. It takes 2-4 years to train a Speech & Language Therapist. There already are insufficient SLTs for the jobs currently available. Plans may need to include consideration of how to encourage returners, improve retention & increase hours of part-timers.

Tes magazine@tesmagazine.bsky.social

The target date for the government’s £1.8 billion ‘experts at hand’ service has been called into question, amid concerns that the workforces involved are already ‘severely stretched’