Hazel Shaw Independent Speech and Language Therapist

22/11/2025

I first trained to become a Speech Therapist because of my own family’s history of stammering and a session this week reminded me exactly why I chose this path.

This week, I had the privilege of working with two Key Stage 2 children to develop their understanding and awareness of stammering. We were also joined by one of their teachers, who openly shared her own experience of stammering. She was truly inspirational — showing the children, through her confidence and authenticity, that a stammer should never hold you back from achieving anything you set your mind to. 💛✨

Sessions like these highlight something so important: awareness and acceptance are vital. Stammering isn’t something to “fix" and children shouldn’t feel pressured to change who they are or how they speak. Instead, we should focus on building understanding, confidence and a positive sense of self, which in turn can often also increase fluency far better than anything else.

Here’s to creating spaces where every voice is valued, heard, and empowered. 💬🌈

05/11/2025

This term, my focus has been on learning more about Gestalt Language Processing — and wow, what an eye-opener!

Children can learn language in different ways - some hook onto the words and for others, the intonation is more powerful. Diving deeper into this has been such a rewarding experience. Huge thanks to the wonderful parents who’ve let me share examples for training and to one superstar child (and their amazing mum!) who are putting strategies into practice so we can see progress in action. 💫

Every time I learn more about communication, I’m reminded how important it is to adapt what we do — to make sure it truly fits the child. 💛

29/10/2025

Genuinely humbled to read this. I like to treat everyone the way I would like to be treated and kindness is of phenomenal importance to me. I really do pour my heart and soul into what I do and am honoured to be part of Speech Apraxia. If you can like and share their page that would be amazing. Let's keep raising awareness and spreading the word so more people can understand and support apraxia.

Hazel Shaw is one of our amazing Friends of Speech Apraxia. She is one of the kindest SLTs I have met and an incredible asset to our organisation. I am genuinely touched to see the care she shows in her work which reflects in the attention she gives.
Hazel is an speech and language therapist and an expert in the field in childhood apraxia of speech. She was recently recognised in her home town of Worcester, UK for this role in the Worcester News. Despite her busy professional role, she continues to play an active part in our organisation as a Childhood Apraxia of Speech expert. When you send in clinical queries, it’s often Hazel, along with our wider team, who helps direct you to the right support.
She has worked alongside me to grow Speech Apraxia UK into the strong organisation it is today, including when we were recognised as part of the UK Speech, Language and Communication Alliance recently. I could not be prouder to have her on our team. Thanks Hazel, for your knowledge and wisdom as we grow.

15/10/2025

It was lovely to see this article in the paper today! I have worked so hard in my career and am so passionate about what I do, so to have this recognition is just phenomenal. Full-page article too!

Childhood Apraxia of Speech is a rare neurological disorder

18/09/2025

As a Speech and Language Therapist, I always value opportunities for joint working. This week, I had the pleasure of working with my fantastic Occupational Therapy colleague, Roz Roscoe, who I’ve had the privilege of knowing for over 20 years!

Roz and I now support several of the same schools, which allows us to combine our expertise to look not only at communication and interaction needs but also at the sensory, physical, and functional skills that impact everyday life. By working together, we can create consistent strategies, set shared goals, and reinforce progress across different settings—helping individuals to communicate more effectively and participate with greater confidence in the activities that matter most to them.

Long may this continue 😊

19/08/2025

Very proud to have made it onto a website as a Childhood Apraxia of Speech expert!

Checkout this fantastic new source of advice and information.

www.speechapraxia.co.uk

Speech Apraxia Speech Apraxia

12/08/2025

If any of my teacher friends fancy working for an amazing Multi-Academy Trust, then I highly recommend this one. Everyone who works here is just fantastic and the children are always the centre of everything they do. I feel beyond proud to work for them.

Recommend a friend! If you have a friend who would be an amazing teacher, let them know!

30/06/2025

It was soooo hot in Sandwell today even the blu tack couldn't hack it! However, my lovely school gave me a big room with a fan. So good to feel looked after and appreciated 🙂