Small Talk Ltd was set up by Libby Hill, a Speech and Language Therapist with many years experience and mother of two young sons. She was extremely alarmed by the increase in the number of children with communication difficulties and the fall in availability of speech and language therapy. She wanted to give children a full range of assessments and therapy   to enable them to achieve their potential.

Libby graduated from University College, London, part of the prestigious University of London in 1986 with an honours degree in Speech Sciences. The course was run in conjunction with the National Hospital and enabled her to practise speech and language therapy after 4 years of study. Topics passed included phonetic and linguistics, acoustics of speech & hearing, audiology, speech perception, psychology, anatomy, physiology and neurology, speech and language development and pathology, speech and language assessment, and  therapy.

She started her working life in Aylesbury Vale with a combined post including community clinics, special schools and with children in mainstream schools and nurseries. Further jobs include Specialist posts working with children in mainstream schools, at Dudley Health Authority, and complex communication problems and autism in a residential school setting for Honormead Ltd. She was also Chief Speech and Language Therapist at Sandwell Health Authority during the 1990s.

For a short while she ran a successful business which she enjoyed but did not find as fulfilling as working with children.

Qualifications
BSc (Hons),  LRCSLT, MRCSLT, MASLTIIP, HPC Reg.

Publications
A simple model to explain receptive language difficulties, Special Children
Group work around the model, Special Children
Ten of the best resources for SLT, Special children
In one ear..... (with Sue Gowers), Special Children
Exactly what do they do? (with Sue Gowers), Special Children
Prioritizing Special Needs (with A Irving and M Walton), RCSLT Bulletin
Speech and Language difficulties in the early years, Open University Psychological Society
Language GAP Resource Pack for parents and Teachers (with S Gowers), Senter Publications
What you can’t put into words, Child Education
Speech and Language Therapy; Good Practice in MLD Schools (with J Flanagan), Special Children
Special Interest Groups: Guildelines for good practice, RCSLT Bulletin

Courses Attended
Derbyshire Language Scheme
Makaton Sign Language
Assessment of language Difficulties, Ann Locke
Living Language, Ann Locke
Pre-Linguistic Profile Kathryn Gerard
After the sentence, Kathryn Gerard
After the sentence follow up, Kathryn Geard
Bilingualism, NHCSS
Working with Teachers, NHCSS
Working with Teachers follow up, NHCSS
National Curriculum development, Institute of Education, London
Working with Dyslexia, Maggie Snowdon
Counselling. Liz Smith
Working with families Maggi Hoppi
Working with families & personal construct theory, Maggi Hoppi
Phonological Impairment and language disorder Nita Ghoulandris
Metaphon Liz Dean
Semantic-Pragmatic Disorder Martin Smedley
Speaking and listening key Stage 1, Institute of Education, London
Downs Syndrome in mainstream schools
Teaching Talking, Maggie Beech
Introduction to the Hanen Parent  Programme, Flis Parsons
Autism in mainstream schools, jenny Wilkes & Rena Sangum Palliwell
Transition into Adulthood the way forwards
TELER outcome measures
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Sue Carver
Able Autism and Semantic Pragmatic Disorder Margo Sharp
Aspergers Syndrome Margo Sharp
Multi-disciplinary working with children with language difficulties Ann Locke & Maggie Beech
TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related communication handicapped children), Professor Mesibov & Kathy Hearsy
AAC, ACE Centre Oxford
Signs, symbols and more, Oldham ACE Centre
PECS workshop