I am a university teacher at the University of Sheffield where I teach on both the undergraduate and postgraduate speech, language and communication programmes. My Fellowship, completed in 2016, was an investigation into early intervention for children with speech sound disorder (SSD). The Fellowship was conducted in Australia, where I had the opportunity to meet with some of the most eminent professors in the field of speech sound disorders. The conclusion of my Fellow's Report underlined the importance of early intervention for children with SSD and the need for further research.

Completion of the Fellowship was influential in supporting acquisition of my current role. It has impacted on the field of speech and language therapy more widely and led to further studies being conducted within this key clinical area.

Children with SSD are at risk of long-term negative outcomes in areas which extend beyond their speech, such as oral language, literacy, socialisation, academic outcomes and life opportunities. I continue to be an advocate for further research in this area which then, in turn, aims to improve clinical outcomes for children.