About

Tara Kearns qualified with an honours BSc degree in Speech and Language Therapy from Trinity College Dublin in 2001. She also has an MSc in Healthcare Ethics and Law from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Tara is CORU registered; is a member of the Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists; and the Independent Speech-Language Therapists of Ireland.

Tara has worked in a variety of settings and services including; intellectual disability services, primary care, early intervention services, school-based services, hearing impairment services, and on the practice education team in the Speech & Language Therapy Department in the University of Limerick. She has completed additional postgraduate training in PECS, the Derbyshire Language Scheme, Working with Deaf Children, Irish Sign Language, STEPS and NEAP training for children with cochlear implants, Working with Voice, and is a Lamh tutor.


Irish Association of
Speech & Language Therapists

Ireland's multi-profession
health regulator

Independent Speech-Language
Therapists of Ireland

Services

Assessment

The type of assessment used will depend on the client's developmental level and the nature of the presenting difficulty. Assessment of pre-schoolers is often informal and play-based. Older children and adults may require a full, formal assessment of their speech and language skills on a standardised test.

Assessment can be carried out in a single session or spread across two sessions according to the client's developmental, attention and fatigue levels. Full assessment reports can be provided for educational and needs assessments. Onward referral to other healthcare professionals (i.e., audiology, psychology, occupational therapy) may be required to complete the assessment process. Clients presenting with voice difficulties may require an ENT assessment prior to attending for voice therapy.

Therapy

Tara works with children and adults with a variety of speech, language and communication difficulties including late talkers, language delay or disorder, speech delay or disorder, stammering; and communication difficulties associated with intellectual disability, physical disability, hearing impairment, voice disorders, cleft lip and palate and autism spectrum disorders. Tara also provides home and school therapy programmes and school visits as required.

Training

Formal and informal training and education sessions are available for families, carers, teachers, and other healthcare professionals. Sessions can be carried out in a one-to-one, or group format and can be tailored to suit the audience as required. Popular topics include early speech and language development, how to facilitate the child with communication difficulties in the classroom, language for learning, how to manage hearing loss in children and adults, voice management for teachers and Lamh training.