Newcastle University

Introduction

I am a senior lecturer and speech and language therapist. My research focusses on causes and prevalence of oromotor and communication disorders in childhood neurodisability, the impact of these disorders on young people's health and well-being and the effectiveness and acceptability of speech and language therapy interventions.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Institute of Health and Society Post Graduate Student Coordinator
• President of European Academy of Childhood Disability 2012-2013
• Speech and Language therapy convenor of the North of England Collaborative Cerebral Palsy Surve
• Editorial Board Member Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology
• Editorial Board Member Child: Care, Health and Development

Qualifications

BSc Speech Sciences, 1987, University College London

MSc Human Communication, 1992, Institute of Neurology, University of London

PhD  Human Comunication, 1997, University College London 

Previous positions

National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Career Development Fellow, Newcastle Univeristy, 2008-2012 

Department of Health / The Health Foundation Primary Care Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Newcastle University, 2002-2006 

Research Speech and Language Therapist, Department of Speech, Newcastle University, 2001- 2002

Research Fellow, Human Communication and Deafness Group, University of Manchester, 2000-2001

Senior Lecturer in Evidence Based Practice, University of Central Lancashire, 1988-2000

Research Speech and Language Therapist, Institute of Child Health, London, 1990-1996 

Speech and Language Therapist, Scope, Waltham Forest Health Authority, Southport and Formby Health Authority, 1987-1990  

Honours and Awards

NIHR Career Development Fellowship

Department of Health / Health Foundation Primary Care Post Doctoral Research Fellow 

Undergraduate teaching

BSc and MSc Speech and Language Sciences Lecturer 

Research Interests

1. The development of communication by children and young people with motor disorders.
2. The impact of communication disorder in neurodisability on heath and wellbeing 
3. Oromotor disorders in childhood
4. Clinical effectiveness of speech and language therapy interventions for young people with motor impairments.
5. Acceptability of speech and language therapy interventions for young people with motor impairments.
6. Literacy difficulties of people with cerebral palsy.
7. Participation and quality of life of people with cerebral palsy.

Research Roles

I am principal investigator on a number of projects 

Postgraduate Supervision

I currently supervise four postgraduate students 

Esteem Indicators

INVITED PRESENTATIONS
Invited lectures: Novita Children's Services, Adelaide, Australia, April 2004; Vilnius, Lithuania, November 2007; Barcelona Val Hebron Hospital, November 2008; Melbourne University, February 2009; 1st Turkish National Cerebral Palsy Conference, Istanbul, Turkey, September, 2009; 3rd Turkish National Cerebral Palsy Conference, Istanbul, Turkey, Novemeber, 2010; European Paediatric Neurological Society, Cavtat, Croatia, 2011

MEMBERSHIPS
Child: Care, Health and Development, member of Editorial Board

Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, member of Editorial Board
Cochrane Collaboration Movement Disorders Review Group, member
European Academy of Childhood Disability, member of General Management Committee, President

Funding

Selected current and recent funding

Parr J, Colver A, Pennington L, Steen N (2012-2014) Trial of effectiveness of glycopyronium vs Hyoscine for treatment of excessive salivation in chidlren with neurodisability. WellChild. £57, 565

Pennington L, Parr J, Buswell C, Kisler J, Thomas J, Thomson R (2011-2012) Supporting families considering gastrostomy. Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust FSF. £7,087

Pennington, L (2010-2011) Decision making in childhood dysphagia. NHS North of Tyne. £24,721

Sellers D, Pountney T, Mandy A, Hankins M, Pennington L, Morris C, Parker K (2010-2013) To Develop a Functional Classification System of Eating and Drinking Abilities for Children and Young People with Cerebral Palsy. NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) Programme £163,116

Pennington L (2008-2012) Communication of Children with motor disorders. Career Development Fellowship. National Institute for Health Research, £394,775

Pennington L, Miller N, Steen N Intensive speech therapy for young children with cerebral palsy, Remedi, 2009-2010, £60,088

Pennington L, Miller N, Steen IN, Robson S (2008-2009) Are improvements in speech intelligibility by children with cerebral palsy associated with changes in the loudness and clarity of their voice? Children’s Foundation, £9,277

Pennington L, Craft AW (2008) Speech and language therapy for children with cerebral palsy. Children’s Research Fund, £13,000

• Pennington L. Drooling interventions for children with cerebral palsy. In: European Journal of Paediatric Neurology: 9th Congress of the European Paediatric Neurology Society. 2011, Cavtat, Croatia: Elsevier Ltd.
• Parr JR, Buswell CA, Banerjee K, Fairhurst C, Williams J, OHare A, Pennington L. Management of drooling in children: a survey of UK paediatricians' clinical practice. Child: Care, Health and Development 2012, 38(2), 287-291.
• Pennington L, Miller N, Robson S, Steen N. Intensive speech and language therapy for older children with cerebral palsy: a systems approach. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology 2010, 52(4), 337-344.
• Pennington L, Miller N, Robson S. Speech therapy for children with dysarthria acquired before three years of age. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009, (1), CD006937.
• Pennington L, Thomson K, James P, Martin K, McNally RJ. Effects of It Takes Two to Talk - The Hanen program for parents of preschool children with cerebral palsy: findings from an exploratory study. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research 2009, 52(5), 1121-1138.
• Pennington L, Noble E. Acceptability and usefulness of the group interaction training programme It Takes Two to Talk to parents of pre-school children with motor disorders. Child: Care, Health and Development 2010, 36(2), 285-296.
• Pennington L. Measuring communication outcomes. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology 2010, 52(1), 7-8.
• Pennington L, James P, McNally R, Pay H, McConachie H. Analysis of compositional data in communication disorders research. Journal of Communication Disorders 2009, 42(1), 18-28.
• French B, Thomas LH, Baker P, Burton CR, Pennington L, Roddam H. What can management theories offer evidence-based practice? A comparative analysis of measurement tools for organisational context. Implementation Science 2009, 4(28).
• Pennington L. Cerebral palsy and communication. Paediatrics and Child Health 2008, 18(9), 405-409.
• Pennington L, Reilly S. Management of oromotor disorders in childhood. In: Roig-Quilis, M., Pennington, L, ed. Oromotor disorders in childhood. Barcelona: Viguera, 2012, pp.213-224.
• Roig-Quilis M, Pennington L, ed. Oromotor Disorders in Childhood. Barcelona, Spain: Viguera Editores, 2011.
• Miller N, Pennington L. Speech therapy for children with dysarthria and cerebral palsy. In: Roig-Quilis, M., Pennington, L, ed. Oromotor Disorders in Childhood. Barcelona: Viguera Editores, 2012, pp.265-284.
• Walshe M, Smith M, Pennington L. Interventions for drooling in children with cerebral palsy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2012, (11), CD008624.
• Pennington L, Roelant E, Thomson V, Robson S, Steen N, Miller N. Intensive dysarthria therapy for younger children with cerebral palsy. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology 2013, (epub ahead of print).