Biography
Name: Patricia Donnelly
Position: Senior Speech & Language Therapist, National Behaviour Support Service (NBSS) Project
Qualifications: BA Liberal Arts; MSc Speech and Language Therapy Professional Qualification
Research Area: Patricia is employed through the Department of Education to work with the National Behaviour Support Service (NBSS) in supporting adolescents with challenging behaviour in mainstream post-primary schools. Patricia's role involves supporting the speech, language and communication needs of students in selected post-primary schools who are partners of the National Behaviour Support Service. Working at three levels (school-wide support, targeted support and specialist support), she provides supports to meet the needs of students with and at risk of speech, language, communication and literacy difficulties who present with behaviours that impact engagement in learning and socialisation.
The role involves provision of assessment, intervention and support to students directly as well as supporting teachers to provide supports for students speech, language, communication and literacy needs. It also involves development and delivery of local and national continuing professional development in-services and workshops for teachers around the assessment and management of language and communication difficulties in adolescence, and its relationship to challenging behaviour.