Laura McCandless

Laura is a Speech and Language Therapist with SpeechWise. She was inspired to enter the field after seeing the positive impact that speech and language therapy had on a close family member with Autism. Laura graduated from Leicester De Montfort University in 2013 with a BA (Hons) in Human Communication (Speech and Language Therapy). She began her career in a Special Educational Needs school, then spent two years with the NHS before moving to Australia where she worked as a Speech and Language Pathologist. In 2018, Laura returned to the UK and joined SpeechWise.

Laura is passionate about training and enjoys working with staff and families to help them provide the best support for children, and she’s currently trained to deliver a variety of interventions as part of her role at SpeechWise.

When she’s not working at SpeechWise, you’ll find Laura busy either running round after her little boy or her 2 dogs while practicing dog agility in a nearby field. But she will always find time for a well-earned drink and catch up with friends and family.

Laura’s top tips for supporting children’s communication is to not underestimate the power of consistency! Even the smallest changes done consistently can truly help a child’s communication skills grow.  Laura always encourages everyone to keep learning! She believes that no matter how experienced you are, there’s always something new to discover, so it’s helpful to keep reflecting on what we do to find ways to make it even better.

Laura is registered with the HCPC, RCSLT and holds an Enhanced DBS check.