Prof Vicky Slonims - KHPeople

We are celebrating Prof Vicky Slonims, Senior Consultant Speech and Language Therapist at Evelina London Children’s Hospital on her recent promotion to Professor of Complex Communication Disabilities at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King’s College London.

Prof Slonims focuses on advancing care for individuals with severe communication impairments. This professorship acknowledges her outstanding research contributions in the field of communication disorders.

In her clinical role, Prof Slonims works within the multi-disciplinary service for children with complex neurodevelopmental disorders where she provides assessment, diagnosis, and intervention for children with complex communication needs. Her clinical experience informs her research, allowing her to bridge the gap between practice and research but there are challenges; “As a clinical academic, you are constantly balancing clinical and often managerial roles with research activity” she notes.

Her research focuses on improving the quality of life of children and young adults with severe communication impairments Most of her work has highlighted the experience and challenges of this group. She explains:

“Around 30% of autistic children, particularly those with more severe cognitive delays, do not develop functional verbal communication throughout their lifetime. The inability to communicate effectively brings risks, including health inequalities, poor mental health, challenges accessing education, and social isolation”.

Her research includes randomised controlled trials of treatments for children with communication impairment, with studies such as the Pre-school Autism Communication Trial (PACT) and IAMHealth, EPICC-ID, and AICES.

One of her latest projects, the ICALD study (Improving Communication with Adults with Learning Disabilities), is with adults, as communication needs often persist across the lifespan. Prof Slonims leads this study working with colleagues from Manchester University, the London School of Economics, and several departments at King’s College London. They are using a holistic approach that includes ethnographic studies, economic and process evaluations, and significant patient and public involvement. “The study follows naturally from our paediatric work in recognition that severe challenges in communication persist into adulthood” she says.

Prof Slonims has been keen to work with families, often in their home, where communication and daily living skills are naturally learnt. Reflecting on her work’s impact, she notes that families included in her studies value the provision of home based interventions, and research therapists report a renewed sense of purpose seeing real benefit in that context. Beyond improving patient outcomes, her studies have inspired therapists to pursue academic careers, strengthening the field’s overall research capacity.

Prof Slonims is a strong advocate for Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) in clinical academic careers. “There is no clear clinical academic career path for an allied health professional” she says. Through her role on the King’s Clinical Academic Training Office (KCATO) Professions Allied to Healthcare board and Evelina Research & Innovation committee, she champions the need for research opportunities for AHPs, professions often underrepresented in academia.

Her recent appointment as professor represents not just a personal milestone, but a broader recognition of the importance of her field. Through her research, and patient care, she is committed to advancing the field of complex communication challenges.

Find out more about the work of KHP Women and Children's Health.