Gillian Townend
PhD, MPhil, BMedSci(Speech)
About this speaker
Dr Townend (Gill) is a Senior Lecturer (Speech and Language Therapy) at the University of Huddersfield, UK, and Project Lead for Rett UK’s Communication and Education Support. She is also a freelance researcher at the Rett Expertise Centre Netherlands. In 2019 she was awarded a PhD by the University of Maastricht, for a thesis entitled: Rett syndrome: Recognising the communication challenges, needs and potential of individuals living with a rare disease.
From 2016, Gill led the project team behind the development of the Rett Syndrome Communication Guidelines (with funding from the International Rett Syndrome Foundation). The original (English language) Guidelines were published in March 2020; since then, Gill has worked with Rett associations around the world to translate the Guidelines into other languages. Her other research interests include development of alternative methodologies for assessing language and cognition in Rett syndrome; language processing in Rett syndrome; eye tracking and the functional use of eye gaze for communication; rare disease policy and its implications.
Dr Townend is co-founder of two support and training networks for Speech and Language Therapists who work with individuals with Rett syndrome (UK and NL), one for physiotherapists (NL), and one for educators (NL). These have been developed in collaboration with Rett UK and the Nederlandse Rett Syndroom Vereniging. In the UK she is also co-founder of a network of Regional Communication Champions who provide support and training for individuals with Rett syndrome and their families.
