Jackie Cooke qualified as a speech therapist in 1983, at the School for the Study of Disorders of Human Communication (now part of the City University, London). For nearly ten years she worked with a variety of client groups, in a wide range of settings, within Lewisham and Southwark. Since 1986 she has specialized in the communication problems of children and adults with severe learning difficulties, becoming particularly interested in teaching social skills. In 1994 she gained an MSc in Human Communication from City University. She is joint author of 'Working with Children's Language', also published by Winslow/Speechmark. She is currently working in the city of Coventry.