Services we offer

I offer a wide range of services for both parents and professionals as detailed below. Please note these lists are not exhaustive so if you have a specific query or request not listed here, please do not hesitate to get in touch and we can discuss your requirements further.

FOR PARENTS

I specialise in assessment and therapy for children under the age of 5. However I also have experience working with primary school age children.

Initial Assessment

I will conduct an initial assessment and write a subsequent report based on this for all children. This will likely include a case history, observations of you and your child’s interactions and play and either an informal or a formal assessment depending on the age and stage of development of your child. This will give us a thorough idea of where your child’s strengths and needs lie as well as their stage of development. We will be able to ascertain whether your child would benefit from support and if so, what therapy would be best suited to their needs. This will also indicate whether your child would benefit from a referral to other services, such as for a hearing assessment.

Review Assessment

If you have completed a course of therapy but remain on my waiting list for another block, I can offer you a review assessment. This will be similar to the format for an initial assessment (as described above) but it will not involve a case history and will be more specifically focused on your child’s area(s) of need and progress towards goals.

Therapy

Therapy may be offered as a 1:1 or in a group depending on the needs of your child. For younger children this session will be mostly play-based, modelling activities and strategies for you to continue with your child at home. For older children therapy will be more adult-led with activities designed to support the child around their area(s) of need. Older children will be included in discussions around their difficulties and decisions around their own goals as appropriate.

I can support with a wide range of communication skills including:-

• Attention and listening skills
• Understanding language and following instructions
• Using words and putting words together
• Expressing wants and needs, as well as ideas and feelings
• Telling stories
• Understanding and using specific vocabulary
• Grammatical concepts in spoken language
• Phonological awareness (splitting words into sounds – crucial for literacy development)
• Pronunciations of words – including making speech sounds in isolation, in words, sentences and at conversation level
• Understanding and discussing school topics
• Social communication and interaction – including eye contact, turn taking, staying on topic
• Non-literal uses of language such as idioms
• Fluency

Other Services

• Nursery or school visits or liaisons
• Attendance at Multi-Disciplinary Team Meetings regarding your child
• Liaison with other professionals such as health visitors or nursery

Parent Workshops – UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

These workshops are typically run in small groups of up to 10 people. They are often more flexible than big training sessions but can include a presentation, activities and discussions around the following topics:-

• Typical communication development and red flags for children at risk of a communication difficulty
• Key strategies that could be implemented to support young children at home
• Makaton
• Attention building strategies
• Understanding diagnoses and related difficulties
• Speech development: including typical development and developmental errors, unusual errors and key strategies for how to help
• Bilingualism

FOR PROFESSIONALS

I can support nursery and school staff, as well as health and other professionals such as health visitors, family support workers, occupational therapists and psychologists.

Training

I offer training sessions for professionals on a wide range of topics related to communication development, including (but not limited to):-

• Typical communication development and how to spot children at risk of disorder or delay
• Key strategies that could be implemented to support young children in the setting
• Makaton
• Attention Builders
• Understanding diagnoses and related difficulties
• Bilingualism

Professional Workshops

These workshops are typically run in small groups of up to 10 people. They are often more flexible than big training sessions but can include a presentation, activities and discussions around the following topics:-

• Typical communication development and red flags for children at risk of a communication difficulty
• Key strategies that could be implemented to support young children at home
• Makaton
• Attention Builders
• Understanding diagnoses and related difficulties
• Speech development: including typical development and developmental errors, unusual errors and key strategies for how to help
• Bilingualism

Health Promotion Events

Discussions with parents from a stall (to be provided by event organiser) and leaflets. Topics include:-

• Typical communication development
• Red flags for children at risk of a communication difficulty
• General advice and support
• Family-specific discussion of concerns and advice
• Bilingualism

Service Level Agreements

School or nursery commissions to support children within your setting. Includes signing a Service Level Agreement detailing how you wish my time to be spent. This may be in a number of ways, but most commonly used for assessments, group and 1:1 therapy of specific children you have concerns about, parent and teacher meetings, teacher advice regarding known or unknown (anonymised) children and staff training. Consent must be obtained by the setting from parents for direct contact with, or discussions concerning, specific children.