My belief is that therapy is most effective in a distraction-free environment which the child associates with doing speech and language therapy work (or games!).
For this reason I provide assessment and therapy in a dedicated therapy room within my home. In some cases, it may be necessary to see your child in your own home. For this service I will have to charge travel expenses.
It is also possible for me to visit your child’s school or pre-school to provide advice and support to teaching staff. If you think this would be beneficial to your child, please discuss this with me.
In terms of both the assessment sessions and following therapy sessions, every effort will be made to get the best from your child and to put them at ease. Time will be taken to discuss your concerns and give advice accordingly.
Therapy Services
Full Assessment
A full assessment includes two separate sessions which last for approximately one hour, depending on your child’s abilities. A questionnaire will be sent out for completion by you prior to the initial consultation. This will help to plan for the assessment and will ensure that the assessment is tailored to your child’s level of abilities.
Comprehensive assessment is also a very important part of therapy as it provides clear baselines of the child’s speech and language abilities and provides information about what areas to target in therapy.
A verbal report of the assessment findings will be given at the end of the assessment sessions, and it will be discussed with you whether further therapy sessions are recommended. Following the assessment sessions you will be provided with a written report detailing the results and recommendations.
Single Assessment
This assessment is a single session that lasts between an hour and an hour and a half. As with a full assessment a questionnaire will be sent out for completion by you prior to the initial consultation. The assessment will be carried out to identify your child’s speech, language and communication needs. A verbal report of the assessment findings will be given at the end of the assessment session and it will be discussed with you whether further assessment/therapy sessions are recommended. This will be followed by a brief summary report outlining the assessment findings and recommendations.
Following the assessment sessions it will be possible to let you know if your child’s speech, language and communication is within normal limits for their age or if they would benefit from speech and language input.
Screening assessment
A screening assessment will be offered if your child has already been seen for a recent speech and language assessment. An up to date report will be needed (up to 3 months prior to the screening session) and sent to the therapist prior to the screening assessment. For this service you will be charged the hourly session rate. This service does not include a report but you will be given verbal feedback by the therapist. Once therapy begins you will be provided with written therapy targets/objectives.
It is also possible to offer a screening assessment if your child’s difficulties are relatively minor and discrete, for example, difficulties articulating a particular sound. Please let me know if you think this is the case and at the initial appointment it will be possible to ascertain whether a full assessment is necessary.
Therapy sessions
Individual therapy sessions for your child will usually be offered on a weekly basis and will last from 45 minutes to an hour. This will depend on your child’s attention and listening skills, and level of development. Therapy sessions will be tailored to target any areas of difficulty but they will also be tailored to their interests as much as possible. Therapy should be fun and motivating, and increase your child’s levels of self esteem.
This time also includes discussion regarding what targets to work on over the following week. Therapy will be most successful when it is carried out on a regular basis following the individual session with your child. As with any form of tutoring or therapy, the number of sessions your child may need will vary according to the severity of the difficulty, your child’s ability to learn and the support given to enhance your child’s progress.
Reports
Speech and language therapists are required to write reports about their clients to meet professional standards. The report will provide you with information about your child’s abilities and difficulties, progress achieved (if your child has been attending regular sessions) and recommendations about further support if necessary. This is a useful document for you to share with others that are involved in your child’s development. Any report writing will be agreed with the parent before writing or will be part of the service provided e.g. a full assessment.
Programmes
Both the parents and pre-school/ nursery/school (if appropriate) will be provided with a copy of the programme for your child as part of a block of therapy. This will tell you what is being worked on with your child and the strategies that can be used to achieve those targets. This will not be charged and will be up-dated when appropriate if your child is attending on-going individual sessions. At the end of a period of therapy, or following an assessment you may like a new programme to continue at home or for your child’s school to follow. This service will be charged at the hourly rate.
Child-related meetings
It is sometimes beneficial for the therapist to attend meetings that concern your child’s speech, language and/or communication difficulties. If this situation arises, please inform the therapist and the school that you wish for her to attend. This service will be charged at the hourly rate.