I can help your
child make
improvements in
the following areas:
I can help your child make improvements in the following areas:
Stammering
Attention and listening
Play
Understanding
Talking
Speech sounds
Social communication
Assessment
This is ultimately a fact-finding mission. It starts with me collecting background information from you in the form of a parent questionnaire which I send to you in advance of our first session together. The more detail you include the better as it enables me to start building a picture of your child’s communication needs.
The initial assessment session typically lasts 1.5 hours and is likely to involve a combination of informal (e.g. observations during play) and formal assessments (e.g. structured tasks at a table), and parent discussion. Exploring your ‘best hopes’ for therapy is essential in this first session.
At the end of the assessment I provide a verbal summary of the findings and a recommended plan for the way forward. You will take away practical tips to start using with your child straight away. A full written report of the assessment findings will be provided within two to three weeks of the session. If I think it will be helpful to gain more information from another professional then I will recommend the appropriate referral.
Assessment takes place at my therapy room in central Brighton, at a client’s home in the Brighton and Hove area or online via Zoom.
Therapy
Therapy is a process and it involves us working together to achieve the best possible outcomes. I work very hard to achieve progress in an efficient way so that the therapy process does not need to be a lengthy one.
We start with an initial block of therapy which typically lasts eight sessions. Therapy goals are set together so that we are clear on where we are heading and it is important to have something to measure along the way.
The therapy approach will be either indirect or direct. An indirect approach involves working closely with you to facilitate change for your child and a direct approach involves therapist-led activities.
Sometimes a combination of approaches is used or it may be appropriate to start with an indirect approach and move on to a direct one.
Consecutive therapy sessions on a weekly basis are recommended as it helps to build progress week-on-week and keep the momentum going. Your commitment to home practice is a key component of all therapy and in achieving success. After the first block of therapy, we review the progress of therapy goals and, at this point, a decision is made about whether or not more therapy is needed.
Therapy usually takes place in my therapy room in central Brighton and home visits in surrounding areas of East and West Sussex can also be arranged. I can offer therapy sessions via Zoom for families who are not local to Brighton and Hove.
Stammering Therapy - Under sevens
We know that 1 in ten children stammer and 1% of those continue to stammer. A detailed assessment allows me to identify factors that indicate whether your child’s stammer is likely to persist or not. Unfortunately, this is not an exact science but my years of experience help me to determine the right pathway for your child.
Palin Parent-Child Interaction therapy (Palin PCI) is often the first port of call for therapy. Sometimes this is all that is needed. The Lidcombe Programme is another approach that I use.
I determine which approach is right for you and your child during the assessment. Both are parent-led and are reliant on your active involvement in the therapy process.
Whether your child requires one block of therapy or more, I set up a schedule of reviews as this allows me to closely monitor therapy progress and your child’s stammer. This is particularly important due to the variable and episodic nature of stammering.
Stammering Therapy - Over sevens
For those children who continue to stammer beyond seven-years-old, their stammer can have a greater impact on their life at school and at home. Typically, a family approach to therapy is adopted in the first instance. The focus is on developing the communication within the family to create a fluency-enhancing environment. Supporting your child to manage their thoughts and feelings related to stammering and themselves may be incorporated into this approach. If indicated, therapy will move on to working directly with your child and will be driven by what is important to them at the time.
As children enter into the teenage years a three-pronged approach to therapy is typically taken; 1. supporting their overall communication 2. using psychological approaches to explore their thoughts and feelings 3. working on specific speech management techniques. Families always play a key role in therapy and continue to be involved.