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6 months, 4 weeks ago by Mixxi |
Good advice to Louc there Chris. Just wanted to add a message of support to Louc - I'm about to step on the tribunal trail so you have my sympathy and good wishes. Also to urge you to access all means of help available such as Parent Partnership Service - can be a bit variable but worth a shot. Don't forget Afaisic - http://www.afasicengland.org.uk/ which has tonnes of useful advice for parents of children with speech and language difficulty. (not that I'm treading on your advising toes Chris) |
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6 months, 2 weeks ago by kathryn |
HI, I will try and be positive, but, I am trying to fight a slt report. My daughter goes to special and mainstream school, She does was is expected of her in each school. the specail does not expect, so she does not give. Completely opposite in mainstream. the SLT will only report on the special school. I think this is to do with funding and they want to remove direct SLT from her statement. How do you fight these professionsls? She has seen her in mainstream and ignored everything she saw and heard. |
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6 months, 2 weeks ago by London Speech Therapy |
Hi Kathryn , I hope you don't mind me butting in but I have a few questions. 1) Can you clarify whether you have one or two SLTs as it sounds like you have one at the special school and one at the mainstream school? 2) With the report that you are 'questionning' were there any formal language assessments used? Formal language assessments (such as the TROG, CELF-4, BPVS etc) allow us to view your daughter in comparison with her typically developing peers by providing us with a Percentile Rank (how she compares with a group of 100 peers of the same age range) and an Age Equivalent (what the equivalent age is for the score she obtains). 3) Has your daughter been recently assessed by a Cognitive or Educational Psychologist and if so does she have a cognitive profile? A cognitive profile (IQ scores etc) plus a communication profile allow us to see whether a child's language is inline with their learning; based on the understanding that thought powers language (the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis - sorry I'm a geek!). 4) What is your duaghter's current SLT provision on Part 3 of her statement? 5) How does your daughter's communication impairment impact on her ability to i) access the national curriculum and ii) build and maintain quality social relationships (i.e. what is her Quality of Life like?). Apologies for so many questions. Chris W, London Speech Therapy |
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6 months, 2 weeks ago by Louc |
Hi Mixxi, thanks for your support during this very challenging time. I have Parent Partnership on board and have also spoken with Afasic as well as ACE, IPSEA, even my local MP! I still cannot quite believe that I am having to take my LEA to court (with independent reports at my considerable expense) to prove they are breaking the law. There is very little specification of SALT in Part 3 and no quantification at all. Following a recent cognitive development assessment, my sons verbalisation skills scored only 57 and yet his perceptual reasoning is at average, approx 98. He clearly has average intelligence and yet extremely low verbalisation. For me that's clear he needs considerable SALT input to allow him to access the curriculum and achieve his potential and yet no one, apart from an independent paid for SALT will state this. Good luck with your tribunal too Mixxi, keep fighting and hopefully we will all secure the help our children so badly need. |
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6 months, 2 weeks ago by toast |
Hi Chris - how do you assess and work with children at the more profound end of the scale? With additional issues like deafness. What assessments do you use etc? I too feel like my daughter has been a little bit left behind in terms of SALT provision. Her statement is v wooly and outdated. Am keen to do all that we can for her. I would love her to be able to use pictures to make choices etc. Any advice much appreciated |
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6 months ago by London Speech Therapy |
Dear Toast, Thank you for your question and apologies for the late reply. With children with more profound impairments the key is to ascertain what your daughter does to mean "yes" and "no" - such responses need not be words but can be behaviours such as looking away/pursing her lips/pushing objects away or accepting objects near her. The team working with your daughter will need to record how she responds to different stimuli. When thinking about choice making developmentally you should start with offering her a choice of 2 objects to choose from (look up Objects of Reference); you may at later date move on developmentally to photos; then symbols; then words however this is dependent on her abilities. Also, check out the Routes for Learning assessment. I hope that helps, Chris |
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5 months, 3 weeks ago by lety |
Message for Chris and the mums too. Hello My son is 7 years old and autistic. He is also non verbal. He has been using PECS for the past 5 years and 3/4 words have come but not in a consistent way. He is attending a Special school and receives Speech Therapy but not on one to one basis but as a group session; we reckon that he receives only 15/ 20 mns every two weeks. The NHS Speech Therapist is divided between 2 classes and is only going one day a week to the school. The Review meeting with the school and S< raised our concerns on the input he receives. Prior to the meeting, I had a few exchanges of emails with the S< and the Head of the AUtism Unit, I was assured by the school that the staff have all received Speech and Language Therapy Training from the S< who also tells me that they have the knowledge and skills to work with P (my son), supported by the Speech Therapist. The Speech therapist thinks that at the moment, Group therapy is the most useful and appropriate way for Pierre to receive Speech and lgage therapy. She also said 1:1 S&TL would not be of particular benefit at this point. My question is: How can they know that? So far, their approach hasn't worked!!! As you may appreciate, I am very upset, confused and feel like giving up..... . We, the parents, would feel that P would benefit from one to one Speech Therapy once a week, which I understand would be carried out by a private therapist at a certain cost. I am now desperate to explore this route as I feel the NHS approach is not working in a way that I feel it does not respond to P's needs. I am grateful for any tips or advice on how 1:1 session can help and also funding of the therapy many thanks Lety |
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5 months, 3 weeks ago by London Speech Therapy |
Dear Lety, Sorry for my late reply. When working with children with complex communication needs on particuar skills (such as a highly structured programme like PECS) I strongly believe that the child needs to have opportunities to learn and practise the new skill/phase in a 'less challenging' environment (such as a 1:1 or in a pair) before they are expected to generalise this skill in a distracting environment (with high language, social and sensory demands). The key to challenging and validating any intervention is having outcomes that can be measured - have you been told what P's current targets are and what the progress has been in the group setting? Chris |
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5 months, 2 weeks ago by lety |
Hello Chris, Thank you for your reply. and don't worry about the delay. I totally understand your workload and thank you for taking time to read all these messages. P's targets are as follows: 1) P will demonstrate understanding of the word "down" using rolling objects and himself. 2) P will consistently respond to adult vocalisations during intensive interaction sessions (during free choice and play times in the classroom). 3) P will use PECS book to communicate what he wants (throughout the day, and in particular emphasis on use in regular routines such as snack time and singing in group sessions).4) P will use his PECS book to comment on things that interest or motivate him. 5) P will communicate using single words within established play routines (use "little group" activities and model single words for him to imitate). 6) encourage turn-taking within this activity if other children are repeatedly speaking before he can. Use photos of the children to indicate whose turn it is to speak. When possible, simply encourage P to contribute along with other children rather than enforcing turn-taking, in a way that it will provide some good models for him. Well - what I know that is that the NHS therapists have been using these methods for the past 4 years and Pierre is still using 3 or 4 words. Maybe his social interaction has increased but I don't see any "moving forward". Maybe I should accept he will never talk. Your thoughts and advice will be very welcome. Many thanks. Lety |
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5 months, 1 week ago by London Speech Therapy |
Dear Lety, Whilst it is not my place to make comments about another therapist's targets I do feel that 6 targets are a lot to be working on at the same time. Do you have any evidence (photos, assessment scores, videos etc) of your child at the beginning of the SLT's intervention? Often it's difficult to see a child's progress when you are with them 24/7 and sometimes looking back at previous videos can demonstrate developments. The most difficult question I am asked on a daily basis is "will my child ever talk?" and the truth is that with neuro- developmental disorders it is not always possible to give a confident yes/no answer to this question. What the evidence does show is that a Total Communicatino Approach (e.g. PECS, Intensive Interaction, Makaton, language enriched environments etc) have a positive impact on developing verbal language skills. Also, have a read up on 'sabotage' for children with Autism. Warm regards, Chris |
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