Stepping stones to the right path
As a parent, realising that your child is experiencing difficulties is an emotional experience. Feelings of worry, concern, helplessness and often frustration are common. When difficulties are subtle, complex or multi-faceted it can be difficult to articulate these concerns and for others to understand the impact that they are having on your child and on the whole family. A recent testimonial from a family reinforced to me the benefits of offering a stepping stone towards the right path. Grow Communication's pre-assessment aims to do just that.
“Katy did not promise us a diagnosis of kind but what was more important for us was her commitment to listen to us, support us & help us identify & manage whatever could be potentially causing our sons issues.” Parent and P7 child attending for Pre-assessment
Families frequently contact Grow Communication to discuss concerns about their child’s social communication difficulties. This may be an early concern, a need for a listening ear following years of unanswered questions or a more definite question needing answered. Families are often not ready to move to a full-blown in-depth private assessment which is costly both emotionally and financially.
We understand this which is why we have developed the pre-assessment offering. This assessment allows families to set out what has been happening for them and for the therapist to meet the young person and complete some initial assessment of their language and communication skills tailored to the young person’s needs. We also gather some background information, ask families to complete some screening questionnaires and if appropriate link with other’s involved such as school or nursery. As we learn more about how Autism can present, we realise and appreciate the significant variations in presentation and how this can manifest. We also understand that masking is a hugely common occurrence but leaves families feeling frustrated when education and health professionals struggle to identify with the families experiences at home. Click here https://wp.me/p5KOBh-Dl for Jude's wonderful blog about masking.
The assessment takes place at the Grow Communication Clinic and aims to be a calm and relaxed informal experience often involving coffee, juice and biscuits!
“My sons Pre Diagnostic Assessment was an incredible experience not only for my 11year old son, but also for me as a parent. The room at GROW is a beautiful place to spend time in, my son expressed that he felt very safe & happy there”
Parent
The pre-assessment aims to provide a safe non-judgemental place to lay out and acknowledge the parent’s and child’s experiences and concerns, and come to an agreement about the best next steps.
“I felt more heard, validated & seen that I had in all the 8 years I had been sharing my sons story with health professionals. I knew right away I had found an experienced specialist who would at last hold a safe space for us & truly listen to our story, without judgement”
Parent
'It felt different talking to Katy. Although she explained that she had to write down what I was saying, I knew she was still listening as I could tell she was asking me what she was feeling & not working her way through a list of questions, that helped & I liked that”
Child aged 11
At the end of the assessment, the family and therapist agree how best to proceed and a report is drafted. For some families, that single appointment and report with recommendations is enough. Many families go on to receive direct support based on the recommendations or to a further in-depth multi-disciplinary assessment.
"Following Katy's feedback we now at long last have a possible answer to all our worries & concerns but more importantly we have now have hope that alongside the expertise, skill & dedication of Katy & GROW we can as parents help our son manage his social, emotional & communication challenges & enable him to grow, flourish & be happy."
Parent
Katy
Katy Bennet Specialist Speech and Language Therapist
‘Passionate about unlocking potential’