Assessment
Our assessment may involve informal (play and chatting) and formal (completing a test that provides us with a score). Often assessment will involve both of these. We often complete an initial assessment at our first one or two meetings and continue to review and monitor a client’s progress as we work through our therapy program.
Defining our goals
Once we have an idea of a client’s strengths and weaknesses, we discuss these together to determine what our joint priorities are. This forms our initial therapy goals and from this we develop a treatment plan, discuss frequency of therapy sessions and any practise that will be carried out by others (carers, parents, therapy assistants, teacher aides) in between sessions. These goals are reviewed and updated as a client progresses.
Individual therapy
Our individual therapy sessions can be held in the clinic, at home, childcare, school or day service. Individual therapy sessions target treatment plans to reach our agreed goals. They may involve education for parents and caregivers, work and education for the client and always elements of play and enjoyment.
Group programs
Sometimes we find that a client may benefit from work within a group setting. Groups are tailored depending on the clients we have and what they are working on. As our clients allow, we have offered groups working on social thinking at school and at the clinic and AAC groups working in the community to use our devices at the shops and with each other in the community.
Education
We can provide formal education sessions to school or support staff relating to an individual client’s needs and program. We also provide information and practical hands on workshops to Educators regarding speech and language development, Alternative and Augmentative communication systems, social thinking and social skills.