Change is inevitable and we want to empower our kids to be able to take changes in their stride feeling empowered and supported. The "back to school spot the difference" encourages kids to take a proactive approach to something that can cause a lot of anxiety.
“My little girl has had many people fail to see her potential and it’s changed who I am as a parent and a therapist. I believe every child has unique interests, motivations, and strengths that need to be uncovered and recognised. What an honour and privilege it is to really see the greatness that lies in each child and to truly experience joy as each new (communication) skill is achieved."
One thing I love about our assessment work at Grow Communication is the opportunity that we have to get to know so many phenomenal individuals. And the chance to create an assessment space that is right for each one of those individuals. On this occasion it involved my very lovely puppy Paddy (I think he… Continue reading Puppies, PDA profiling and positives!
When I talk about AAC systems I talk about robust language systems. By that I mean a Communication system which will enable you to have access to all the words that you might need, and to communicate for all the reasons that human beings communicate. That might, just might, include being told something really cheeky. And at Christmas we need access not only to words that let us say "happy Christmas" and "thank you", but also to grumble, nag and bicker.
"His/her communication is in line with their cognitive development..." That is a phrase that I once wrote in discharge reports myself. It is what is termed cognitive referencing. It made sense at the time but it's now one that I have deleted from my clinical phrase book. As my journey into complex needs, and into… Continue reading Asking the questions
When Jude asked me to write a blog post about something I was passionate about it took me a while to decide on a topic. I started working with young people with autism 16 years ago and have been a lead specialist in autism in the NHS for almost eight years so there’s a lot… Continue reading Why a really good Autism assessment matters (Guest Post)
You may be aware that there has been lots going on behind the scenes at Grow Communication, Speech and Language Therapy!! It's been busy old time and we are well on the way to becoming a fully-fledged Social Enterprise - this means that all profits from our work go back into helping those with communication… Continue reading Roots, shoots and leaves – Grow is Growing!
PODD book Two of the questions that parents ask us most frequently at Grow Communication are: “How can I help my non-verbal child to communicate?”, or “We’ve done PECS but what can we do next to keep building our autistic child’s communication?” Some families have had PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) introduced, some have not. … Continue reading How can I help my non-verbal child communicate?
