Assessment, therapy, and review.

I always start with an initial assessment at your home or your child's school. The assessment involves discussing your child's history with you and informally assessing your child's communication through observation, play and interaction. In some cases it is also necessary to carry out a formal assessment to gain a comprehensive picture of your child's communication abilities and needs.

You will be present throughout the entire assessment, and I will then provide a summary report including recommendations. Since I may need to discuss your child's communication needs with other professionals involved in your child's care, the report can also be circulated to them with your consent.

Assessment recommendations

Recommendations generally fall into one of the following categories:

• Further assessment
• Individual therapy at home or at school
• Home programme with review
• No further action required

Further assessment

Further assessment may be required for a number of reasons, and it is often necessary to gather as much information as possible about your child's communication difficulties to tailor effective therapy.

Individual therapy

Individual therapy is carried out at your home with you present, so you can observe the therapy tasks and techniques, enabling you to carry out activities with your child between sessions. Practising at home between sessions can result in significant additional progress. Therapy can also be delivered at your child's school — you are welcome to be part of these sessions, or homework can be given for you to carry out with your child between them.

Home programme

A home programme involves a session discussing and demonstrating tasks and activities for you to carry out at home over an agreed period of time. There will then be a review assessment session to assess progress.

No further action required

No further action might be required for a number of reasons (e.g. your child's communication skills are at the same level as their peers, or it is agreed therapy would not be helpful at this time).