My services & fees
Initial Assessments start from £195 (with report)
I work with children & young people aged 0-19 and sometimes young adults (19-25). I have specialisms in autism, selective mutism, speech disorders and complex communication needs (including AAC users).
Therapy appointments are £75 (online)
Therapy appointments are £90 (in-person)
Please note: there is an additional travel charge of £1.50 per mile for travel outside of Thanet postcodes CT7, CT8, CT9, CT10, CT11, CT12
Appointments available: Tuesday-Saturday, daytime, after-school & early evening.
Initial consultation & assessments
Our first appointment together is an opportunity for me to find out more about what you are looking for from speech and language therapy and to observe and assess your child/young person’s needs. It is the starting point for therapy planning.
An initial consultation appointment (in some form) will always be needed before starting any therapy with me. This may be a more informal appointment in some cases but it will always be a longer appointment and an assessment is usually needed. All options below are priced to include a detailed professional report – if you feel strongly that you do not need a report at this time, please discuss with me before the appointment.
Pre-school communication & language (18m-5 years)
A communication & language assessment for a pre-school child will be tailored to your child’s needs. It will be play-based and child-led as much as possible. I will use age-appropriate assessments for some children if I feel it is appropriate. I will focus on speech, language & communication (as that is my professional specialism) but I will also look broadly at all areas of a child’s development as part of my holistic assessment.
Appointments for pre-school children will often be in your own home (if you are in East Kent). I also have a clinic in Ash (between Sandwich & Canterbury) if you are outside my area and/or would just prefer to come to me.
I also offer online consultations & assessments via live video-calls. This can be a highly effective option for parents who cannot travel to me in East Kent and are wanting to access early intervention speech & language therapy for their child. Get in contact to discuss how this would work if you are unsure.
Pre-school communication assessments are 60-90 minutes & include a professional report which you will receive 7-10 working days after the appointment. If I feel further assessment or onward referrals to other professionals would be helpful I will let you know.
School-age language & communication needs LCN (5-18 years)
LCN can be complex to understand and is often an invisible difficulty in school.
A child with an unidentified language disorder/complex language needs may be very social with lots of friends, but they may be working much harder (underneath the surface) to listen & understand what others are saying to them and they may find it difficult to learn & remember new vocabulary. They also may find it difficult to talk to other people in a group setting as they may struggle to pay attention & remember what was said. Jokes, sarcasm and sayings might confuse them.
A child with a complex profile of SLCN will have layers of difficulty requiring different types of support in school. For example an autistic child may also have selective mutism & an associated language disorder.
I use a number of standardised formal language assessments for school-age children in order to give age-equivalent/centiles where possible as this can be very helpful in discussions with schools.
Appointments for school-age children are usually in my clinic in Ash (between Sandwich & Canterbury). I may offer a home visit to local families.
School-age communication assessment appointments are usually 2 hours. You will receive my professional report 7-10 working days after the appointment. If I feel further assessment or onward referrals to other professionals would be helpful I will let you know.
Speech sounds (pre-school to adults)
Speech sounds therapy is specialist help with speaking clearly so others can understand you. It can be just a few speech sounds that are different (e.g. the way you say /s/ in sausage or /r/ in rabbit) or many speech sounds & words that are unclear. Young children with a speech disorder can often be highly unintelligible. Speech disorders can be tiring, embarrassing & frustrating but with the right therapy & lots of practise speech can be improved. Most children with a mild or moderate speech disorder learn to speak clearly after just a few months of direct therapy. There are some speech disorders that are more severe and they do need more intensive therapy.
An accurate speech disorder diagnosis is always necessary to select the right therapy for your child and in the case of a more severe speech disorder a diagnostic block may be the first necessary step.
Appointments for speech can be in your home (in East Kent) or at my clinic in Ash (between Sandwich & Canterbury). I also offer online appointments via live video-calls and find that this is a highly effective option for speech (even for some younger children).
All speech assessment appointments include a full diagnostic assessment & professional report which you will receive 7-10 working days after the initial appointment (or after the diagnostic block).
Specialist assessments & reports
The more specialist assessments below are the most commonly requested. Please do still get in contact if you have a different assessment need as I may be able to help you or refer you to a colleague.
Education, Health & Care Plan(EHCP) – specialist health advice report: £650
An EHC Plan(EHCP)/statement of educational needs is an important legal document for your child/young person. It should clearly state their individual needs, any specific barriers to accessing education and then explicitly set out exactly what the Local Authority must provide for them within education. In order to provide decision-makers with enough information to make the best decisions on behalf of your child I will need more than a one-off appointment.
Example of what this can typically involve:
1) An initial conversation with a parent (often via video call) to gather a case history & gain their perspective on what is working well, any challenges.
2) A visit to child’s nursery/school to observe their functional ability in their current setting, with some 1:1 assessment as appropriate.
3) A focussed discussion with education staff to gain their perspective & give specialist advice.
4) A home visit to feedback to parents and see child’s functional ability at home, more 1:1 assessment may be carried out if needed.
5) A detailed health advice report outlining the assessment findings & a summary of my recommendations for provision within education & advice. This will be sent to you within 7-10 working days for you to share with your Local Authority and child’s school.
6) Liaison with SEN officer, Educational Psychologist, NHS SLT/OT/Physio (where appropriate)
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule(ADOS) – diagnostic assessment, detailed report & advice: £450
The ADOS assessment is a key component of the multidisciplinary autism diagnostic process in the UK. Most children will not receive a diagnosis without an ADOS assessment. It is considered the ‘gold standard’ autism assessment in the UK and respected internationally.
A typical children’s ADOS assessment with me includes:
1) An initial 30-45 minute semi-formal conversation with a parent/carer (ideally both parents/carers) in the form of a parent interview to gather a detailed developmental case history. This may take place on the day or we may arrange to do this via video call before the appointment.
2) A full ADOS play-based assessment carried out with your child using specific toys & activities (semi-structured assessment)
3) Immediate feedback to you on the day about the assessment & time to answer any questions you may have and to give bespoke advice.
4) A detailed ADOS report outlining the assessment findings & a summary of my recommendations and advice. This will be sent to you within 7-10 working days for you to share with your Paediatrician or clinical psychologist.
The ADOS does not provide all the diagnostic evidence needed for an autism diagnosis – a 2nd qualified health professional (such as a Paediatrician or Clinical Psychologist) would need to be involved for your child to be given the formal diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Please bear this in mind when booking this assessment.