Wordswell Services
Please browse through our list of services:
Assessment
Before any assessment we offer all clients a free discussion to discuss your needs and go through your options. You need to be sure that we are the right people to help and support you. Most assessments take place at the clinic but Janet will travel to your home or your child's school anywhere nationally. If this involves driving more than 2 hours each way it may be helpful for Janet to travel the night before and stay over in order to maximise the time available on the day.
Before or during an assessment you will be asked specific questions including the relevant history of your (or your child's) condition and any previous speech and language therapy treatment you may have had in the past. And, your formal assessment using standardised tests will enable you to receive detailed information about your condition compared to peers.
Your assessment may be undertaken as part of your therapy package as a baseline from which to measure future progress or it may be an in depth evaluation carried out in several settings and lasting 2-3 hours. The report may then be submitted as part of a Special Educational Needs statementing or appeal process.
Individual or Group Therapy at our Clinic
You will be pleased to hear that your therapy, if needed, can begin immediately after your assessment and will continue uninterrupted for as long as necessary so that we can build rapport and a personal relationship with you and develop a programme specifically tailored to your needs.
You will receive practical suggestions and ideas for activities which can be carried out at home in between sessions to maximise your progress.
Therapy sessions can be 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes or 90 minutes in duration. They can take place intensively (3 times per week), weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
Therapy can take place at your home, nursery, school or at our purpose built clinic in Little Downham, Cambridgeshire.
Home or School Based Therapy
Very young children can be seen with their main carer on a regular basis at the clinic or at home or nursery. Activities to develop speech and language are demonstrated and discussed during these sessions which are followed up by parents in between sessions.
Members of our team work in both independent and state schools, mainstream and special, funded either by parents, the school or the Local Education Authority. With parents’ permission, school visits are made as often as possible for clinic based clients, so we may observe your child in their school setting, discuss the nature of their difficulty and the implementation of the therapy programme in terms of approach and activities within the classroom.
Review/Re-assessment
Your progress is regularly reviewed, usually every 3-6 months, to provide you with evidence of your development as a basis for discussion and to refine your treatment programme if necessary. It also provides an opportunity to discuss and explore with you whether there are any other therapies which can help. In this way you know we are constantly trying to find the best possible package of integrated and co-ordinated treatment for you.
Speech and Language Therapy Programmes
If you live a distance away, or even abroad, and it is not practical for you to come to the clinic regularly (or indeed for us to travel to you) we are able to provide speech and language therapy programmes for you to carry out at your home or your child's school or nursery with telephone and e-mail contact for feedback and monitoring purposes.
If your child needs a speech and language therapy programme for school to be carried out by a Teaching Assistant on a daily basis as part of a statement of special educational needs we can provide this too. In these circumstances the fee is usually paid by the LEA.
Training for Parents, Carers or Professionals
Both Chris and Janet are experienced in providing training for parents, carers or professionals on a range of subjects relating to speech and language therapy including report writing for professionals providing evidence to Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunals or Medico-Legal Reports, speech and language development in twins, and the language of autism. Training was a significant part of Chris' role at Speakability working with families of adults who had had a stroke or head injury. Just e-mail or telephone us with your needs.
Medico-Legal Reports for Solicitors
Both Janet and Chris can provide Medico-Legal reports commissioned by a solicitor, on behalf of a client, for court purposes, in compensation or negligence cases for both children and adults. Fees for medico-legal cases commissioned by a solicitor are based on an hourly rate. All time spent in court is also charged at the hourly rate. Since 2004 Janet has undertaken approximately 6 of these cases per year and has appeared 3 times as an 'Expert Witness' in Court. One of these was in a criminal case and the other two were educational negligence cases.
Talks to Local Groups or Charities
If you have a group and would like either Chris or Janet or both to come and speak please don't hesitate to e-mail or telephone. Our services are provided free to local parent or carer support groups or charities. For groups more than 30 miles from the clinic a small contribution to our travelling expenses is greatly appreciated.
Helping You in Tribunal Hearings
Parliament sought to help children with special educational needs when it passed the Education Acts in 1993 and 1996. These Acts set up the independent tribunal system to which parents can appeal if dissatisfied.
Janet O’Keefe is experienced in providing Speech and Language Therapy Advice for Submission as part of the statutory assessment (1996 Education Act) and in attending SENDIS Tribunal hearings as an ‘Expert Witness’.
Since 2000 Janet has undertaken approximately 40 assessments and attended 10 hearings a year. She regularly works with the most eminent solicitors and barristers in the field of education law but also works with national charities and parent support groups.