Through years of research and experience we have developed a robust programme of assessment that is individualised to every child. There is no one size fits all, every child is different and unique and their learning and needs should be assessed in this way.

 

Our starting base is the traditional VB MAPP and ABLLS-R assessments. Once we have established the patterns that emerge from these we combine the typical trajectory of learning and linguistics to form our own method that we call Child Centred Behaviour Assessment (CCBA).

 

The way that we assess is different to the typical stance taken in the UK which is to assess where a child currently sits in the learning curve and work backwards from there. Why don’t we agree with this method? One obvious reason is that a considerable number of children have already acquired skills in a column of learning at the ‘top’.  So if we assessed backwards then we would likely stop too soon and gaps will be left unplugged. Research shows that this system leads to thousands of children being discharged from traditional SLT when they are in dire need of help.

 

So we go from the bottom up. We assess right from birth, whatever age the child is. Where there are no gaps, this really doesn’t take too long. It is better to be more robust and thorough as a missed gap early on really can cause the most wobbly of towers later on. This can result in behaviour challenges, anxiety, social isolation, aggression, apathy, intense resistance to learning, heightened senses of persecution or children that school and professionals just ‘can’t put their finger on’. 

 

If we find a gap then we dig deeper and wider and we assess as we go. We focus on language, social skills, communication, emotions and behaviour. Our assessment is not an assessment for assessment’s sake. We find a gap and plug it whilst we continue to assess, always taking a two-pronged approach. Above all, we are always gentle in our approach. We don’t use heavy handed techniques. Your child is always at the centre of their own treatment plans and the targets we put in to place are for their benefit. 

 

For children with an advanced repertoire of social and language skills we also have extensive programmes. These allow us to robustly teach the skills our children need, whilst we complete barriers to learning, transition struggles and any other behaviours such as the apprehension to apply.

 

Our team are passionate about motivation and our assessments allow us to teach our children to ‘learn to learn’.