A BIT ABOUT ME
Who Am I?
I am a paediatric speech and language therapist with nearly 20 years’ experience.
I am based in Barnet, North London and I offer visits to homes, nurseries and schools.
I also provide teletherapy (remote sessions via Zoom).
I specialise in working with pre-school and early primary-aged children with communication difficulties linked to:
Language Delay/Disorder (DLD)
Bilingualism
Autism (ASD/ASC)
Challenging Behaviour
Stammering (Dysfluency)
I believe in early intervention and in empowering parents and practitioners in knowing how best to support a child with their communication on a daily basis.
I am also a parent to two young children and I understand first-hand the demands of being a parent and wanting the best possible outcomes for your child.
Experience
I have nearly 20 years' experience of working as a speech and language therapist, 15 years of which was in the NHS. I have worked in a variety of settings including community clinics, nurseries, language units, mainstream and special schools. I have worked closely with parents, teachers, teaching support staff and nursery staff as well as with Occupational Therapists, Clinical and Educational Psychologists.
I believe in life-long learning.
My therapeutic approach has evolved with my experience and seeing what interventions have the greatest impact. I attend regular training and supervision in order to keep abreast of the latest therapeutic practices and research.
Qualifications
In 2002 I graduated from University College London with a BSc in Speech Science.
I am a certified member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT), the Healthcare Professionals Council (HCPC) and the Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practise (ASLTIP).
Since qualifying as a therapist
I have undertaken the following training:
VERVE Child Interaction Therapy
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy
Intensive Interaction
Social Thinking
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
British Sign Language (BSL) – Levels 1 & 2
Foundation course in Makaton
smiLE (Strategies and Measurable Interaction in Live English) training
Cued Articulation
I have a current DBS certificate
TESTIMONIALS
Francesca's help was life changing for us. Before she arrived our two sons would rarely make eye contact and had a lot of difficulty communicating. By helping us to understand VERVE techniques, Francesca's work began showing notable results within around two months. VERVE was one of the building blocks that helped our boys understand how to gain our attention and communicate with us effectively. It was a crucial step that led to them learning to point at things they wanted and eventually ask for them instead. We still use VERVE techniques everyday and are still seeing its benefits. Thank you Francesca for your excellent explanations and for always going the extra mile with feedback and support.
Dad of 3-year-old twins
We first requested Francesca's help when our son began stammering around age 2.5. Our online sessions were very parent focused as Francesca equipped us with the tools needed to support our son at home. Her expert knowledge and advice made us feel less alone in helping our son move forward and empowered us to work with him through one to one play sessions. The outcomes have been extremely positive and we are so thankful to have found Francesca. Her calm and kind demeanor has made going through this potentially scary process really easy and we always highly recommend her.
Mum of a 3 year old with a stammer
I found the entire VERVE process incredibly positive. It gives us, as parents, a feeling of being an integral part of the process and took away the feeling of helplessness and frustration because we were actively working towards an outcome.
Mum of 4-year-old with language delay
Services and Fees
Initial Assessment: £150 (a £50 non-refundable deposit to be paid when booking your initial assessment and £100 to be paid on the day of the assessment). This would involve a one-to-one assessment with your child in their home environment. Your child's play, interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication would be observed and assessed. Further information would be taken from you about your concerns as well as a case-history about your child's background and development. The session would normally last 1.5 hours and a brief written assessment summary with recommendations would be sent to you after the session.
Report for EHCP request: £400 This would include assessing your child in their educational setting, gathering information from key staff and from you and writing a detailed report which would include recommendations for your child's long and short term therapy intervention
Therapy sessions: £70 per session. A typical block of therapy would be 4 therapy sessions (roughly 1 hour per session) followed by a review 4-6 weeks later. After briefly discussing your child's communication with you on the phone or via email it might already be clear that your child would benefit from therapy without the need for further assessment. In this case, there is no need to do an initial assessment first: dynamic assessment is an integral part of the therapy process and I will have a much clearer understanding of your child's communication and the progress that they are likely to make after a block of therapy. If you would like a report at the end of the block of therapy then this can be arranged for an additional £70.
Additional Services: £70 per hour. This might include attending multi-disciplinary meetings, doing a nursery or school visit to observe, assess and make recommendations and/or liaising with other professionals about your child, where appropriate.
CONTACT ME
Please send me an email or give me a call to talk about your child's communication and your concerns and about what services I can offer to you and your child.
07306412192
