Supporting Speech, Language and Communication Needs
Speech and Language Therapy in Kent and Medway
Supporting Speech, Language and Communication Needs
Welcome !
About me
I am Ruth, a Speech and Language Therapist.
I graduated in 2000 and have worked within the NHS Speech and Language Therapy Services for 18 years. This is where I fell in love with working with children and young people with severe and complex additional learning needs and being part of making a difference in their communication difficulties.
I have mainly worked in special needs schools, but also have experience working in settings such as community clinics, nurseries and mainstream schools.
I have experience of working in a specialised regional NHS service with a multidisciplinary team providing specialist Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Assistive Technology (AT) for children and young people with complex communication needs.
I am a registered AAC NLA (Natural Language Acquisition)/GLP (Gestalt Language Processor) trained clinician and you can find me on the MeaningfulSpeech register.
Mission
I am an experienced speech language therapist and I am dedicated to providing the best possible care to clients. I am committed to ongoing professional development and staying up-to-date with the latest research and techniques within speech and language therapy.
Services
I work primarily with Neurodivergent children and young people in the Medway and Gravesham area. I have experience with a wide range of Speech, Language and Communication Needs including Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Complex Communication needs and Developmental Language Disorders.
I strongly believe in presuming competence and following a child led approach. I focus on empowering others around your child/young person to support their communication difficulties.
I provide assessment, advice and intervention for children from Preschool up to the age of 18. I will work with your child in their educational setting being either a mainstream educational settings or a specialist educational setting.
Assessment and Therapy fees
Assessment
I do not offer services in second opinions and tribunals. Fees are non-negotiable to ensure equity of services across families.
Pre-assessment
Prior to the assessment, I will take a detailed case history including all background information and discuss your concerns for your child. This often takes place via MS Teams or via a phone call and usually takes about 30 minutes. The information will be analysed prior to the assessment.
Assessment
£175
I will use a range of assessments and observations to determine whether or not therapy will be beneficial or recommendations only. This face to face part of the assessment usually last between 45 to 60 minutes. Reports can be provided at an additional cost.
Reports
from £150
Reports can be provided after an assessment or following a block of therapy. Prices are calculated according to the duration of the report writing.
If you require a comprehensive report to support an application for an EHCP detailing your child's strengths and needs the price will be discussed beforehand.
Therapy
Fees are non-negotiable to ensure equity of services across families.
Therapy
£75
Sessions are 45 minutes and can include face to face with your child, observations, coaching of parents/carers, teaching assistants/nursery nurses and teachers. In addition, time will be spent before and after the appointment preparing and writing up the session.
As part of your child’s package of care there might be other work involved such as attendance of meetings, resource making for home/school/nursery and writing therapy programmes. This work will be charged at a rate of £75/hour.
Travel
Appointments will be offered in either your child’s nursery/ school or your home. I work in West Kent. The first 10 miles in any direction that I travel from my home in Rochester are free. Thereafter, mileage will be charged at £2/mile for to and return journeys.
Online advice sessions.
£65
In some cases, you might be looking for advice on how to support your child's speech, language and communication skills. This can be offered online. These sessions are maximum 60 minutes.
Fees are based on professional experience, time outside the session for planning, note writing and liaison. Prices are subject to review.
Registrations
