Type of service: Assessment, Diagnostic services, Interventions and therapies, Speech and Language Therapists (independent)

Website: http://www.growsalt.uk

Grow and Thrive Limited offers neurodevelopmental assessment for Autism Spectrum Conditions and ADHD. We offer Gold Standard Multi-disciplinary neurodevelopmental assessment compliant with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guidelines. We are a registered assessment centre with the PDA society. All parts of the assessment are conducted by 2 (or more) clinicians. This follows best practice and we do not offer single clinician assessment.
Our Multi-Disciplinary team can include: Specialist Speech and Language Therapists, Clinical Psychologists, Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, Dietitian and Educational Psychology.

Assessments involve seeing the child/young person in a range of settings including home. Assessment involves completion of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and face to face meeting with family to gather a detailed case history (which may use the DISCO). We do not rely solely on impersonal questionnaires and feel strongly that taking time over a cup of tea to explore and unpack what has been going on for a child/young person is invaluable for thorough assessment. We liaise with local services as fully as possible, as we find this helpful in getting a diagnosis recognised locally. We include a follow-up feedback session as standard.

We also offer pre-assessment session for families who wish to discuss their concerns rather than proceeding straight to a full multi-disciplinary assessment. This lengthy session usually lasts 2-3 hours and involves meeting with the family and the child/young person and the formulation of a report and recommendations based on the information gathered/observed.

We are also a registered assessment centre for the diagnosis of the Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) profile of Autism, and offer a PDA profiling assessment for children and young people who already have a diagnosis of Autism. Our multidisciplinary team offers a PDA profiling assessment which is focused on unpacking the challenges that are cropping up, building understanding of what is driving those challenges and understanding and valuing their neurodiversity and identifying (and documenting) the individualised supports and strategies that are needed for that individual to thrive.This is a differential diagnostic process and we may conclude that a family may need to seek further assessment and support, for instance for ADHD, for mental health, for language skills etc. At Grow and Thrive we have decided to offer this as a day package - with assessment, formulation and report writing all happening on that day - followed by a feedback session scheduled the following week. This can be individual or group input and can include training to the wider network. Support is carried out at the Grow and Thrive Clinic, at home or within the education establishment.Therapeutic support can include:· Pre-school Autism Communication Therapy (PACT) - (an evidence-based intensive programme for developing communication skills - note this is not a behavioural approach);· AAC supporting a child to develop effective communication using alternative means· PROMPT therapy for developing speech production.· For Social Communication we offer individual and group work including Social Thinking, Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS), peer-play, communicative confidence and more.

Assessment procedure: Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO); Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS); Conners attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) scales. Other assessments are used as appropriate, such as neuro-psychological assessment, language assessment and sensory profiling.
 

Aimed at: Adolescent , Adult , Child , Young person

Gender: All genders

Referral Sources: NHS and Private

Covers: North East, North West

Specialisms: Has autism-specific elements, Staff and volunteers get autism awareness training

Other specialisms: Challenging behaviour, Learning disability

Registrations and professional qualifications: Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Registered; Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists (RCSLT); and Association of Speech & Language Therapists in Independent Practice (ASLTIP)