Janet O'Keefe » Speech And Language Therapy

The Social Competence and Enhancement Programme (SCAEP) – Sandy Burcbach – Speech and Language Therapist – Shapwick School

Janet — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:22:52 +0000

Effective therapeutic interventions, in any discipline, have always depended on a careful identification of the factors comprising the presenting problem; the systemic processes shaping, and shaped by, the child; and the information and belief structures supporting the coping strategies developed as a result. For the Speech and Language Therapist, difficulties in the acquisition of social communication skills frequently signals the presence of a wider range of language, emotional and educational issues, all of which could be impacting on the child`s potential for independence, integration in society, educational attainment and long- term mental health. As a result, social communication work is often an integral part of programme delivery, and much time and energy has been devoted to the development of the many excellent resources available to address social communication needs in a range of settings and client- groups.
Shapwick School is a specialist day and boarding school for pupils (8yrs – 19yrs) with dyslexia, DCD, ADHD, developmental verbal dyspraxia, sensory processing difficulties and other related disorders. Approximately 70% of our pupils attend weekly individual and/or group Occupational and Speech and Language Therapy sessions and all new students are screened by both therapies on entry. The Therapies are seen as an integral part of the school`s multi-disciplinary approach to the educational process and are involved in all aspects of the school`s functioning. We take the view that, while language and sensory processing difficulties impact on every aspect of our students` lives, they can be remediated or compensated for most effectively when a unified approach is applied by the whole system- school/ college, parents, students and their peer group. Systemic thinking is by no means new in education or therapy, but its application often presents a thornier issue as daily life interferes with theory! I feel it is vital that we at least acknowledge that every decision or action we take, as teachers, clinicians or parents, will have a knock-on effect on every other aspect of our children’s provision, and ultimately the child’s decision- making. As social communication is about making decisions which affect oneself and others, the ability to recognise chains of reaction is a cornerstone of the SCAEP approach.
The Social Competence and Enhancement Programme (SCAEP) was formally introduced about 8 years ago as a weekly group session for students with identified social skills difficulties. It drew on a range of materials from published social skills, emotional literacy and pragmatics programmes and ran for two terms every year. Other forms of medium and short- term interventions (e.g. Circle of Friends; “Pitstop” ) were also regularly used in the rest of the school in response to perceived need, but varied from year to year and were often driven by the needs of specific pupils or contexts.
However, over the last 5 years I have become increasingly aware of three important factors which seem to be impacting on the long- term carryover that our students achieve in real- life situations, when trying to apply the principles they have worked on in SCAEP group viz. 1) In many cases the severity of their sensory processing problems, literacy, working memory and language needs interferes with their access to language- based social skills interventions. Co-working between Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language is becoming increasingly vital in laying the sensory processing groundwork to support our social communication work across the school. 2) Our students have marked difficulties in connecting the ideas and concepts contained in social skills programmes with their own understanding of how the world works. Many of them have difficulties with theory of mind, but also with basic semantic issues such as categorisation, so that identifying social similarities and differences becomes a language test rather than a coping strategy. These difficulties appear to have a particular impact in Yrs 8/9, when the opinions of the peer group assume primary importance, and has resulted in the complete reworking of SCAEP delivery at Shapwick School. 3) At the same time, there is an increasingly alarming body of research emerging from different clinical, psychiatric, educational and criminological fields indicating a significantly high incidence of literacy, social communication and language difficulties amongst young people with severe mental health problems and in the justice system. My concern is that if the sensory processing problems of our students have such a fundamental effect on the development of their cognitive constructs, and if many of our students cannot fully access remediation programmes on offer because of language difficulties, then they are also prevented from accessing the mainstream talking therapies on offer in the NHS. This raises the issue of where our students will go for support as adults.
In the current climate of continuous cost- led reform, there is a temptation to sit tight, rely on existing resources and protect our personal fields of influence. It is vital that we do not lose sight of the fact that our disciplines exist as a result of need, and that meeting those needs continues to rely on an expanding knowledge- base and willingness to share, adapt and apply principles from related fields in order to fine- tune our work and counteract some of the effects of continuous instability in the systems we live and work in.
My workshop will outline the key features of the SCAEP programme and describe an attempt (in progress!) to design a multidisciplinary intervention which serves three purposes: 1)Taking students back through the sensory building blocks of basic social communication concepts e.g. personal space, in order to construct more complete concepts /schemas based on sensory processing of, and shared attention to, key sensory characteristics; 2) The development of sensory and language correlates (shared code) needed to describe participants’ experiences of (mis)communication and to develop verbal problem- solving strategies and an understanding of chain reactions; 3) The core language and sensory building blocks to understand analogy and metaphor, allowing students to compare how a situation appears to them and someone else, and improving our students` potential use of talking therapies e.g. CBT, family therapy etc.

Why I’m organising this conference and why I think it’s important to you as a parent or professional

Janet — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 00:03:01 +0000

After 12 years working in the NHS as a Speech and Language Therapist, I started Wordswell, an independent speech and language therapy clinic, in 1997 and have met many inspirational families and children. Every one of whom has taught me about individual differences, how children learn, and how to communicate better.

Inspiration for my book and this conference have come from my work as an Expert Speech and Language Therapy Witness but also the carer of a child with a life-threatening medical condition and special educational needs.

Governments monitor the outcomes of the processes but not the emotional impact, or the stress, or even the educational outcome. This conference will focus on what we know works and how this can continue to work whatever the future political or legal system we find ourselves under in the coming months and years.

The Big Society is a mind shift for many of us but by working together and networking we can continue to make a positive difference to all those we come into contact with on a daily basis.

Medico-Legal Study Day for Parents and Professionals

Janet — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:22:31 +0000

One of my key roles at Wordswell is my work as an Independent Speech and Language Therapy Expert Witness appearing, usually with the parents of children with special educational needs, or commissioned by a specialist solicitor, at SENDIST or the High Court.

Over the last 12 years I have worked with some excellent legal teams and am delighted to be speaking at this forthcoming study day.

We would welcome parents or professionals to attend and share our experiences of the new regulations which came into being in November 2008.

“Update on Special Educational Needs and DISability Tribunal Regulations”

28th July 2009 at 9.30am – 4pm

Location: Anthony Collins Solicitors, 134 Edmund Street, Birmingham, B3 2ES, (within walking distance of New Street Train Station)

Speaking will be:

John Friel, Barrister of Hardwicke Building

“…good technical knowledge.” – Chambers UK (2009)

“…achieves success in cases that may not appear so strong on paper.” – The Legal 500 (2008)

John is featured in Legal 500 and Chambers UK as an Education Law specialist.

Inez Brown, Solicitor of Anthony Collins

Inez leads on the educational support for individuals. She has vast experience in educational matters providing support on statutory assessment of children with special educational needs and admission/exclusion issues arising from maintained schools.

Melinda Nettleton, Solicitor of SEN Legal

Melinda qualified as a solicitor in 1980 working initially for a local authority and then for the Crown Prosecution Service. She specialized in litigation (evidence and advocacy). Melinda has three children, one of whom has dyslexia, dyspraxia, and a severe language disorder.

Janet O’Keefe, Speech and Language Therapist, Wordswell Ltd and Chair of the MLSIG

Janet has specialised in working with children and adults with hearing impairment, autistic spectrum disorder and dyslexia.

If you would like to attend, please email MLSIG@wordswell.co.uk to register your interest.

You can pay in advance by posting a cheque for £25, made payable to “MLSIG” to Wordswell, 82 Cannon Street, Little Downham, Ely, Cambs, CB6 2SS.

For further information, please do not hesitate to get in contact.

Wordswell

Janet — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:18:55 +0000

Why have I called my independent speech and language therapy business Wordswell?

Brian Keenan

Let me explain how I came up with the name. To be fair, I didn’t come up with the name. Brian Keenan did.

In April of 1986 Brian Keenan was an unknown university teacher from Belfast until he was seized by Muslim gunmen in Beirut, Lebanon and became their hostage for nearly 5 years.

I met Brian in Henley in 1997 and wrote to him asking him to name the building I was constructing to work from. This is the letter he wrote in return:

“I thought a lot about this. So for what it is worth, here it is. I focussed on the notion of a language therapist being a kind of WORD smith – like a blacksmith! For some reason the wooden building and the work being done there made me think of a NUT. But the Nuthouse would be entirely inappropriate!!! My wife, who is a physiotherapist suggested “awakenings” as you awaken up the lost but residual capacity in people. I thought “The Wakenings” might be a good name for the place but it’s hardly a corporate term. – Awakenings or Wakenings might be more suitable. But still that didn’t suit my own “draw” on things. I went back to my original thought about blacksmiths, and foundries and workshops. I liked the term “Smithy” – a place where new forms are created. But I also liked the notion of a well, a permanent place of substance – we draw from the well, water, life perhaps meaning. I thought of something like “Holywell” being the well of nourishment and Holy, meaning to make whole. So it became “The Holywell Clinic”. Still I wasn’t sure and juggled again in my Blacksmith’s forge and finally came up with “WORDSWELL”. It has a plethora of associations for me too long for me to elaborate, but that’s what I resolved on. It may not be up your street but it seems to me to have a corporate and personal ring to it. It also “fixes” exactly what you do – I think!”

Thank you Brian.