FAQs

Do you have a question about ACCESS Speech & Language Therapy?

You should find the answer among our Frequently Asked Questions below or in our Privacy Policy. If you have any other questions, or would like to chat about your child’s speech or language difficulties, or your school’s needs, please contact us.

07952 918 715
johncane.access@gmail.com

Which areas do you cover?

North London: Currently, we can provide Speech and Language therapy in all North London boroughs, including Enfield, Haringey and Barnet.

Hertfordshire: Currently, we can provide Speech and Language therapy in East Hertfordshire, including Hatfield, Welwyn, Welwyn Garden City and surrounding areas.

How much does speech and language therapy cost?

Please see our costs page for full details.

How do I access therapy?

Contact johncane.access@gmail.com or call 07952 918 715

Do I need a GP referral for private speech and language therapy?

You don’t need a referral. But please let us know if your child is already receiving NHS therapy, so we can ensure a joined-up approach.

My child is on a waiting list for or already getting NHS Speech and Language Therapy, will you still see them?

Absolutely. We think it’s vital for your child to have therapy that’s joined-up. We’re more than happy to work alongside a Local Authority speech and language therapist or any other health professionals your child may come into contact with, such as an occupational therapist or physiotherapist.

What age children do you work with?

We work with children between 2 and 18 years old.

How many sessions will my child need?

This really depends on the child and the difficulty. We’ll know more after completing an assessment. Typically, we recommend at least six sessions.

How often do therapy sessions take place?

We usually recommend weekly sessions, but can accommodate fortnightly too.

How long is each session?

Sessions typically last for 45 – 60 minutes. Verbal feedback is always included, if required.

Where do therapy sessions take place?

We can either come to your home or attend your child’s school.

When do therapy sessions stop?

You can stop therapy sessions at any time. Typically, the therapist will assess a child, set relevant therapy goals and work towards them. Once the goals have been reached, we can move on to more advanced targets.

Do I need to be present for therapy sessions?

A responsible adult must be at home when we carry out home-based intervention. We encourage parents to be there during the sessions, so we can pass on effective strategies as often as possible.

Can I learn some strategies to help my child at home?

Yes, we actively encourage parents to be involved and will work with you to help you support your child in the best way possible.

Do you do group therapy sessions?

Our therapists often carry out group sessions in schools. With individual private clients, we see them on a 1-1 basis

Are all therapists qualified?

All ACCESS Speech and Language Therapists are fully qualified and are members of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT). All ACCESS therapists are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), as well as being passionate about Speech and Language Therapy. We have additional training in literacy and social communication.

Is there a contract?

There is no contract. We expect you to give as much notice as possible if you wish to postpone a session, but we try to keep the session schedule as flexible as you require.

How do you protect my data?

All Speech and Language Therapists are required to write casenotes after every session. At ACCESS we use a secure cloud-based system called WriteUpp to store our client data. When we need to store information offline, we use GDPR compliant encoded USB sticks. You can be assured that your data is safe with ACCESS Speech and Language Therapy. Read our privacy policy.

What kind of Speech and Language therapy do you do?

All our therapy is based on sound scientific evidence (known as Evidence Based Practice). The type of therapy carried out will depend on your child’s specific communication difficulty.

Will I get a report at the end of the block of therapy?

We’ll provide reports whenever requested by parents, for example in time for an annual review, or to aid an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) application. When we carry out an initial assessment, we write a report based on the results, to inform parents and teachers of the child’s needs. At the end of the block of therapy we can provide a summary report based on the initial goals and subsequent achievements.

Do I have to pay for a report?

Once your child has been assessed, you can choose whether to have a full report completed. Please see costs or details.

Do you work with other professionals?

We work with other professionals as much as possible. Our therapists often work collaboratively with Occupational Therapists, Feeding Specialists, Behavioural Specialists, Specialist Teachers, Teaching Assistants and other teaching staff, including Educational Psychologists, etc.

We are happy to work with Local Authority (NHS) therapists or other independent professionals in order to provide the best possible outcome for your child.

Does speech and language therapy work?

All ACCESS Speech and Language Therapists use therapeutic strategies that have been shown to be effective. This is called Evidence Based Practice. Please contact us if you’d like to know more.

How does speech and language therapy work?

Our therapist will first assess your child and provide feedback, either verbally or in the form of a report. If the results of the assessment indicate a need for further intervention, we will discuss this with you and agree achievable goals.

Therapy then takes place over a number of weeks. At an agreed date, we’ll review your child’s progress and discuss it with you. If applicable, new goals can then be agreed and worked on in future therapy sessions. At an agreed time, therapy is brought to an end and your child discharged.

If we have stopped therapy can it be restarted?

Because of the flexible way we work at ACCESS Speech and Language Therapy, your child can usually be re-referred for further intervention at short notice.

What conditions do ACCESS therapists work with?

Language delay, language disorder, speech delay, speech disorder, Developmental Language Delay (DLD)(previously known as Specific Language Impairment), autism. Please contact ACCESS Speech and Language Therapy for further details, or if you have any questions.

Do you liaise with teaching staff?

Absolutely. We try to involve teaching staff in therapy sessions as much as possible. If staff are not involved in the actual session, we try to provide feedback and strategies to help the child generalise the work they’ve been doing in sessions into their communication in the classroom.

Can you work in schools?

We love to work in schools. We have contracts with many primary and secondary schools and provide individual and group therapy sessions as required. We work closely with SENCOs to ensure that the children they identify receive the help they need. Find out more

I’m a school SENCo, why should I use ACCESS services?

More control, greater consistency and wider access to speech and language therapy provision at your school. We tailor our service to suit your school’s specific needs and goals. And work with all pupils you feel will benefit, not just those with an EHCP.

We target more than speech and language difficulties too, supporting pupils with literacy, social and behavioural issues. Therapy can take the form of 1-1 intervention or groups, with one of our therapists usually in school for one full day a week. Find out more

What resources do you use?