Poppie Speech & Language Therapy
School & Home-Based Assessment & Intervention in London, United Kingdom
“Thank you Alissa, for the warm welcome & amazing first SLT experience! Seeing firsthand the progress that my child has made in such a small amount of time is a testament to your passion & dedication. I can’t thank you enough!”
“Working with you has been such a blessing! Thank you for all of your insight & support. ”
About Me
alissa@poppiespeechtherapy.com
I grew up surrounded by beautiful & endless nature in the state of North Carolina where I received my Bachelors Degree of Science in Psychology.
Described as a wildflower from a young age, it’s not surprising that I chose to work with children now as an adult. I’ve always felt that children teach us just as much we teach them!
Once I was ready, I planted my seeds for three years in Boston, Massachusetts where I received my Masters Degree in Speech-Language Pathology at one of the top ten programs in the States. When I wasn’t walking along the Charles River, I was receiving extensive clinical training working with children & adults in clinics, schools, & hospital settings.
I continued to grow my petals in the Peach State - Atlanta, Georgia - where I met my now fiancé! Before we started the next chapter of our lives in London, I worked in clinic practice settings evaluating & treating phonological & articulation disorders, receptive & expressive language delays, stammering, & social/pragmatic language difficulties.
Fast forward to today, my speciality lies with the itty bitties! Working with a population at such a malleable stage in development is a privilege & not one I take lightly. Seeing the impact that individualised intervention can have on a child’s ability to communicate confidently & with others is extraordinary.
Despite my proclivity for early learning, I have clinical experience & training working with all ages & cater my therapeutic approach to uniquely fit my client’s needs.
Approach & Treatment
Young children’s brains are ever-changing in nature & as such, require our adaptability & flexibility. My approach focuses on identifying a child’s unique set of strengths & then utilising those strengths to achieve their future potential. With early intervention, we can have a direct influence on the neuroplasticity of brain development & thus improving later outcomes.
At Poppie Speech, we focus on building a collaborative framework for a child to thrive in. This is done through empowering families & caregivers to recognise the facilitative contexts & tools from which they can readily pull & incorporate into their child’s routines.
I offer evaluation & therapy to children of all ages, presenting with a diverse range of communication differences. This includes children with pronunciation or articulation delays, phonological disorders, stammering, motor speech disorders, global developmental delay, developmental language disorder (DLD), & pre-existing diagnoses (e.g., Autism Spectrum Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, & Congenital Disorders).
How it Works
I provide therapy within the comfort of your home or child’s nursery/school. By utilising highly familiar & comforting environments to elicit intervention in, children are more likely to then later use the skills we’ve practiced together, independently & across communicative contexts.
Assessment
Pending my clinical impressions from our call, we will arrange a date/time for a speech & language assessment to take place. This can take place in your home or your child’s school, pending previous consent & approval. After completion of the assessment, you will receive a detailed, written report alongside my recommendations. This is also an opportunity for you to gain any clarity surrounding treatment.
Book a Free consultation
First, we will have a phone consultation so that I can gain a more comprehensive picture of your concerns & what supports your child may need.
Therapy
From there, we will schedule a recurring therapy appointment for your child. The frequency & duration of services is dependent on the severity of findings & recommendations outlined in the report. Collaboration is a key component at Poppie Speech. I will collaborate with you & your child’s teacher(s) to ensure the approaches we’re working on in therapy are practiced at home/school.
Intervention
Approaches
Service List
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This includes a 90-minute assessment as well as a written summary report, detailing the results, interpretations, & recommendations.
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If your child is on an EHCP plan & requires a comprehensive speech & language assessment, an EHCP assessment & report can be administered with inclusion of individualised provisions.
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This includes travel to your home and/or school with direct elicitation of therapeutic approaches & home practice recommendations.
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An introductory session is recommended for children who have previously received an assessment that is older than six months. This allows for an informal baseline of your child’s skills to be established without the need for a full assessment.
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This includes a 40-minute observation of your child at school followed by a 20-minute collaborative meeting/discussion with your child’s SENCO, teacher, LSA, etc.
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For families needing virtual access to therapy, we offer our services via telehealth with an emphasis on home practice & carryover of the strategies incorporated in a given session.
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Get in touch
Questions or inquiries? Fill out the information below & we will get back to you shortly!
Terms & Conditions
Terms & Conditions
If you commit to speech and language therapy initial assessment or therapy sessions over the phone or via email, you are agreeing to accept the terms and conditions below. Please read the terms and conditions carefully and do not hesitate to ask any questions that may arise.
Terms and Conditions set out the expectations for both the client and the Therapist to ensure that both sides are protected if any disagreement occurs. A copy will be emailed to clients on booking the initial appointment, this email will also confirm the time, date and location of the initial assessment.
Patient Intake Form
It is important to complete a case history form as part of the initial assessment to gather a full and clear picture of your child’s needs and developmental history as this information will suggest the appropriate therapy intervention.
Initial Speech & Language Therapy Assessment
This assessment will involve observation, informal assessment and play with the child and discussion with the child’s parent/carer using a case history form. It may also involve the use of formal, standardised assessments. A detailed report will be provided. If further assessment sessions are required e.g. to gather information about the child’s social communication and interaction skills with peers at an educational setting, these will be discussed with you in advance as they incur additional costs and will not go ahead without your consent.
Therapy Session
Session duration can consist of 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or 1 hour, pending clinical recommendations. This time is spent with the child and parent/carer or a member of teaching staff. The fee also includes time spent outside of the therapy session preparing materials, planning and discussing progress with parents and professionals.
School or Nursery Observation
The observation sessions lasts one hour. This time is spent directly observing the child followed by a collaboration meeting with teaching staff regarding recommendations to be implemented in the classroom. The fee includes time spent outside of the sessions preparing materials, planning and discussing progress with parents and educational staff.
Additional letters, reports and treatment programmes
Written documents which are additional to the initial assessment report are charged in respect of the total time taken to prepare them. An estimate of the time needed will be discussed with the client in advance before this work is undertaken.
Location of Sessions
Assessment and therapy sessions will generally be offered in your own home or your child’s nursery/school. I ask that you provide a quiet environment, free from distractions. If you would prefer the sessions to be conducted at your child’s nursery/school, please be aware that this may incur a CRB check cost. Some schools ask for all people who work with the children in the school to have a CRB check. Each DBS check is only valid at the school that requested it. Therefore, due to the fact that it is the school that requests the DBS check and that I work at different schools, I will not cover the cost of the CRB check. If a DBS check cost is incurred, it will be invoiced to you but this will be discussed with you before applying for a DBS.
Role of the Parent/carer
During your child’s therapy, I usually provide tasks and activities for you to carry out with your child at home between therapy sessions. The aim is for you to do 10-20 minutes of home practice daily with your child. Completion of these tasks is as important as the therapy sessions themselves and regular home support results in more positive outcomes. It is, therefore, essential that you (or a member of school staff) commit to attend as many therapy sessions as possible.
Cancellations
A minimum of 24 hours’ notice is required for cancellations. Sessions cancelled by you after this time or sessions not attended will incur a charge of 100% of the arranged session fee. If your child receives his/her speech and language therapy at school, you as the parent are responsible for cancelling a session, not the school, including school trips, changes to the usual school time table and extracurricular activities. If I am unable to attend a session for any reason I will let you know as soon as possible. I will endeavour to re-arrange the session. If I am unable to re-arrange the session then there will be no charge.
Circulation of Reports/Sharing Information
It is considered best practice to share information with relevant professionals in order to work together to support your child’s needs. I will routinely circulate reports to your child’s G.P, nursery, school and any other professionals involved in your child’s care unless you request (in writing) that this should NOT happen. You will be asked to provide a list of the professionals involved in your child's care.
Discharge Criteria
Parents are free to withdraw from treatment at any time. The therapist may also withdraw treatment or discharge the child for any of the following reasons:
The child’s speech and language skills are within the normal range for their age.
The child is no longer making progress (this is usually looked as no progress for 3+ months despite input).
All appropriate strategies are in place and advice has been given.
Therapy/intervention is not deemed appropriate by the therapist.
Privacy Notice
I will collect information about your child (and family) that is relevant to their therapy/intervention. Written notes will also be completed after each contact with you and/or your child and other professional to inform ongoing intervention. All information held by myself will be kept securely in accordance with the Data Protection Act. I will not disclose any information about your child without your consent except where there are concerns regarding your child’s safety and/or wellbeing. It is good practice to share information about your child’s needs with professionals who are working with your child and you will be asked to consent to this.
Fees are reviewed on an annual basis on the 1st of April. You will be sent an updated fee schedule at least 30 days before any change in fees.
Please refer to your private health care provider’s terms and conditions about the frequency and number of sessions they will fund before booking sessions with me.
Payment
Payment for all sessions is due 14 days from invoice date and invoices will be sent via email.
Clients using private medical insurance are responsible for settling the invoices and then claiming from the insurance company. It is advisable to check your level of cover before commencing therapy.
Late payments will incur a penalty charge of £10.00 and interest may be added to the invoice amount.
A reminder will be sent to you if your payment is late. If payment is not made after the reminder has been sent then sessions for your child will be suspended.
Review of Terms & Conditions
These terms and conditions are subject to review and may change. You will be given a minimum of 30 days’ notice of any changes.