Book an Assessment

An Assessment is required before any therapy can begin

Informal
Assessment

£195

Online only

What it involves:

A thorough, professional evaluation of communication skills using clinical observation, structured tasks, and discussion.

Purpose:

To provide a detailed understanding of communication strengths and needs, guiding therapy recommendations.

Duration: 60 minutes

Most informal assessments can be completed within an hour.

What you receive:

An Assessment Outcome Letter summarising key findings and tailored recommendations.

Suitable for:

Clients who do not require standardised scores but need a high-quality, expert assessment to guide therapy.

Book an Informal Assessment (online)

Please contact us for an in-person assessment

Contact

Formal
Assessment

£350

Online only

What it involves:

A comprehensive evaluation including all elements of the Informal Assessment plus formal, evidence-based, standardised assessments. Additional time after the session is allocated for detailed scoring and professional analysis to ensure accurate interpretation.

Purpose:

To provide a rigorous, detailed profile of communication skills, supporting diagnosis and planning for complex needs. Standardised results allow precise measurement of progress and comparison to typical development.

Duration: 60-120 minutes

Duration varies depending on the communication needs and complexity of the assessment. Some standardised tests take longer than others, and session length reflects the time required for a thorough and accurate evaluation.

What you receive:

A Written Assessment Report (optional) or an Assessment Outcome Letter if a full report is not required.

Suitable for:

Clients who require diagnostic clarity, detailed profiles for schools or healthcare, or assessment using standardised tools.

Book a Formal Assessment (online)

Please contact us for an in-person assessment

Contact

What will happen in an assessment?

Before your appointment

Before your assessment appointment, you (plus other relevant people, e.g. child's class teacher) may be asked to complete some forms/questionnaires about you or your child's communication and relevant background history. You will also need to share any past or current documentation that is relevant. This would include previous Speech Therapy assessment and therapy reports (NHS and independent), a child's Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) if applicable, an ENT evaluation report prior to voice assessments, or any other relevant information. These combined form a necessary part of your assessment and are essential to gather important background information for your Speech Therapist to tailor your assessment and any therapy intervention to your needs.

During your appointment

Your or your child's communication will be assessed in detail by a Speech and Language Therapist with suitable and considerable specialist expertise in your area of communication concern.

An assessment appointment can look different for each individual and is dependent on the age and communication difficulties of the person being assessed. It is important to note that the assessment tools, resources and protocols do not differ between in-person and online assessments. Your therapist is trained to assess communication in detail regardless of the means of gathering information. In rare circumstances, where a therapist may need to carryout a hands-on assessment or where there are safety concerns, an in-person assessment may be necessary, e.g. eating and drinking assessment (Dysphagia). Your therapist can advise further in an initial consultation if you are unsure.

What your or your child's assessment involves is also dependent on what communication difficulty is being assessed. This is best demonstrated in real examples:

2 year old child - late talker

Informal Assessment online (60 mins)
Therapist observes child playing with parents with his toys at home (e.g. cars, dinosaurs, farm animals, etc.) - assessing attention & listening skills, play skills, social communication skills, spoken language skills, parent communication styles
Therapist guides parents to give child some directions during play (e.g. "Give me the pig", "Give the cow some food", etc) - assessing understanding of language and following instructions
Parents are often keen to support the therapist observations by sharing some short, home videos of them playing with their child at home (before and/or after appointment) - this is recommended as the more information, the better, and parents can be supported much more effectively in implementing therapy strategies

Therapy Programme recommended for this child:

Online Parent-Child Interaction (PCI) Therapy delivered online to parents once a week for 8 weeks.

PCI is the gold standard evidence-based, parent-delivered therapy intervention programme for young children with delayed speech and language skills.

Adult with vocal strain

Formal Assessment online (60-120 mins) - ENT Evaluation of vocal cords and report to be seen before voice assessments
Detailed discussion with client around voice, lifestyle, concerns, therapy goals
Therapist carries out voice-specific assessment activities with client and records observations for further analysis later

Therapy Programme recommended for this client:

targeted vocal strategies for Muscle Tension Dysphonia delivered online for 8 weeks

4 year old child - stammer

Informal online assessment (60 mins)
Therapist observes child playing with parents with his toys at home (e.g. cars, dinosaurs, farm animals, etc.) - assessing child's stammer, general communication skills in play and parent communication styles
A stammer assessment includes a screening assessment of language ability and speech sound development - carried out through discussion with parents, play observations and sometimes by the child naming and talking about some picture on-screen with the therapist (aim - speech and language samples form child)
Discussion with parents alone to discuss child's stammer in detail
Parents are often keen to support the therapist observations by sharing some short, home videos of them playing with their child at home (before and/or after appointment) - this is recommended as the more information, the better, and parents can be supported much more effectively in implementing therapy strategies

Therapy Programme for this child:

Palin Parent-Child Interaction (PCI) Therapy for children who stammer delivered online to parents initially once a week for 6 weeks - after review, sometimes followed by another block of therapy to continue Palin PCI or start the Lidcombe Program with parents once a week for 16 sessions.

Palin PCI and the Lidcombe Program are the gold standard evidence-based, parent-delivered therapy intervention programmes for children who stammer.

Adult with Parkinson's Disease

Formal Assessment online (60-120 mins) - ENT Evaluation of vocal cords and report to be seen before voice assessments
Detailed discussion with client around voice, lifestyle, concerns, therapy goals
Therapist carries out the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) LOUD voice assessment activities with client and records observations for further analysis later
Therapist trials LSVT LOUD treatment activities with client to identify suitability for the full programme

Therapy Programme recommended for this client:

LSVT LOUD programme delivered online - an intensive voice treatment delivered in 16 one-hour sessions over 4 consecutive weeks

8 year old child - language and social interaction difficulties

Formal online assessment (60-120 mins)
Therapist carries out a standardised formal language assessment with child - involves child picking the correct answer from a choice of pictures presented on-screen, naming and talking about pictures to the therapist [observations and answers recorded for in-depth analysis and scoring later]
Discussion with parents alone to discuss child's communication in further detail - further information gathered regarding child's communication at school

Therapy Programme for this child:

Tailored Language Therapy delivered with child online by therapist and parents/Teaching Assistant at school once a week for 12 weeks - parents/Teaching Assistant must join sessions with child to learn essential daily homework activities for the child to successful carryover language and social skills in all environments and with peers.

Adult - language difficulties resulting from a stroke

Formal online assessment (120 mins)
Therapist carries out a standardised diagnostic aphasia assessment with client - involves client picking the correct answer from a choice of pictures presented on-screen, naming and talking about pictures to the therapist, reading and writing tasks [observations and answers recorded for in-depth analysis and scoring later]
Discussions with client's partner/carers (if applicable) with the client to discuss communication ability and needs in different contexts

Therapy Programme for this client:

Tailored Aphasia Language Therapy delivered with client online by therapist 1-2 times a week for 12 weeks - including daily home activities and communication partner training.

4 year old child - speech sound difficulties

Formal online assessment (60 mins)
Therapist carries out a standardised formal speech assessment with child - assessing all areas of speech including articulation of single sounds, sounds in words and sentences, delayed vs disordered speech, oro-motor skills, Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) assessment. Involves child naming and talking about on-screen pictures with the therapist and parent (approx. 20 mins) - child must be sat directly in front of the screen for the picture naming exercise. You don't need a fancy mic or camera but it is important for good audio and video quality/internet connection and good lighting on the face (e.g. child is facing a window or light) [observations and speech transcriptions are recorded for in-depth analysis and scoring later]
Spontaneous speech samples also assessed in observations of child playing/talking to parents and therapist throughout the appointment (e.g. showing/playing with toys)
Discussion with parents alone to discuss child's speech and overall communication in further detail
Parents are often keen to support the therapist observations by sharing some short, home videos of their child talking when playing at home (before and/or after appointment) - this is not always necessary although recommended as the more information, the better, and parents can be supported much more effectively in implementing therapy strategies to develop speech sounds (especially if videos include child playing alongside parent).

Therapy Programme for this child:

Tailored Speech Therapy delivered to child in daily therapist-guided activities parent-delivered at home (or school). Therapy for speech sounds is most effective in short, daily, focused activities with child as opposed to one long practise session each week with a therapist. Parents to receive direct guidance and therapy resources from therapist in weekly online therapy coaching sessions for approx. 8 weeks, although highly dependant on speech severity, needs and progress in therapy (child can attend to assess progress but this is not necessary if parents share a home practise video with the therapist each week - videos can be discussed in detail and feedback given to parents in sessions and are, therefore, the recommended approach for supporting young children). Older children can attend 1-3 weekly direct online speech therapy sessions with the therapist but the daily practise activities supported by an adult are still essential to generalise speech skills.

3 year old child - Selective Mutism

Formal online assessment (120 mins)
Parents to attend full appointment and a nursery or preschool staff member/sendco to attend part of appointment (45-60 mins) - the child will NOT attend due to the nature of Selective Mutism. All information is gathered directly from parents and nursery staff
Therapist carries out a Selective Mutism assessment which includes an in-depth discussion around child's speaking habits led by the therapist - covers all areas of communication including speech, language and social skills with a range of people in child's everyday life and social contexts and environments (further information may be sought if needed via checklist activities given to key adults in different environments and direct observations)
Information may be gathered directly from the child via home activities given to parents (especially with school-age children). An older child/young person will be given questionnaires for them to complete to obtain their views, concerns and goals (these older clients may choose to attend part of the assessment appointment should they wish).

Therapy Programme for this child:

Initial therapy protocol - Selective Mutism training to be delivered online by the therapist to parents and other key adults in the child's everyday environments in which (s)he may not be speaking to, such as class teacher, grandparents, etc. Environmental changes and particular adult communication strategies to be implemented without delay. Selective Mutism is a specific phobia that requires therapy intervention as soon as possible - the child is unlikely to build speaking confidence naturally over time and mutism can become more entrenched and more difficult to overcome if unaddressed.

A child (especially older children who have mutism more established) are likely to require tailored and direct Selective Mutism therapy which is parent-delivered in the environments and with the people in which the child is not yet able to speak, i.e. parents (child can speak to) go into school and carry out therapist-guided activities with their child whilst a Teaching Assistant (child does not speak to) gradually slides into the speaking activities. The therapist does not need to directly deliver the therapy with the child as the child needs support from an adult (s)he is already comfortable speaking to (often parents). This is why the most effective Selective Mutism therapy is parent-delivered in context. With the help of parents, their child will build speaking confidence to speak directly to the Teaching Assistant at school during therapist-guided speaking activities. The parent will then gradually slide out of the sessions leaving the Teaching Assistant to continue receiving therapist guidance to help the child speak to other adults/peers or places at school. Direct Selective Mutism therapy with the child involves a parent and key adult (e.g. Teaching Assistant) to receive direct guidance from the therapist by attending weekly online therapy coaching sessions for approx. 16 sessions.