Kelly Schuster
Contact Me: +1-604-989-1161
Step 1: Initial Interview
First things first, contact me to schedule an initial interview/consultation (this can be done directly via phone or email, or by clicking here).
Inital interviews are approximately 30-45 minutes in length. Parents can attend with or without their child, as there are benefits to both. It can sometimes be helpful to attend without your child as this allows for a more in depth conversation without distractions. However, when the child attends, this allows me a chance for informal observations and to begin building rapport.
Step 2: Assessment
Following the initial interview, an initial assessment is scheduled in order to identify your child's relative strengths and weaknesses, and to select appropriate intervention goals. Initial Assessments are scheduled in 50 minute sessions, and multiple sessions may be required in order to complete the assessment process and gather a representative picture of your child's communication skills.
A range of formal/standardized and informal assessment methods may be used, covering a range of skills including language pre-requisites, oral motor movement, speech sound, receptive and expressive language, and social abilities. If you would like a report summarizing the assessment findings this is available upon request.
Step 3: Intervention
Following the assessment process, I will create an a set of goals for your child, to target your child's unique needs. You will also be provided with carryover activities to facilitate learning in the home and school environments, and to increase your child's rate of progress. It is expected that all parents play an active role in their child's therapy, as you are the real agents of change in your child's life!
In order to ensure continuity of care and that all goals are both functional and achievable, it is expected that parents verbally commit to attending for a minimum of 4-6 weeks, with sessions scheduled anywhere from daily to once per week. Sessions are typically 50 minutes in duration, with 45-50 minutes of direct intervention and 10-15 minutes for discussion. Depending on your child's specific needs, half sessions can be scheduled.
My Process: From Referral to Discharge
Step 4: Discharge
The ultimate goal of any intervention is, of course, that your child no longer requires additional support! After every block of intervention, your child's progress will be re-evaluated and as a team (family and therapist) we will decide whether continued intervention is required.
When children have had an intensive block of intervention, there is often a lot of information they need to absorb! As such, a period of consolidation may occasionally be recommended in order to allow your child a chance to process what they have learned over the past few weeks.
M.Sc (Hons), RSLP
Speech-Language Pathologist