Child Services

fa logo pinkThe practise has considerable experience helping parents develop ways to deal with problems they are having with their children.

If you have concerns about your children’s behaviour or development, from tots to teens, our team will help you through. They bring to you their extensive experience as they have a host of suggestions on what has worked for other people.

How we can help

Our help begins with a meeting, at home if you wish, with one or both parents to discuss the concerns. Our team will give advice on strategies to help and then discuss which is the most suitable.

Pre-School Children

We help parents to manage a wide range of problems – anything from sleeping and potty training, to delayed speech and language or social development.

We give you, the parents, the skills to change unacceptable behaviours or manage an over-active or gifted child.

Behaviour we can help with

  • General discipline and procedures to deal with particular problems.
  • Assessment and various difficulties and disorders.
  • Communication and autistic-spectrum disorders.
  • Bed wetting and potty training problems.
  • Delayed development.
  • Attention deficit and/or hyperactivity disorders.

We are happy to make home visits to see children.

School Aged Children

Once children are at school, we assess their IQ, and help with learning and behaviour problems.

We assess for, then if appropriate, recommend extra examination time. Our counselling psychologists help with anger management, social skills, self-esteem and bullying issues.

We help children who have developed fears and phobias or obsessive behaviours. After many years specialising in the needs of children, we can also recommend carefully selected therapists.

We have specialist experience in:

  • Learning difficulties such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Attention Deficit and/or Hyperactivity Disorders.
  • Determining Giftedness.
  • Advice on behavioural problems at home and school.
  • Social Skills Training.
  • Anger Management.
  • Dealing with Bullying.
  • Dealing with Obsessive Compulsive Disorders.
  • Dealing with specific fears and general anxiety disorders.
  • Referral to a wide range of carefully selected specialists.
  • Advice on appropriate schools.

Educational Interventions

Since 1982, the practise has been helping schools and parents develop practical ways to deal with difficulties they are having with their pupils and their children.

If you have concerns about your children’s behaviour or development at school, from tots to teens, the team will help you through, bringing their extensive experience of children, with and without special educational needs. We have a wealth of suggestions and practical support to offer on what has worked for other children.

The team works in a consultative relationship with parents and teachers looking at their particular needs, helping them to develop and implement action plans that help the child with his of her particular difficulty.

How We Work

An initial meeting with one or both parents to discuss the concern/s is set up. This may be followed by a full ability (IQ) and achievement assessment for the child, including administering a self-esteem and self-concept test. These tests ascertain the cause of the problem/s, highlighting the particular child’s strengths and weaknesses.

The assessment report produced focuses on dealing with the weaknesses and/or particular difficulties that were identified. The psychologist/s may need a visit to the school to observe the child in the classroom, they will then advise the teachers on strategies to help the child. A letter, together with a detailed report, is provided to the parents and (where necessary) to the school, outlining recommended procedures. If needed, follow-up visits are arranged in order to assist with on-going difficulties.

We also provide programmes to help children who need study skills, exam skills, and memory skills or an individualised educational programme.

Some common issues we can help you through

  • Learning.
  • Reading.
  • Dyslexia.
  • Tantrums.
  • Bullying.
  • Being disruptive at school.
  • Disruption in the classroom.
    • Poor progress.
    • School Phobia.
    • Anxiety.
    • Attention Deficit Disorders.
    • Low self-esteem.
    • Concentration difficulties.
    • Exam difficulties.

Psychometric Testing

Sometimes schools request assessments of their pupils if they feel that particular problems are occuring, such as difficulty following class, difficulty with their academic attainments (e.g. spelling, mathematics, and so on), and/or difficulty with their behaviour (e.g. disruptive behaviour, emotional/low feelings, attention difficulties, and so on).

Sometimes parents request assessments of their children for similar reasons as mentioned above. Also, some parents want to identify their child’s strengths and weaknesses, identifying the areas in which their child needs support and their potential.

Assessments can take place at home, at school, or at our consulting rooms. We are flexible and arrange our hours to fit in with your needs, On average, a general psycho-educational assessment takes about three hours (depending on the speed and the ability of the child). After the assessment, we provide you with some initial feedback on the preliminary results/findings.

The psycho-educational assessment specifically looks at:

  • The verbal ability of the child.
  • Non-verbal ability (perceptual reasoning).
  • Short-term auditory memory (working memory).
  • Processing speed
  • Academic attainments (reading, mathematics, writing, listening).
  • How the child perceives him or herself
Results of this are analysed and a comprehensive report is produced. This outlines the child’s strengths, weaknesses, levels of ability, and academic attainments. It identifies if there are any learning difficulties and what their style of learning is, as well as their levels of self-esteem and self-perception.

The report includes specific recommendations, according to what each individual child needs (e.g. extra time in exams).