Apologies for the layout and abbreviations in the below post as I’ve just posted it on twitter and copied it on to here for those of you who don’t follow me on twitter.
I’m incredibly passionate about what I do and in ensuring the young people I work with are given the tools to reach their potential. I love my job and the impact that I, and lots of other SLTs, have on children and young people with Speech, Language and Communication needs. SLTs can make a huge difference.
I’m a believer in the expert panels of tribunals listening to the evidence presented by expert witnesses; tied together by skilled Solicitors and in making reasonable decisions that impact on the future of the children and adolescents we talk about. This time I feel very strongly they got their decision TOTALLY wrong.
Following a tribunal decision:
It’s been confirmed that providing ZERO SLT re lang/social skills to an adolescent with a, now agreed, diag of “Language Disorder associated with Autism” (thanks to my ax) is “best practise”.
? to the NHS #SLT who I wish I could name!!
I don’t lose tribunals and so this has been a hard blow for me but even harder knowing this adolescent will leave school having never met a SLT for more than 2 Ax sessions.
Not helped by the expert tribunal panel member being a SLT who works for a neighbouring NHS SLT team.
This practicular case was nothing short of shocking.
Late teens; diagnosed with ASD and ADHD without any SLT Ax.
The NHS SLT Ax’d after me and claimed they had “functional com skills” as they could answer some Blanks Level 3 questions. That’s all she did for the ax.
On the day of the tribunal I referred to the CATALYSE paper and the NHS SLT admitted she’d “never heard of that”.
This adolescent has significantly impairment social skills and the SLT claimed this was “outside of the remit of SLTs”. The expert panel believed her.
Despite agreeing on the language disorder it was then claimed by the other SLT that @rcslt recommends against using the #CELF with individuals with Autism & that the results should be ignored.
There are no ax’s standardised on individuals with #ASD. What? So we don’t Ax them?
Despite agreeing the individual presented with significant impairments in their social skills the SLT could not identify a single outcome (I listed tons…). I can only hypothesise this is because they don’t know how to work on social skills in this team. Oh & she was ASD lead.
This SLT team has failed this young person and all I can do now is hope that they do not end up bejng sectioned due to their ever declining mental health (according to their GP) as a combination of unmet needs for over 16 years in the same LA.
Rant over!