FAQ

We use a systemic approach to our work with school-age children and adults. As communication occurs between at least 2 people, therapy needs to target both the person with the communication challenges and the people they communicate with daily. In most cases this is the person’s family/carers and often their teachers.

We spend time with the person’s family/carers/teachers to help them better understand the person’s unique way of communicating. We teach them, using adult learning principles how to communicate in more supportive and effective ways with that individual.

We also use person-centred values, skills and tools to find out what really matters to our clients; what they find important and what they want out of life. This involves listening, thinking together, coaching, sharing ideas and seeking feedback. All our thinking and our plans for therapy are based on what is important to the person from their own perspective and what will enable fuller inclusion in society.

At Communicate Consultancy we will work with you, your family member or the person you provide support to, to develop their communication abilities and social competencies so that they can connect better with others and live happier, more meaningful lives.

Unlike physical disabilities, communication challenges can sometimes be difficult to detect in teenagers and adults, as over time these individuals have found ways to ‘mask’ their problems.

In some cases, communication difficulties can manifest as rudeness, indifference or challenging behaviour. Less ‘visible’ communication difficulties include:

• Social communication and relationship difficulties – knowing how to interact and have positive relationships with others
• Expressive difficulties – being able to put thoughts into words, and use appropriate vocabulary or sentence structure
• Receptive difficulties – understanding and processing things people say or understanding complex or lengthy spoken information
• Limited emotional awareness or regulation – being able to recognise and manage one’s own emotions, being able to talk about them rather than express them through socially inappropriate behaviour
• Difficulties understanding/using non-verbal communication – being able to notice and consider facial expression, body language, and eye contact
• Reduced attention and listening skills – being able to concentrate and focus on conversations and tasks
• Verbal reasoning difficulties – being able to use language to problem solve and understanding/using the abstract language associated with academic learning
• Difficulties considering the other person’s perspective – being able to tune into others and recognise and care about people’s thoughts and feelings
• Disorganised speech – being able to speak clearly and coherently on a relevant topic
• Learning and Literacy Difficulties – being able to read, write and spell, being able to use technology including appropriate use of social media, including texting and Facebook messages.