About Me

I am a Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist (SLT), a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Practitioner (CBT), and ADOS-2 practitioner and certified independent Trainer. I specialise in working with autistic children/young people and their families and I have considerable experience of assessing and working with young people with a wide range of co-morbid conditions, e.g., anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD).

  • I work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to carry out autism assessments throughout the lifespan.
  • I offer post diagnostic support and family focused adapted cognitive behaviour therapy specialising in autism.
  • I train people to use the ADOS-2 assessment across the lifespan.

I enjoy training a lot and I am very interested in helping trainees to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills in administering the ADOS-2 with a wide range of different ages and presentations. It can sometimes feel de-skilling to learn something new, particularly when you are highly experienced in what you do. I aim to take the fear and stress out of the learning journey and train in a very supportive, safe environment. We all learn in different ways, and I embrace diversity on my training courses.

My Experience

I have worked for the NHS and in private practice I did both for a long time. However, I do not work as a traditional Speech & Language Therapist, and my specialisms and skills do not fit with speech & language therapy jobs in the NHS.

I have always worked closely with families and this is strong interest for me, my work is always family focused and the CBT I offer always involves the family. I have worked in early years settings, primary and secondary schools & CAMHS services.

I have carried out autism assessments as part of multi-disciplinary team with Consultant Paediatricians, Psychiatrists & psychologists with children/young people aged 2;6 to 22 for the NHS and in private practice.

I am particularly interested in assessing girls, young children who do not use any/many words to communicate, children/young people with learning difficulties and complex presentations, e.g., selective mutism, mental health difficulties.

Highlights of my Career

  • Helping families with a neurodivergent child understand and support each other. I am so lucky to have worked with such incredible parents and young people.
  • Working as a team with neurodivergent young people, their families and other professionals in very dark times to reduce mental health difficulties, to increase self-esteem and help them recover from deeply traumatic experiences.
  • Working with some incredible professionals, who are not only highly skilled but also  generous with their knowledge and experience, supportive, encouraging and inspirational. I have learned from the best.
  • Using my own lived experience as a neurodivergent person to increase knowledge and understanding of different neurotypes, to normalise diversity and to reduce stigma and stereotypes. 
  • Working with my daughter, whose experiences influence everything I do and are behind my relentless pursuit of inclusion and best practise.

It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognise, accept, and celebrate those differences.

Audre Lorde

5 Facts about Me

  1. I love animals. I have 5 cats and 2 dogs and would have more but my family won’t let me!
  2. I hate cooking and have no idea how to use the oven.
  3. I have worked and lived in Turkey, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania.
  4. I studied Fashion Design when I was 18 and I still love clothes and do embroidery.
  5. I love weight training and pottery, but not at the same time!