Team work makes it so much easier...... the A Team!

On Tuesday I went to see a little girl aged 4 years at home, who I'll call 'A'. This time last year, she was at the 'own agenda' stage of development where she didn't really see the point of communication. Her attention span was extremely short and she was more interested in my bangle than me. I couldn't see any verbal understanding. Her only expression was echolalia.

This week, we have a bright, little girl who will be starting school in September: she has a developing attention span, can understand  short instructions, uses language to get what she needs and to express herself. She can even tell you what she doesn't want very vocally! Her social interaction is developing well with children and adults. She now has a diagnosis of ASD. The only thing I'm worried about now is that she will be overlooked as she is so well behaved. 

Is this a miracle? Yes in a way it is, but it's actually the result of fantastic team work. At the centre is a parent who has done absolutely everything suggested, even when that meant making life harder for herself e.g. as part of getting A from 'own-agenda' to the next stage there was no helping herself to chocolate, she had to request a piece at a time, which was in a clear plastic box which she couldn't open on her own. As you can imagine, A wasn't happy!

• The key worker/SENCO who had worked tirelessly to achieve all the targets set, 
• The nursery who allowed it to happen
• The extremely knowledgeable, Early Years Advisor who co-ordinated everyone
• The lovely and very patient, NHS SLT who reviewed, set targets and saw as often as she could
• An excellent paediatrician who recognises ASD in girls
• me: I've worked through individual coaching for More Than Words and then worked on components of language and communication.

We've all worked together for the good of A. Well done to the A team! :-)

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