We understand the challenges that people with communication difficulties face in their homes, schools, workplaces and in relationships with others.
The BFDC provides supportive, evidence-based speech and language therapy services that are tailored to utilize the strengths and support the needs of each individual child and family we work with. We provide services in our Kennedy Town office, in schools, kindergartens and playgroups across Hong Kong and in clients’ homes, if needed. We work collaboratively with parents and other key people that are involved with a child such as teachers, other professionals and helpers to ensure that a child’s communication skills are supported optimally.
We offer a range of services including assessments, individual and group therapy programs, intensive therapy programs, consultations for school staff, screening assessments for schools and kindergartens and educational workshops for parents and professionals. We can design an intervention package to suit your individual or organisation’s needs. We also offer online therapy on a case-by-case basis. Please get in touch for more information.
Our Speech-Language Therapists can help to develop and improve a person’s skills in the following areas:
Are you concerned your child may have trouble with speech? Please see our resource Red Flags in Communication for reasons to refer to a Speech-Language Therapist. Make an appointment if, at any age, your child is having difficulty chewing and/or swallowing, or has been stuttering for more than six months.
The BFDC believes in helping all individuals to live happy, healthy and productive lives. We recognize that communication skills play a key part. If you would like to nominate a child for pro-bono speech and language therapy support, please contact giving@blurton-fdc.com.
Our speech and language assessments are tailored to meet the needs of the individual. The assessment process helps the Speech-Language Therapist (SLT) and family to get a clearer picture of the child/teenager/adult’s communication skills and identify if there are any areas that need support. If support is needed, the SLT and family can decide together how that support should be provided and what the goals are for therapy. Consultations with the Speech, Language & Literacy Service do not require a referral from a doctor. Therapy services can be provided regularly or on a consultation basis depending on what is needed. Services can be provided at the Jadis Blurton Family Development Center office in Kennedy Town, at schools or in other community settings according to what is jointly decided to be best for the client.
Prospective clients are welcome to speak directly to the SLT before booking an assessment to determine if an assessment is needed and how the SLT might be able to help their child. Prior to the assessment, you will be sent a case history document to complete so that the SLT understands the client’s history (developmental history, medical history, speech and language history, educational history), the clients skills and interests and the reason for the referral.Parents can phone and speak to the receptionist to make an appointment.
The first assessment session will usually take between 1.5 – 2 hours. During this session, the Speech-Language Therapist (SLT) and the family meet, talk through the background information and the concerns. The SLT will then commence some standardized assessments for the areas of concern.For younger children, the assessment will be interactive, fun and play-based and the parents/carers’ reports will be a significant component of the assessment.For older children and teenagers, the initial session will involve some formal testing of the areas of concern (e.g. speech sounds, verbal language skills) as well as informal assessment (testing skills in more naturalistic ways), observation and games to keep the student motivated and rewarded. A further assessment session will be scheduled if the assessment is not completed, if additional areas are identified as needing to be tested (e.g. literacy skills, fluency) or if the client has difficulty sustaining their attention for long periods.
A comprehensive evaluation report will be completed after the assessment session(s). It will include information gathered in the case history questionnaire and interview, observations made during the sessions and the results of formal and informal assessment. It will also outline any recommendations for further speech and language intervention together with practical recommendations for home and school.
If the assessment indicates that an individual needs help to develop one or more areas of their communication skills, the Speech-Language Therapist will make recommendations and collaborate with the client and/or their family to determine the goals for therapy.Options for therapy include weekly individual or group therapy sessions, intensive individual or group therapy programs, and consultative therapy (the SLT helps to develop goals and strategies and the parent/carer, teacher or client are the ‘agents’ of therapy). The length of the each session and the total amount of intervention can be determined according to the client’s needs and preferences.At any stage, you are welcome to discuss with the Speech-Language Therapist your/your child’s progress. Therapy goals will be reviewed and amended on an ongoing basis.
