Can anyone recommend a good Educational Psychologist?

[orchardy]

Just that, really. Ds struggling at school. I want to know if he's just not academic, or if there is more to it. Do EP's do diagnostic tests to rule out or identify any issues?

When I was teaching Educational Psychologists were like gold dust. Had to wait considerable periods of time for their attendance. How old is your child?

He is 7, in Year 3. He's not struggling enough for the school to be overly concerned but is languishing on the bottom table. He's very sharp, can beat an adult at mastermind (the peg/code game) but can't seem to get the hang of writing. Maths is much better. There just seems to be a mismatch between what I see and what they perceive, and I honestly don't think I am deluded and fondly imagining he is clever when he isn't. Numbers and letters still get written back to front, he can't put on clothes the right way round etc, and in the past found it difficult to focus, which I put down to immaturity. I am also a teacher (secondary) and he doesn't strike me as a slow to learn kind of child, so I am just wondering whether there is any particular issue.

I sympathise with your post. I would see your GP and ask for a referral to a neurodevelopmental paediatrician to rule out ASD.
Good luck

That is good advice Furla, and I have been down that route (!) when the school were telling me he couldn't concentrate or focus. Saw a lovely Dr who thought DS was bright and charming and said to bring him back in a year if things hadn't improved. That was summer 2013 and since then we think his concentration has improved a lot. At the time she said if they were to consider anything it would be ADD (non hyperactive kind). He definitely isn't ASD. He is funny and sociable and has lots of friends, and is a very laid back little character. I just feel frustrated on his behalf that the teachers seem to see him as a 'low average' kind of attainer, and I am concerned he will get pigeon-holed. At what point would they start to test for dyslexia, for example?

It's so hard isn't it, when you know something is not quite right but no-one seems to take you seriously?
A couple more things you could try:

• tell the school that you would like a CAF completed CAF Info. Don't take no for an answer, they need to complete the form if you request it. This will go to the cambridgeshire family support team which are generally very good and can make a series of recommendations ranging from counselling to one to one parenting advice or extra support at school. This should trigger the right people to be involved in diagnosing what the problem is.

• if you don't want to go back to your GP you could try to get a private diagnosis if you can afford it. I've read excellent comments about Daphne Keen here who works from Harley Street in London. I'm about to contact her too for similar reasons to you.

That's really helpful, thank you. Do let me know if the Daphne Keen experience is a useful one. If we are still no further on in 6 months I might well follow up on that.

It's so hard to go to the teacher and say, essentially " I know you, in your professional wisdom, think my son is pretty average but I am convinced he is clever!" There's no way to say it without sounding like the worst kind of pushy parent. I swear I'm not. But DS has just picked up one of those logic puzzles where they give you various bits of information like 'John is taller than Fred but the smallest person's name begins with G and he has red hair'. I was in the middle of explaining it to him and he started filling in all the answers - he got there faster than I did. But something about formal learning just hasn't clicked.

Beverley Steffert. www.learningrecovery.co.uk 01223 528755.

Both my kids have seen her. Dd was unhappy at school, switched schools in Y3 and new school recommended her. Turned out the child the old school had said was average and had a confidence problem was a certifiable genius with severe dyslexia. And ds is dysgraphic with possible ADD. Both are getting on brilliantly now with a small amount of learning support at school.
She's scatty as hell, but gets kids with learning difficulties brilliantly. Her website is a bit rubbish, but IIRC she charges something like £300 for a full assessment (she's based on Kings Hedges Road, it takes about 2 hours) and report.

Thank you SO much flessan. She sounds like what we need...

Am I being daft? The website is a big collection of blogs, which are interesting reading, but is there a website about her clinic anywhere or should I just ring her up? Sorry to be obtuse...

No - you aren't being daft - crap website. I think she doesn't advertise as an EP - she does lots of organising training usually, but does (or at least did 3 years ago) do assessments privately, but I think got her work from a couple of the private schools and word of mouth. Just give her a call - she's really quite direct so will tell you in a few minutes whether she thinks she'll be able to help at all - you might want to discuss whether her report will actually be any use to you with school or whether there is a different route to take

OK, thanks v v much.

How about Catherine Harter in Great Shelford?

www.achippp.org.uk/directory/psychologist/328
www.cambridgeneuropsychology.co.uk/

Thanks very much for this.

You need to get an OT involved as well, sounds very much like my son and has Sensory processing disorder, taken 5 years to get his EHCP in place and School are not interested, they don’t know what to do with him, he is the square peg and they only have round holes,

This is a zombie thread - over 3 years old!

Yeps, a zombie thread but still useful enough for me to get in touch with a psychologist who knows her stuff.

Beverley is not the most organised person in the world definitely but at least it's an organised mess and there is an order to the chaos. Don't think it fair to call her 'scatty as hell' for that! Anyhow, she's easy to talk to and get along with and kids would love her den! She will definitely help get to the bottom of things!

That said, thanks for putting the info here flessan =) won't have been that straightforward finding an EP in Cambridge otherwise.

Switch schools. It’s ofyen the answer. If your child is sociable and the problems seem to run counter to your feeelings about your dc then a school switch is often all that is needed