Choosing independent professionals

[brainfrogg]

Hello fellow mums, how do you choose an independent professional for assessing your child and/or for therapy support? I am in the process of selecting an independent EP for my child's cognitive assessment. And an OT for both assessment and therapy sessions.

Besides the professional registration, what else to look for? I am in talks with an OT who works in a school part-time and also does her private work. They don't have much online reviews from parents, but they are registered with HCPC/RCOT. They are renting a space and running sessions on their own (no other therapist or team). Their fee is as high as the reputable OT clinics. But those clinics do have good reviews and more experienced, they have a waiting list though. How to decide who to choose? What other things I should be considering before I proceed?

Similar situation with the educational psychologist. Most reputable ones have availability end of August/September. But then what exactly decides reputation? Good online reviews by parents? I say online as I don't have a big network of parents I can ask, so I check Google/social media. What if an EP is experienced, registered, available sooner and has a reasonable fee? Is the amount of fee they charge defines the quality? I got a quote of £2,750 for an assessment (EHCP approved) and another for £1050 for the same report. How do I decide?

Just fyi - DS is 9 yo, not in school atm but was attending a maintained special school with an EHCP. Now looking into a new school for him and heading towards a tribunal.

Both those amounts are within the normal range for an EP. The fee does not necessarily determine quality. Some who are more expensive are not as good as some who are cheaper.

Word of mouth from parents who have used EPs and OTs is helpful. Ask around locally and nationally.

Make sure whoever you use has experience of writing Tribunal standard reports. Not all have experience of writing medico-legal standard reports. If you think you will have to appeal and will want them to attend as a witness, check that they attend hearings. Unless you are lucky with a cancellation, which do crop up, anyone good will have a waiting list.

For the EP, ask what cognitive testing they will do. Not all do it as standard. IMO it is needed/helpful. When they do include it, not all do the full range of testing. Similarly, ask the OT what, if any, standardised testing they will use.

Ask both if they will do school visits if necessary. Some do, some don’t. Whether it is necessary depends on your circumstances and what you want/need. Even if DS isn’t in school now, this may be important. In many cases it isn’t necessary, but for example, in some cases, it can be useful for the EP to visit the named school and parental preference school.

For the OT, check what qualifications and experience they have for dealing with the sensory integration side of things. Check what equipment they have. Also check they are willing to do both the assessment and ongoing provision. Some only do one or the other.