Please talk to me about BIBIC

[Tigerlion]

Has anyone been to BIBIC in Somerset? We are considering going but would like to hear more about it from people who have experienced it

Hi

lots of people have been there on here, it suits some v3ry welland I think you need totakeadvantageofthe freeinterviewwtoseeif it isforyou.

For usit wasideal (2 with asd). I grew up very close by and had benthere with work so knew what toexpect.

My take on BIBIC is that for £50 give it a go. You dont get much SN help in this worldfor £50.

I agree with Peachy. We went and DS had some baseline tests which were very useful in identifying cognitive abilities and problem areas. They do a really good report which is helpful when you have to argue the toss with school about things!

The staff are really supportive and my son enjoyed his time there and really relaxed and got chatty with staff. Whatever the effectiveness of the sensory programme they gave us, it was nice to feel supported!

How long did you both go for? Does it only cost £50? I thought it was more in the hundreds.Did you stay on site?

We did two days. Yes, £50 is the total cost. There are no facilities on site. We stayed at a lovely little B&B near Glastonbury

i always get that one mixed up with Brainwave in somerset, apparently the assessment there is £500!

Yes, they are a couple of miles outside Bridgwater. They did the Ravens Coloured Progressive Matrices and the British Picture Vocabulary Scale to test verbal and non-verbal reasoning. They also did some tests to look at working memory.

It depends on the age if they test, DS was 3 and they did not do many tests - just some language ones. I thought it was a great place but we did not get so much out of it as DS found the change really hard and refused to go in any of the fab sensory rooms so we didn't get the most out of it! Also he does not have many OT / physio issues and we are fairly clued up on his ASD / had diagnosis and therapy programme in place already. But for £50 it was fine. And actually the report we got afterwards was more helpful than I had expected.

The sensory swimming pool was great, we had it to ourselves for a couple of hours. Ds has a water phobia and had never been swimming before.

Without the fear of other people being there, splashing, the noise etc, etc. It was dimly lit and all very calm and over the 2 days ds progressed from looking, to putting a finger in, then a foot, to actually getting in (he wouldnt take his t-shirt off). We couldnt get him out!

He has actually been swimming in a proper pool since. Well worth £50.

The sensory program was also very helpful, as it offers some practical advice and strategies, you dont feel so helpless. I have noticed that now ds does his sensory diet together with OT exercises, his craving for banging and crashing into objects/people has decreased.

You can also request a Ed Psy assessment, but you have to pay for this.

Can someone give me more details of how to contact BIBIC? I'd never heard of them before coming on here.

they have a website www.bibic.org.uk with all their details

We went afew eyars,sometimes 3sometimes 2 days. In the end we had to give it in but it was twice as demanding on us iyswimwith 2children on the system.

Agree VVVV much with eeyore about teh reports; they helped us immensely

Cheers debs. Will check that out later.

I'm sorry for doing a quick hijack, but we're due to go to BIBIC in the Easter hols. We're taking DD1 (NT) with us, is there much to do for her in these 2 days or should we make other arrangements for her. I'm not sure what their take on Siblings is.

Sorry again

We took DS2 with us. We were there from 9.30 to 3.30 on both days so we didn't take him off site. DH took DS2 to play in their play room while DS1 was being seen. I don't know how old your daughter is but the playroom was pretty good.

This is probably best if they are doing baseline assessments etc as it can be distracting to have another child around playing.

The staff are great at working around the fact that you have another child and will offer to get someone to watch them when they want to have an important chat with you both.

After being at bibic, you can go to Bridgwater but there's not much to do there (I used to be a criminal lawyer there at the start of my career - it's a very 'unique' place!). Taunton is about 15 miles away and is a nice. Street has a good retail outlet shopping village which has cafes and things and is open some evenings but this is about 20 mins away. Glastonbury ois about 30 minutes away and is great on a nice day.

HTH

That's great, thank you. DD1 is 5 (just).

Thanks for the tips, We have an extra day tagged onto the end of the visit so we can have a family day and give DD1 some attention.