BIBIC assessment on Monday for DS 13

[MrsFlittersnoop]

I wondered if anyone has any experience of a BIBIC assessment with an older child/young teenager? DS has recently been dx with Aspergers and I found out this afternoon that our original appointment with BIBIC (which was cancelled due to a therapist leaving)has been re-scheduled for next (yes NEXT!) Monday and Tuesday. The letter got lost in the post apparently.

He is being assessed re. his social skills issues and possible dyspraxia. This doesn't give me much time to prepare DS who is due back from school any minute. He knows I had arranged the assessment, but he doesn't cope with unexpected changes very well.

I would be really grateful if anyone give me some idea of what he/we can expect?

sorry, i don't have experience of BIBIC with an older child - dd1 was 3 when we went - but I can tell you about our experience if you want?

Have you got anywhere to stay nearby? I can recommend the B&B we stayed at (about 10 mins drive away) - it was fab. Let me know and I'll look out the details if you need them.

Thanks silverfrog - we will be travelling to Bridgwater by train on both days and won't need accommodation.

Any information about what to expect would be helpful, I did talk about this briefly with a therapist called Graham who did our phone questionnaire, but this was ages before Xmas and I've forgotten the details!

Right, will try to remember as best i can (was a coule of years ago now!) and hope it hasn't changed too much!

We arrived, bleary eyed bright and early, and got given a full tour of the place - taken around and shown each and every therapy/play room. tbh, this was not particularly helpful for us - yes, it did show us th elayout of the place (but so would a map!) and it was confusing for dd1. we got taken everywhere, shown in, shown (for eg) how the music/lights/play equipment worked, dd1 was encouraged to have a go and get familiar with it, and then we were moved on to the next room. We did mention in our feedback that this was not perhaps the best approach to take with an ASD child, so maybe they've changed it? If we go again, we would ask not to do this.

We then had a meeting with a doctor, who took a case history and asked basic health questions. Did height/weight check. broad diet rundown. quick overview to make sure that all would be ok in each therapy room, I think.

Then we got down to the fun part. We had 2 therapists who were "ours" for the 2 days. And in between seeing the SALT and the dietician (both extras we had requested) we did a full development check on dd1.

Lots of guided/structured playing with one fo the therapists while dh & I answered a million questions of dev history. Exhausting but thorough.

In the course of this rundown, we moved through different therapy rooms, so when checking physical development we were in a softplay/indoor gym type room, so they had all the right equipment on hand.

they have a big room where you can have lunch - use of microwave there, iirc, and there are juice/yoghurts in the fridge. kettle for tea/coffee etc.

It is avery full couple of days, and we were all exhausted, but it was so worth it. they were billiant with dd1, and we had a very good home programme which helped her loads.

and their report remains on of the most thorough and informative we have ever had (they check details such as eye tracking/competence in handedness/ear dominace etc, as well as the more obvious developmental/sensory things)

Hope that helps - if you have any questions, please do ask and I'll try to answer them

Thanks again silverfrog!

We will be arriving a bite later than normal (with their consent) because of our train times, so they'll be skipping the guided tour bit for us.

As DS is 13 I doubt there will be so much "guided/structured play" for him. He doesn't suffer greatly from sensory issues or particular anxiety about new places, and is so pleased to be out of school that whatever they throw at him will be OK as far as he's concerned!

I will post back here with a detailed report which I hope will be of use to other parents of older kids who are considering an assessment at BIBIC. There is so little help on offer for our kids that any information helps - it's entirely down to Mumsnet that I heard about BIBIC in the first place.

Thanks ladies!

Could someone please give me the details for BIBIC. I want DD and DS2 to have assessments there. I've heard such good things on MN about the reports from there, and IIRC, I'm sure I've seen someone say it's only £50? . I know I'd have to pay for somewhere to stay & travel etc, but I really think I NEED to do this.

BIBIC

yes, i believe the cost isonly £50 per assessment now.

Extras (such as SALT and nutritionist) I think still cost more, but still vastly reduced rate (we saw a SALT for an hour 2 years ago and paid £60 for it - that included writing a report and making recommendations)

The cost is £50. They can provide a list of suitable local B&Bs for families to stay in. You will need to bring your own lunch each day, or you can go to one of the local child-friendly pubs for a meal.

I phoned BIBIC and was given a time when I would be contacted by a therapist, who then conducted a detailed interview about DS lasting about 1 hour over the phone. I was also sent a written questionnaire to complete and return prior to the assessment.

We contacted BIBIC in December and were given a date for mid-Feb. I believe one of their therapists left recently and hasn't been replaced yet, so the waiting list is around 2-3 months ATM.

HTH.

Thank you!

I'd never heard of BIBIC, just read their website, wow, you guys are great!

I'd never heard of BIBIC, just read their website, wow, you guys are great!

Yes, it is only £50 but you don't get to see any health professionals (doctors included) unless you pay separately for this. Our assessments were undertaken by therapists who are BIBIC trained but I'm not sure they have any formal qualifications.

It was useful and we had a useful report but I'm not sure how much scrutiny it stands up to. Not a criticism just a general doubt.

Our OT for example thought some of the sensory stuff was not evidenced based.

We tried the BIBIC programme for two years with very little progress, then we came across this guy, www.snowdrop.cc

He was a parent of a young man with brain injuries and has studied to the point where he has started his own treatment programmes.

We took our young son to see him for the first time 6 months ago and WOW! - the improvement was staggering. Within a few weeks we had a child who was trying to communicate with us and was far more alert.

Mrsflitter.. It would be great if you could update .. Ds2 is 11 and I'm considering bibic with particularly with regard to sensory and social communication stratagies as ds is getting older.
If you don't mind I'll watch this thread.

how weird we were meant to be there Monday and Tuesday but got cancelled because of someone on training that day, they told me they all had to have training so no one was around! We are going thursday and friday instead!
I think that makes 3 Mnetters at BIBIC next week, be intresting to see what everyone thinks

For me in early days it was handy to get someone elses idea of where ds stenths/weakness lie also got some ot physios idear to .

We did have option tk go back but ds does not have any asd / behaviour social issues as he got older it become more obvious what he needs but would recommend them to anyone struggling

For me in early days it was handy to get someone elses idea of where ds stenths/weakness lie also got some ot physios idear to .

We did have option tk go back but ds does not have any asd / behaviour social issues as he got older it become more obvious what he needs but would recommend them to anyone struggling

We tried BIBIC with both of ours, we're from that way anyway and I ahd links with them in my previous job so it was an obvious way to go- they ran training on ASD for us (a charity) and that was when we realised the root of ds1's (AS) issues.

It was exhausting but the paperwork was good siimply becuase it helped get a statement- that was enough of a result for us tbh, I think we may have also used wrt DLA and I know the Paed used it when making a dx, although only in addition to her own investigations obv.

We stopped going for mainly financial reasons (was pre £50 scheme) however w3 also found it too hard to manage 2 programs and when we were told ds2 had dysprxia- well 3 was an impossibility for us.

We also had issues with ds1 threatening to harm a therapist- becuase of the dietsary stuff. So we withdrew.

I'd do it agin though, like a shot; I think they gave us a great deal of insight into the boy's needs (DH especially) and if I ever ahd the chance to work for them I'd grab it like a shot (except we don't live so close now).

It's worth a go; a lot of their stuff ahs parallels in the talks given to us by OT practitioners at Uni (trainers based at good Universities), it doesn't match but one can see the parallels (one lecturer was a bit reticent about theier work with CP children but when we pulled it apart she seemed to be looking at BIBIC-old-Style... they have changed immensely over the last decade, i first visited at 19 when I was a student HCP and have seen vast and fundamental differences)

Oh and I also credit them with ds3 being able to talk. That, frankly, is enough. They couldn't solve ds1's aggression though but then nobody it seems can.

So SMA that makes you 29
yeah I'm the 3rd who will be at Bibic lol.

LOL I wish......

nah, but the changes have come thick and fast. First visit was in fact- eeek- 17 years ago. Sob! but that wasn't weork, just fact finding.