SCIPS Programme

Please note that referrals to SCIPS should be made through the paediatric SLT clinic MAKE A REFERRAL

 

Thank you for your interest in SCIPS.

Social Communication and Interaction Pre-School Supports (SCIPS)

What is SCIPS? 

SCIPS is designed for preschool children who are autistic / presenting with social communication difficulties and aims to improve a child’s social communication and interaction by training a parent to support their child’s development. The programme follows evidence-based best practice recommended in national clinical guidelines.
Children who can benefit from SCIPS will have an ASD diagnosis, be on a waiting list for an ASD assessment, or have difficulties with social communication. The intervention is appropriate for children who are not yet talking through to children beginning to use phrase speech.
Intervention will be delivered by student Speech and Language Therapists who are closely supervised by qualified specialist Speech and Language Therapists.

Aims of the intervention

The intervention aims to improve a child’s social communication, including sharing attention and play, responding to others, initiating interaction and developing communication and language.

What does the intervention involve?

SCIPS works by teaching strategies to the primary carer which will support their child’s social communication development. In clinic you will be taught and have opportunity to practice the strategies.
Your interaction with your child will be video – recorded to provide you with feedback on your use of the strategies and the effect of these strategies on your child. You will be asked to practice using the strategies daily at home in play and everyday.

What is your commitment?

  • To attend an initial assessment with one of our team
  • Primary carer to attend clinic for 8 weekly sessions, each lasting 1-to-1.5 hours
  • To agree to student involvement
  • To agree to videoing for feedback, teaching and research purposes
  • To practice the strategies with your child daily in play and everyday activities
  • To attend a follow-up appointment after the intervention has finished
  • Following completion your child will be discharged from our caseload

Supervising therapists

The programme has been devised by:

  • Dr Tom Loucas is a qualified Speech and Language Therapist, registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (SL01574). He has worked with children and adolescents with communication impairments for more than 20 years. He has specialised in autism spectrum disorders since 2001 in both research and clinical settings.
  • Sara Fincham-Majumdar is a qualified Speech and Language Therapist (MSc Reading), registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (SL24467). Sara has worked with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families since 1998. She qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist in 2007 and has specialised in the field of ASD since 2012. Sara is studying for a PhD exploring the active ingredients of intervention for children with social communication difficulties, including autism.

What parents say about SCIPS

“It is helping us a lot. All the strategies /lessons along with the video feedback help us in understanding the ways to communicate with our child. We are able to connect with our little one and are able to play and enjoy more time with him following the techniques given. It has helped us in gaining his attention, improved his concentration and communication levels helping us to interact better.”

Please email paediatric-slt@reading.ac.uk if you have any questions.

Paediatric Clinic

  • paediatric-slt@reading.ac.uk

Adult Clinic

  • adult-slt@reading.ac.uk