Ms Kadayer's knowledge and skills in the area of Verbal Behaviour (VB) is extremely relevant in the field of autism and her continued presence within our community would be of great benefit to all families touched by this disability.

Mr Smith, Herts
Louise is very accurate in her analysis and catching every opportunity to motivate new learning - not only on the child's side but also for the "grown-ups" around. Our son's programming could not be in better hands.

Anonymous, Norfolk
Under Louise's guidance Omi has made significant and remarkable progress, his eye contact has improved dramatically, his periods of social isolation has decreased and he has begun to enjoy the company of others.

Dr Jones, Berkshire
I have known Shelley Brown for 6 months through the work she has undertaken with my autistic son. She has made a significant contribution towards my son's language acquisition and I have no hesitation in referring her to other families.

Mrs Christine Labios
Louise has provided us with hands on education and has visited our home many times to demonstrate with our son practical ways of interacting with him.

Dr ASM Ziaul Hoque
Louise first came to our home in December 2006 and within just four weeks we had seen remarkable progress in our 3 year old son.

Gareth & Sarah Squire
"It was a pleasure to have our consultant Shelley in our home for 2 days. She discussed strategies, demonstrated them, then coached us as we worked with our son. We were delighted to see an immediate improvement in our boy. We really look forward to our next consultation."

Wendy Kiefel, Australia

Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around them.

Autistic spectrum disorder is the term that is used to describe a group of disorders, including autism and Asperger’s syndrome. The word ‘spectrum’ is used because the characteristics of the condition vary massively from one person to another. The umbrella of disorders range from individuals who engage in self injurious behaviour and have no or few communication skills, through to individuals who are fully conversational but struggle in social situations.

Those with autism may seem to have a learning disability. Many professionals say individuals with autism have cognitive deficits. Fortunately we know in the field of Behaviour Analysis that autism does not always correlate with learning disabilities and cognitive deficits. An individual with autism may look as though they have a learning disability when in fact learning delays come incorrect teaching. Those who have Asperger syndrome tend to have average or above average intelligence but have difficulty making sense of the world. We now know how to best teach our learners with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

The causes of ASD are still unknown and research is ongoing. However, research suggests that genetic factors may be involved and there is also some evidence to show that the condition may be linked to environmental factors, such as pollution or viruses. It currently looks as though there may be various environmental factors which trigger a genetic predisposition leading to autism.

Recent research suggests that around 1 in 100 people have ASD in the UK, 1 in 150 in the USA and 1 in 100 in Australia. It is estimated to affect four times as many males than females, although the reason for this is unknown.

We know the best way to teach individuals with autism, developmental delays and acquired delays. This way is applied behaviour analysis and, namely, verbal behaviour. However, many treatments and different types of support are available. We would love to discuss these with you. Many of our families see a nutritionist, homeopath and chiropractor in addition to behavioural intervention. We can help you to decide which professionals may be of benefit to you and we can certainly recommend professionals in your area.

Whatever you are told, there is no ‘cure’ for ASD. There are many individuals who become indistinguishable from their peers and those who don’t can still make significant gains. An early diagnosis is crucial to helping children move towards becoming indistinguishable from their peers. There is hope for all of our children, teenagers and adults. It may be one off or occasional consultation, a part time programme or full time programme which will benefit your family.