Transcript Slide 1

Release Communication
Ltd.
Ireland’s 1st Emerging Best Practice in
Early Intervention Speech and Language Therapy
What is Release?
• Award winning, not-for-profit social enterprise
• Continuous, weekly group speech and language
therapy program 100% inclusive of parental
involvement
•
•
•
•
•
Achieves better performance,
better efficiency,
less expense,
greater inclusion of family/Caregivers and
greater outcomes than traditional methods.
How does Release Work?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Release At-Home Assessment
Release Care Contract
Release Assessment and Report
Release Class Grouping
GROW
Release Homework
Evidence Based Research
• In conjunction with The George Washington
University, Release worked with 69 children
aged 0 – 5 over a 20-week period in 2008
• Release also tested parents stress levels pre and
post the 20 week session
• The Release program is Ireland’s first emerging
best practice in early intervention speech and
language therapy.
• Accepted to present at ASHA 2009
• GWU on record committing to longitudinal research
Research Results
Presented at ASHA 2009
• Release results are far greater than the National Early
Intervention Longitudinal Study 1997 – 2007 (NEILS)
report suggests are US national averages.
• Release has additional benefit of significant
reduction in parent stress levels.
• In only 5 months:
– Average communication increased in excess of 11 ½
months
– 96% of children increased their communication ability at
least one severity level
– 9% of children increased three severity levels
• Parental stress levels decreased significantly
Benefits for Children and
Parents
National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study
1997 – 2007 (NEILS)
How Release can end Waiting
Lists in Ireland at
No Additional Cost
HSE
Release
2007
As per December 2008
FOI Information
2007
Based on HSE’s
Numbers this could
have been the Outcome
SLT’s
735
SLT’s
735
Total Needing Speech
57,476
Total Needing Speech
57,476
Total worked with by
HSE
17,604
Total Potential of
Release programme
with no additional staff
55,125
Standard Release
Caseload of 75 per SLT
Average speech and
language therapy time
per Year
6 -12 hours
Average speech and
language therapy time
per Year
40 hours + 3 hours of
homework weekly
Total on Waiting Lists
40,331
Total on Waiting Lists
2,351
Benefits for SLPs and
Service Providers
• ASHA 2000 Schools Survey
– Over 50% of Service Providers
report shortage of SLP’s results:
• included increased caseload
(80%), decreased opportunities
for individual services (62%), and
decreased quality of service
(58%).
– SLP’s greatest challenges
• burdensome paperwork (88%);
• lack of time for planning,
collaboration, and meeting with
teachers (81%); and
• large caseload (60%).
• Release Program
– One SLP can work with 75 children,
one hour per week
• Better management of caseload,
decreased need for individual
services and increased quality of
service.
– Release’s programme answers SLP’s
greatest challenges
• Significant reduction in paperwork;
• Pre-planning designed for each type
of class;
• collaboration and meeting with
parents is core to the programme;
• 75 weekly caseload is attainable.
Benefits for
Parents
• Parent empowerment
– Parents learn how to bring on their child’s
communication skills –
• parents increase motivation with child achievement
– Weekly, continuous access to a professional
– Meet and network with other families who are
dealing with same disability and skills levels
– Non-judgemental setting for families