Who we are and what we do

Our Team is made up of Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Clinical Psychologists, Community Paediatricians, and Therapy Assistants.

All members of our team have experience working with and diagnosing autism in children. Working as a multidisciplinary team allows us to draw on our varied clinical experience and training in understanding children�s unique pattern of strengths and needs so we can suggest the most appropriate support for them as individuals.

As many of us are part time and will often be either working from home or in clinical sessions during the working day, it is best to contact us by email through our Contact Us page . This will ensure your message gets to the best person to answer your query.

Team Leader and Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist

Sheila Vanezis

Team Leader and Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist

Team Administrator

Shirley Hitchman

Team Administrator

Speech and Language Therapists

Speech and Language Therapists specialise in supporting a child and those around them to be able to communicate and interact together. We may advise on areas such as attention and listening, understanding and using language, social communication and interaction skills and speech (i.e. the ability to say the sounds in words correctly). In SCT we work with parents and carers to understand and adapt to the differences in their child's communication skills. We support parents to find shared enjoyment and attention with their child through play. We also help parents to think of how they can support their child to understand what is happening next in their daily routine and find meaningful ways of expressing themselves.

Giulia Abbonizio

Speech and Language Therapist

Min Kent

Speech and Language Therapist

Paris Kurban

Speech and Language Therapy

Kate Newton

Speech and Language Therapist

Olivia Zetterstrom-Healy

Speech and Language Therapist

Occupational Therapists

Occupational therapists specialise in developing a child�s ability to participate and gain independence in their everyday activities. We help parents to understand how the child's main environments (home, nursery, the playground, and the wider community) may impact on their self-regulation, participation, learning and play. This includes, helping those who know the child best (parents, carers and teachers) to understand their unique sensory needs and the supportive strategies they can implement at home and at nursery to help the child to remain calm and alert for playing and learning.

Rakhee Dattani

Occupational Therapist

Lauren Freeman

Occupational Therapist

Anna Traylen

Occupational Therapist

Clinical Psychologists

Clinical Psychologists work in health care settings and specialise in the study of mind and behaviour. They are trained to draw on psychological theory and research to help make sense of people�s thoughts, feelings and behaviour. They use information from a variety of sources and work together with families to develop a shared understanding of difficulties. When working with autistic children and their families a Clinical Psychologist might help make sense of the reason behind behaviour the child is displaying and help think of the most effective way for parents or teachers to support the child�s development and emotional wellbeing.

Louise Acker

Clinical Psychologist

Emily Seager

Clinical Psychologist

Lara Taylor

Clinical Psychologist

Developmental Paediatricians

Developmental Paediatricians are specialist children�s doctors. They are trained in both hospital and community settings. They have experience diagnosing and managing children with neurological and developmental disorders and delays. They will ask you questions about your child�s health and development and will examine your child.

Dr Katarina Harris

Consultant Developmental Paediatrician, Designated Dr for Child Protection

Dr Nicole Horwitz

Consultant Developmental Paediatrician, Designated Medical Officer for Education

Dr Ellen Kriesels

Consultant Developmental Paediatrician, Clinical Lead and Named Dr for Child Protection

Therapy Assistants

Therapy Assistants help in the delivery of support and care to children and their families who are referred to our team. They provide support to the team with a range of both clinical and administrative tasks.

Ellie Charlton

Therapy Assistant

Anabela Ribeiro

Therapy Assistant