About Options Communication Therapy Centre

Jane Remington-Gurney has over 20 years experience as a speech therapist and has completed her Masters Degree in Applied Linguistics. She has worked as Head of Department for the Queensland Cerebral Palsy League, as Speech Pathologist for the DEAL Communication Centre, and as Advisor in Facilitated Communication for Disability Services Queensland. As a strong advocate for hands-on speech therapy rather than consultative based intervention, she decided back in 1996 to leave the government sector and work in a private capacity. She has never looked back...except when paid sick leave and holidays are involved!

What we do at Options

P.R.O.M.P.T.
This approach was developed by Debra Hayden and stands for prompts for restructure oro-motor proprioceptive targets. All staff have completed at least basic prompt training. Further information can be obtained by going to www.promptinstitute.com

Facilitated Communication Training
This technique was developed by Dr. Rosemary Crossley at the DEAL Communication Centre in Victoria - home.vicnet.net.au/~dealcc/ All staff has completed at least basic training. The director has completed Instructor-Presenter training. It is not the role of staff at Options to facilitate conversations and establish wants and needs of clients who use FCT. It is their role to help communication partners (family members, friends, aides) to facilitate, coach skills that will prompt independence and provide support, needed to enable facilitation to be one of several successful and functional non-speech communication methods. More information is available on soeweb.syr.edu/thefci/5-3she.htm and www.contactcandle.co.uk

Key Word Signing
Options staff recognises that Makaton is a conventional augmentative approach for some people with limited communication and advocate for care providers to attend Makaton training workshops. However, at Options staff will customise a sign vocabulary with care providers. Due to the high probability that many clients will find signing for expression difficult, a movement control/natural gesture program is often used. This incorporates key word signing with the use of natural gesture, facial expression and some Australian sign.

Social Stories
Many of the clients seen at Options find the work of Carol Gray and the Gray Centre very helpful. This work includes colour captioning. All staff at Options have either attended workshops presented by Carol Gray or used training resources developed by the Gray Centre. We would encourage care providers to use the Carol Gray website www.thegraycenter.org and the ‘Morning News’ which is available from www.autismuk.com/index24.htm

Learning To Listen
Many of the clients appear to benefit from approaches to condition and develop auditory perception and processing. Auditory integration therapy is one such approach and is discussed in Annabelle Steihle’s book, ‘The Sound of a Miracle.’ Jane Remington has completed training with ‘Links to Learning’ www.linkstolearning.com and is a provider of the home-based music and sound therapy program.

Communication Displays-Devices
Options staff has experience designing and prescribing suitable communication displays and devices for people with limited or no functional speech. Very often we advise that our clients be seen by the staff at the independent living centre, Brisbane where a wide variety of low and high technology can be viewed and trialled. Some clients may be eligible for funding for communication devices through the Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme (M.A.S.S.). Further information concerning this is available from www.health.qld.gov.au/mass.

Want to know more about us? We welcome you to contact us