Our STories
We work with some wonderful people
Dr Caroline Campbell
Principal Clinical Psychologist
I have no hesitation in recommending The Autism Team to families and professionals. I have collaborated professionally with both Laurain and Sue over many years and have seen at first hand their ability to look at each child as an individual with his/her own pattern of strengths and weaknesses. They are able to support families with professionalism and good humour. They have a wealth of clinical experience and are able to apply this in a practical and helpful way that takes into account the distinct needs of the family and child.
Sumera Khan
Speech Therapist
I refer families to Sue and Laurain with complete confidence that they will receive the best support and advice with practical and emotional aspects of any issue. They are truly inspiring in their knowledgeable, professionalism, honesty and most importantly, the compassionate manner in which they support families. Both professionals and parents value their involvement due to the genuine care and sensitivity with which they deal with each family.
Dr Anne-Marie Catterall
Clinical Psychologist
Sue and Laurain between them have over 35 years of experience of working with children with a diagnosis on the autism spectrum. Their knowledge and experience is incredibly comprehensive and they are up to date with the most recent evidence based approaches.
Both Sue and Laurain have their own experience of parenting a child with a diagnosis on the autism spectrum and I think that this has a huge impact on their thoughtful and open approach. They really understand the issues that families experience and the strategies they develop with parents are highly practical and focused on what will make the biggest positive change for the child and the family. The approach they use is person-centred and they are excellent at adapting the recommended approaches to fit the individual issues of the families they are working with.
Throughout my time working professionally with Sue and Laurain I have had incredibly positive feedback from the families they have worked with, who have really appreciated their kindness and approachability and who have valued having practical strategies which have created a positive shift. It is great to work with Laurain and Sue and see what great relationships they develop with families and the high level of practical, positive change they create in a short time. I wholeheartedly recommend Sue and Laurain’s service!
Dr Daphne Keen
Consultant in Neurodevelopmental Paediatrics
Laurain and Susan have been the mainstays of the multidisciplinary assessment team that I have had the privilege of working with for over 15 years. They bring together expertise in child development and a deep understanding of the complexities and diversity of autism and social communication impairments, with a natural warmth and empathetic understanding of the parent experience during what may be a traumatic, confusing time, when concerns are first raised about their child’s development.
Their programmes to educate, empower and give emotional support to parents have been widely appreciated, evidenced by consistently positive feedback. Laurain and Susan’s expertise and practical experience in developing programmes of support and advice about interventions are much respected and valued by their professional colleagues in nurseries and schools, psychologists, and therapists.
Shelia O’Gorman
Parent of Lily
I highly recommend Sue and Laurain and both have been an amazing support and were able to guide me on the journey of understanding an autism diagnosis. I attended the Early Bird Course that Sue and Laurain ran and it was a great way of getting a better understanding of my child’s behaviour and also being able to hear other peoples stories and experiences.
Sue and Laurain also gave some very practical recommendations on how to manage different scenarios and their advice still resonates today. My child benefited from Early Intervention and it is wonderful and invaluable to meet people like Sue and Laurain that totally understand the challenges of being a mum with a child that has not reached the mile stones of other children and behaves differently from their peers.
They are both such positive people and I would highly recommend the Early Bird Course - we are still using some of the recommendations at home which has really helped with independence skills, especially getting ready in the morning for school. I will be forever grateful to Sue and Laurain and for all the kindness and understanding they show to parents.