Release Communication Ltd. Ireland’s 1 st Emerging Best Practice in

1. Release Communication Ltd. Ireland’s 1st Emerging Best Practice in Early Intervention Speech and Language Therapy

2. 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.

3. How does Release Work? • Release At-Home Assessment • Release Care Contract • Release Assessment and Report • Release Class Grouping • GROW • Release Homework

4. 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

5. Research ResultsPresented 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

6. Benefits for Children and Parents National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study 1997 – 2007 (NEILS)

7. How Release can end Waiting Lists in Ireland at No Additional Cost HSE Release

8. 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.

9. 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