Socially Speaking

Alex has been attending sessions individually with Alison for over 5 years, and has also been part of Socially Speaking's group of like minded young adults for over two years. In our experience Alison has always been professional and has a wealth of knowledge and experience with children and young adults just like Alex. Alex is on the autism spectrum and has had a lot of trouble with being able to express all that he has in his head verbally. Alison has helped Alex to be able to use his words appropriately , she has helped us to teach him to be flexible, as he expects things to be the same all the time. We have been able to email Alison and text her if we have specific problems and she has always answered and been happy to help. We honestly couldn't recommend Alison and her team at Socially Speaking enough for anyone who has a child or young adult who might be cognitively challenged, or just need that extra little bit of help.Paula and Terry Moseley

My son has been attending Socially Speaking for quite a few years. During this time I have seen a huge change in his confidence and ability to approach everyday situations. Attending Socially Speaking has helped to give him tools to interact socially and to become more independent, that has given me hope for him to have a good future.

Socially Speaking changed our lives forever and for the better! Our autistic son looks forward to going every week, loves connecting with young people just like him, and thrives on the intensive and individualised programme that teaches him social skills, empathy and independence. The dedicated team at Socially Speaking are skilled professionals with a plethora of knowledge and experience. They are truly amazing people who regularly go above and beyond to help the kids achieve success. Over the past decade Alison Schroeder and the Socially Speaking team have supported our son to try new things, engage in conversation, learn and play reciprocal games, practice essential life skills and develop strong and meaningful friendships with them and the young ZONE members in his group. We can't imagine a time when we will not need their advice and expertise on the journey with our special young man. They have been a lifeline and a huge and ongoing support for our family. We are forever grateful to Alison and her team, and highly recommend Socially Speaking to any parents/caregivers who are looking for a structured programme to help their neurodiverse young people develop social awareness and interaction skills.

My daughter (7) has been seeing Georgina for a year now. Sienna had difficulty with people outside of the family understanding her vocally. Quite often her sentences were mixed or off topic. Sienna also struggled with retelling stories and picking up key points. Georgina has helped her greatly with word order and focus.Her focus has greatly improved and her peers and adults are now holding conversations with her and understanding her. She loves her weekly visits at Socially Speaking. The tips Georgina provides me as a mother are so valuable. Georgina is also happy to chat with my daughters school teachers.I recommend Socially Speaking on a regular basis to other parents and will continue to do so.Thanks so much.

My daughter (now aged 14) has been attending Socially Speaking Kids Clubs for the past 6 yrs. At times, as the need has arisen, she has also had individual Occupational Therapy sessions, and Speech and Language sessions too. I am immensely grateful for the learning opportunities these have provided. To walk into a place where I, as her parent, felt heard and understood and my daughter wasn’t judged or labelled was a huge relief! She has learnt emotional regulation strategies, how to define and name her own feelings and those of others around her, how to recognise social cues, and how to participate in a group (as well as numerous other skills). I truly can’t thank Alison and her team enough for the teaching, support, and understanding they have shown my daughter and our wider whanau.

Degrading, demeaning place that treats neurodiverse children like defective neurotypicals who need fixing". I'm 34 and still have nightmares about this awful place."

My daughter has been attending Socially Speaking for over 10 years. We have also had private assessments and guidance through Socially Speaking. Alison and her team have been incredibly helpful, empathetic and professional. My daughter still loves going every week and has made new friends through the group sessions. Over the years with Socially Speaking, she has matured, learned to socially interact with others and developed coping strategies which are invaluable.