About Autism Positive
About Autism Positive - A qualified team of experienced Clinicians.
At Autism Positive diagnosis service, we are a multidisciplinary team of experienced clinicians. Please read below to find out more about our core team and our amazing collaborators…
Louise Scrivener (Independent Speech and Language Therapist).
I qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist in 2000, my professional journey has taken me to various settings, where I’ve worked with a diverse range of children and young people, from mainstream education to Further Education (FE) colleges and even the challenging environment of the forensic service. In 2006, I established my own independent practice, Talk Therapy. Over the years, this has flourished into a thriving practice, where I work alongside a team of creative therapists. Together, we are committed to providing innovative and effective therapy for our clients.
In 2009, I completed my Master’s degree, specialising in complex communication, and in 2012 completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Dyslexia. Most recently (Summer 2023) I completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Autism at Strathclyde University before transferring to the doctorate pathway, where I plan to concentrate my research on Minimally Verbal Autistic children.
When I’m not immersed in the world of Speech and Language Therapy, or at my laptop you’ll likely find me running, walking my dog or crocheting.
I have been a Learning & Behaviour Specialist providing behaviour analytics services to children and young people with Autism Spectrum Condition since 1997. I run my own practice, and provide consultancy services to schools and a national charity. I completed a Masters degree in Applied Behaviour Analysis in 2019. I am a UKBA (cert) certified by the UK Society for Behaviour Analysis and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. I am skilled in understanding autism, and developing both academic and functional skills and behaviour management strategies using functional assessment. I have extensive experience of devising, implementing and supervising educational programmes for children and young people in both home and school settings. I have a particular interest in supporting the development of functional living skills and teaching young people to provide consent. I am committed to working as part of an interdisciplinary team and continuing professional development.
I have been working as a Learning and Behaviour Consultant since 2000, across public and private settings. I have extensive experience of devising, implementing and supervising educational programmes for children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders. I have been heavily involved in the setup and continuing development of an independent school catering for the needs of individuals with a diagnosis of autism. I’ve been certified by the International Behaviour Analyst Certification Board (BACB) since 2005.
Beyond my clinical work, I’m dedicated to expanding my professional knowledge through continuing education. I have recently completed a Master’s Degree in Applied Behaviour Analysis. I have also completed the Sensory Integration Module One training; which allows me to identify behaviours that are likely to have a sensory underpinning and implement sensory-based strategies. I enjoy taking an interdisciplinary approach to my work, collaborating with professionals from various disciplines and using my training in different therapeutic approaches, to provide comprehensive support to families.
When I’m not focused on behavioural data and research, you’ll likely find me making memories with my family and singing very loudly in the car!
I hold a BSc Hons in Occupational Therapy from Coventry University, and an MSc in Advanced Practice in Occupational Therapy through Ulster University. I am an Advanced Practitioner in Sensory Integration (SI Education). I have completed the foundation training for Sensory Attachment Intervention (SAI) and use a trauma informed approach where applicable for assessments and treatment. I am also trained in the Cognitive Orientation to Occupational Performance (CO-OP) Approach, the SCERTS Model for Autism and the Low Arousal Approach for children and young people with demand avoidant profiles.
I am a highly specialist Occupational Therapist with over 15 years experience in supporting the inclusion of children and young people with special needs in their educational settings and improving functional skills within their community and home life. I provide bespoke direct therapy for children and young people, as well as advice and training for families and educational, medical and health professional staff to assist children/young people to reach their full educational and functional potential. I currently work in a number of mainstream and specialist provision schools, as well as independent schools throughout Warwickshire and the West Midlands.
My clinical case load includes children and young people (0 months – 25 years) with highly complex disabilities, including Acquired Brain Injury, Autistic Spectrum Conditions, Down’s syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, sensory integration difficulties, ADHD, learning disabilities and trauma and attachment difficulties.
I am regularly commissioned to provide training to other health care professionals, schools, and parents on sensory integration. I have undertaken clinical research in the field sensory integration and presented the findings at the national Occupational Therapy show.
I am an experienced HCPC registered Educational Psychologist and accredited EMDR practitioner, with a specialism in neuropsychological rehabilitation. I began my career
completing a PGCE, with QTS in 2005 and worked as a primary school teacher in Birmingham for two years. Following this I completed my Doctorate in Applied Educational and Child Psychology at the University of Birmingham in 2010 and worked as an Educational Psychologist in local authorities until 2017. Since 2017 I have developed a successful independent consultancy, providing independent service delivery to a number of schools, including a primary, secondary and a specialist SEMH provision. Since 2021, I have also worked as an associate Educational Psychologist for Recolo Ltd, where I provide expert, high quality and effective community neuropsychological rehabilitation to children, young people and their families who have been affected by acquired brain injury. I have recently become an accredited EMDR therapist and use this therapy to support children, adolescents and adults with a range of needs from trauma to anxiety and depression within all areas of my practice.
My areas of areas of interest and expertise include
Acquired and traumatic brain injury rehabilitation and support
EMDR
Anxiety and the use of Cognitive- Behavioural therapy
Emotionally based school avoidance
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Developmental trauma and sensory processing.
Executive functioning and metacognition
Reading skills and Direct Instruction
Attachment and early years
Youth Justice Service and young offenders
When I am not wearing my ‘psychologist hat’ I enjoy being with my husband and three children (of which one is now an adult!). I am also often found running… a lot! I love to run
and frequently enjoy entering races with my running club, including marathons; half marathons; track events and cross country.
I followed a vocation of helping people through talking therapies to qualify as a Counselling Psychologist in 2008, having completed a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2004. I worked in Adult Psychology Services, principally working with complex presentations of depression, anxiety, trauma, personality disorder and psychosis between 2009 and 2020. I left to pursue my interest in assessments and management to public sector Autism services and became Consultant to Autism and ADHD services within a public sector organisation in 2023. I currently co-lead a team of nine clinicians within the NHS.
I have trained in a variety of psychotherapeutic approaches, including specialised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Acceptance and Commitment and Therapy. I am trained in all major assessment measures for Autism (ADOS, ADI-r and DISCO) and ADHD assessment and diagnosis. Clinically, I am a proud generalist, hugely interested in the way we make sense of ourselves and relationships and where suffering comes from within them. This has led me to take an interest in trauma, grief and neurodiversity.
Away from Psychology, I creatively write and love food and drink.
I am a qualified secondary school teacher and specialised first in vision impairment in 2008 and then deafblindness two years later. I have been working in the field of education and SEND for over 20 years and during this time have worked in a range of settings, from mainstream primary and secondary schools through to special schools, specialist settings and local authority services. More recently I have worked in national charity roles, Principal MSI Officer with Sense, Head of Education at RNIB, raising awareness and representing the needs of young people with sensory impairment in a variety of ways including policy development with government, exams access, training, assessment and developing initiatives which support inclusive education e.g. the Curriculum Framework for Children with Vision Impairment. I currently work as Programme Lead and Senior Lecturer for the Mandatory Qualification (MQ) in deafblindness at Seashell Trust and Liverpool John Moores University, training teachers to be specialist teachers in deafblindness. I love working in the field, continue to learn something new everyday and face challenges which require real consideration, collaboration, hard work and a sense of humour. I am committed to young people developing skills to enable them to be as independent as they can.
When I am not learning something new in sensory impairment I can be found ploughing up and down a pool, running the woods with my dog or baking!
I qualified as a Speech and Language therapist in 2013 and since that time have worked across a wide range of Paediatric speech and language therapy teams, including preschool, school age and specialist provisions. I am now working in the Independent sector as Clinical lead within the team. My work involves the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of children who experience a wide range of Speech, Language and Communication needs, which includes children who have neurodevelopmental differences.
I take a proactive role in developing my own continuing professional development and the development of the wider team and have recently begun to specialise in the area of Developmental Language Differences, leading a working party to obtain DLD friendly status within the practice and to develop my own clinical skills in this area.
We have professional memberships with – and are regulated by; The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCLST); Professional Standards Authority (PSA). Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC); Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice (ASLTIP); UK Society for Behaviour Analysis (UKSBA); Behaviour Analyst Certificate Board (BACB)