I was a bit hesitant at first to ask a question, but once I did, she was really quick getting back to me with pointers and things to do.

The best thing is that my daughter's needs, strengths and weaknesses are being met, understood and worked on. Going at her pace, with patience.

I learned how I can use signs to help children communicate on a one to one basis or in a group to encourage social and language skills in an informal way.
Learned more than I thought I would at one sitting!

CATTS really know how to attract great speakers. Really professionally run event. Felt very well looked after.

Good insight into different behaviours of autism which was based in the real world. Really excellent

Marijke was excellent - brilliant tutor.

I find our therapist Brilliant! She gives great tips and is excellent in engaging with my son. It is much improved for primary school as he can tell me things that happen in his summer setting, which is less frustrating for him and less worrying for me.

The best thing about CATTS is the experience of the Speech Therapist. How she engages with my son. He understands a lot more, his receptive language has improved greatly since starting.

I learned a lot more than I expected to! thank you .

The day was fun! Marijke made it fun and easy to learn. Really enjoying. Good craic.

[NAME] always had a 'difficult' relationship with his speech therapists from his service providers. CATTS therapists are totally different, young & energetic & determined to get the best out of him.

We researched a lot of places and time and time again CATTS was recommended to us. We are so glad we listened as we have seen great progress in our son. [Therapist] just "gets him" and its so nice to have a positive experience all the while our son is doing some "work".

“I thought it was very well presented. Not only was it about Lamh sign; it was about communication.”

"Marijke made the day very funny and interesting."

100% of Speech Therapy clients surveyed would recommend CATTS to a friend or family member!

I learned 100 signs to go away and teach my autistic child.

I am very happy with the service we have received with [Therapist]. After 2 sessions [NAME] had started saying 'more', 'again', 'up', 'down' and is continuing to add new words each week.

Thoroughly enjoyed the class. Marijke makes learning fun!

The BEST THING about CATTS is the One to One service, Great Advice and Tips to work on at home!

Lovely facilities, nice class size. Amazing that only 3 rows back, it felt small and intimate.

Patty is an excellent presenter, very knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

“What I liked: Use of videos as well as slides. The variety of signs taught. Relaxed atmosphere – had a laugh while learning signs.”

Very happy with the attention and detail [NAME] gets at each session. Each session is setup in advance and if a games doesn't go to plan there is always a backup nearby.

I like the no rushing of each session so it can respond to what [NAME] needs on the day. He has opened up so much and has become more confident as time goes on.

Am so happy with speech therapy. She knows how to encourage my son to attempt to say words. He wouldn't have even tried for other therapists. (Therapist) has a fantastic way with him. And out of all the speech therapists we've attended over the years, both public and private, this has been the best by far. Highly recommend.

We have been attending CATTS for over 5 years and can only recommend them to anyone looking for a friendly and professional service. My child's speech, communication and confidence has made huge improvements consistently over the years. He's gone from a child who was frustrated with very little words and screamed to let us know what he needed to now working on grammar! The sessions are always fun to keep him interested and focused on his needs and exactly what he should be working on. This progress wouldn't have been possible if I hadn't been attending Marijke at CATTS.

I liked Marijke. You made the course interesting and fun.

Great few days. Very professionally done and all needs tended to and anticipated

I am very satisfied with the treatment I got from CATTS. I was a bit apprehensive but the friendly, professional attitude of the therapist put me at my ease. The comparison of my performance at the start of treatment and at the six-monthly follow up showed that my voice had improved both in volume and range. I am more than pleased.

My little boy absolutely loves going to CATTS. He loves playing all his 'games' and 'sound games' and thinks it is great fun. Marijke makes every minute of speech therapy fun and exciting. It is lovely to see my little boy progress in a fun, warm environment. Marijke is warm and provides great guidance and support for home. Marijke always responds to queries in a timely manner. Learning is made fun. He has made improvements in speech sounds and is now more susceptible to fixing up errors without resistance.

This is a great idea. It really helps to have a resource on hand you can trust

"Am so happy with speech therapy. She knows how to encourage my son to attempt to say words. He wouldn't have even tried for other therapists. (Therapist) has a fantastic way with him. And out of all the speech therapists we've attended over the years, both public and private, this has been the best by far. Highly recommend. Only annoyed we didn't know about it before. We would have taken him years ago."

CATTS work really well with my child's school resource teacher and SNA to insure my child has every opportunity to improve his communication skills.

I liked that the day was active ad no one was put on the spot!

I think the best thing is our therapist's approach to dealing with my sometimes difficult child.

I enjoyed the interaction and the humour!

I learned so many new signs and lots of different ways to approach kids to create conversation opportunities.

I learned a lot of new signs and that it's possible to learn a lot of signs in a relatively short space of time.

Overall Satisfaction: 96%
Value for Money: 92%

"Very interesting. Benefits us especially while working with kids - learned so many things I never knew e.g. DVD, and apps"

Public speaking is a significant feature of my job. An injury at work meant I had to step back from this aspect of my work. Present for me also was an underlying worry whether I would be able to overcome the resultant speech issues. Step by step, like completing a jig-saw, Marijke systematically took me through the various steps towards recovery with an additional, unexpected bonus of learning to use my voice properly when public speaking. This was never covered when I first trained in public speaking twenty years ago. I did my homework between sessions but I learned that I did not always execute the practices correctly. It was this expert correction and feedback from Marijke that was invaluable! Thank you !

I liked Marijke as a Lamh tutor. She was extremely engaging and personable. I like how it was fun during the lesson.

We've seen improvement from day one. We've also learned a lot from watching her work. My son enjoys his sessions with Marijke, she somehow manages to get a 4 year old to focus for the whole session and have fun while doing it. We're seeing constant improvement.

I learned lots of new signs. Can't wait to learn more.

I liked the structure of the class. Marijke made the class fun and enjoyable to learn the different signs.

Very happy with the speech service my son is getting through CATTS. The therapist is working very well with my son and gets the best out of him. Only for this service my son would be getting no speech. I am very grateful.

I am very happy with the progress that my daughter has made since we started to come to CATTS. The service is professional, on point and there is a genuine interest in the child. Every session is different with a combination of work and games which is very effective. There are adequate breaks which is very important and an excellent understanding of my daughter's ASD and ADHD. The games and lesson plans tie in very naturally with whats going on with school and at home and this makes the sessions valuable and effective with excellent learning and development for my daughter. I have recommended CATTS to many other mums and will continue to do so.

The best thing about CATTS is that each session is individually tailored to that child's need at that time and carried out in a fun way.

This was a fun, interactive course. Marijke was very good, and patient, friendly and funny.

The sessions are fun and she always strives to remember what works for our son down to the smallest details. Our SLT always made sessions fun and engaging but also was able to get the most out of each session which is so important when dealing with intellectual disability.

I liked the way the tutor presented the class. It enabled me to learn in a relaxed way. Her coverage was fantastic. I would attend another class hosted by her.

[NAME] settled well. He found it hard first time but after a few sessions he got used to being there and started to work well. He makes more sounds now and is copying the words after us.

I like the fact that you can look at the videos and browse the group at your own pace.

“What did I like: being able to communicate with Lamh user. Brilliant course. Would recommend it to other people.”

Refreshing no-nonsense parent’s perspective.

Found Marijke very enjoyable as a teacher. Made the course a lot more intereting and easier to learn.

With the rollout of Progressing Disabilities its so important to build awareness on family centred practice. Thank you for bringing this and other courses to Ireland.

CATTS is an excellent service providing Speech and Language which is highly needed for children with special needs.

Very informative course, learned a lot both theoretical and practical from a very skilled presenter.

My son has attended regularly for some months now, and responded very early on to the use of Lámh. He has made good progress and enjoys going to sessions. Overall would highly recommend Marijke as an SLT.

Patty’s approach to teaching was so engaging, she has a wealth of knowledge and a lovely way of delivering information. A really enjoyable experience overall.

[NAME] enjoys going to Marijke and I feel the work being done is addressing [NAME]'s needs. We attended other speech therapists in the past and whilst they also helped I think CATTS' way of establishing where [NAME]'s main areas of need are, is very good.

“I thought the course was made very interesting because it was informal and amusing at times. I was surprised at how the Lamh signs stuck in my mind.”

CATTS are very flexible. My child loves coming and my child understands the speech therapist's instructions, which is very important to me.

“I enjoyed the games, these were practical and helped consolidate our learning and helped us to retain the new signs.”

Public speaking is a significant feature of my job. An injury at work meant I had to step back from this aspect of my work. Present for me also was an underlying worry whether I would be able to overcome the resultant speech issues. Step by step, like completing a jig-saw, Marijke systematically took me through the various steps towards recovery with an additional, unexpected bonus of learning to use my voice properly when public speaking. This was never covered when I first trained in public speaking twenty years ago. I did my homework between sessions but I learned that I did not always execute the practices correctly. It was this expert correction and feedback from Marijke that was invaluable! Thank you !

Great Content. Well organised.
All members of the CATTS team were friendly and helpful. They were always providing much needed information.

Thought the tutor (Marijke) was excellent. Really easy to listen to, so easy to learn from. Made the day fun. Kept you focused.

The CATTS team were so friendly and enthusiastic. We all felt really well looked after.

A Super Day! A wealth of knowledge. Loved the detail and attention to accuracy. Thank you.

I think the best thing about CATTS is the professional service. The therapists are very skilled and it is of huge benefit to my child.

"Since starting speech therapy my daughters speech has improved considerably. Her language skills and comprehension have also seen a huge improvement. She is more confident and thrives on the positive feedback about her progress. I love that the program is designed to meet her needs and grows with her."

Really Great Event. Well done CATTS 🙂

“I’ve learned so many signs and how to effectively communicate with residents.”

I liked the enthusiasm of the presenter. It was really interactive, clear and well paced.

Really enjoyed the course, excellent information & presenter.

Since starting with CATTS, my son's confidence has improved, he is involved more socially and he is not as anxious.

Would highly recommend CATTS. I have seen a big difference in my child since his first session. The biggest has been learning to wait. [NAME] has come along so much, now his vocab is coming on better and better everyday. Since starting the sessions the whole family have joined in to learn what we do in every session and really enjoy learning how to really have fun on [NAME]'s level. it is great to see [NAME] so excited when we get out of the car and see Marijke's door. He knows where he is going and really enjoys it which makes it really enjoyable for us to look at. Thank you.

"I enjoyed the group interaction. Moving between theory and practical Lamh signs has helped me to concentrate for the entirety of the day.”

Lisa is very inspiring, very practical and we benefited most from the presenter’s own experience. Enjoyed the positive approach of presenter – I feel invigorated

I learned a lot of new Lamh signs

"Great anecdotes helped me associate the words with the sign."

Good cooperation with parents to help special needs kids. Excellent Speech therapy support for kids with ASD.

“I’ve enjoyed learning everything about Lamh, including watching videos, doing games and working in group. It was very interesting.”

I liked the way nobody was singled out. The signs were demonstrated as a group.

Efficient, excellent communication and follow up post classes, excellent advice for further at hone progress.

I liked the multiple steps in learning signs - helped memory.

[NAME] is very happy and is progressing. My son has built a lot of confidence since starting therapy, our family & friends really see a difference in his abilities.

That's fantastic thanks so much for all of those strategies! I want to maximise on this latest development with his desire to vocalise sounds and some words! Thanks a million!

"Loved the training style. Very enjoyable day."

CATTS Ireland were good and helpful hosts.
Great course. Need more interdisciplinary type courses in Ireland!

“I’ve learned 100 Lamh signs. I’ve learned ways to use them and importance of repetition. I’ve enjoyed Marijke’s energetic method of teaching.”

Without a doubt my son's progression is down to Marijke's involvement. I think the best thing about CATTS service is that they value parents and external therapists input and have no problem liaising with outside services (i.e. HSE, Enable Ireland, etc). We have both learned techniques/ mechanisms to increase speech and reduce fustration. Definate drop in NAME's distress.

The progress my son has made over the last year is astounding. Marijke is a fabulous therapist. It is obvious she enjoys her job and cares for her clients. I appreciate the value CATTS places on parent involvement ant think the tips / techniques provided to use at home have proved to be very successful. We are 100% satisfied with the service CATTS provide.

I really enjoyed Patty, loved her style, stories and analogies

The energy of the course and how it was taught. Great information that will stay in my brain!

The best thing is the therapist's genuine interest in my child and getting to know her and what works best for her - in particular a shared passion for Pokemon! I have noticed improvements in pronunciation of words, developments of language and improvements of winning / losing scenarios.

I learned a lot of signs I didn't know and how to teach them to my brother. I'll finally be able to have a proper conversation with him.

Niamh is phenomenal! She is so talented at working with children in a fun and relaxed way. My 9 year old didn't even realize any of it was work. He looked forward to every session and that is due to Niamh and her kindness and skill.

Excellently covered by Patty, I am walking away feeling a lot more confident that my clients will receive better therapy.

Since starting speech therapy my daughters speech has improved considerably. Her language skills and comprehension have also seen a huge improvement.  She is more confident and thrives on the positive feedback about her progress. I love that the program is designed to meet her needs and grows with her.

“I liked learning sign language so it can help me communicate with my cousin and each other.”

"Very helpful when we asked questions - she didn't hesitate to answer anything we asked"

Marijke made it very easy to learn and very entertaining! ?

I learned more ways to create communication opportunities.

Huge amount of useful info. Video clips were useful.
Excellent topic and event. It is difficult to get the opportunity to learn from the main experts in specific fields.

"This is a great service, he really looks forward to the therapy sessions."

Social interaction, speech has come on, both expressive and receptive. I'm more relaxed and reassured because I feel supported.

I have been attending CATTS with my son for 5 years now and the service we have received is fantastic. Marijke is a wonderful therapist and my son's speech and communication has come on so much from when he started from a no-verbal little boy to a fully verbal child now. Marijke has each session planned to meet his needs and I feel fully involved. We travel a long distance to each session but it is worth it to see the difference in my son's communication and confidence.

I learned how to put Lamh into the school setting where I work. How to plan and create situations where I can use it.

Very well organised event. - Looking forward to the next CATTS CPD event. Thank you!

I learned how to think about how it might feel to not be able to communicate. I learned not only about the signs but also how to associate them with other things to remember them. I also learned how to 'teach' the signs in an effective way with the kids.

Excellent. Very informative and Patty was wonderfully engaging. Learned so much!

"Catts Ireland is providing a superb vital service for children"

"Our therapist obviously puts a lot of thought and effort into each of [NAME]'s sessions, very creative to get the best out of him."

Everyone has commented on how well my son's speech has come on.
His speech is more relevant to what is happening around him. Today, he answered a 'Where' question for the first time appropriately without being prompted first.

I liked the structure of the day. The associations Marijke used helped me to remember the signs. I also like that the games reinforced the signs. Plus the sweets as rewards!

"Nice people, good understanding with asd kids."

CATTS has a great system that definitely works.
[Therapist] just makes him feel do comfortable. [NAME] has come along so well since we started CATTS. Me and [NAME] have a great communication now and he barely spoke 2 words when we started. Now he is flying with his vocab. We couldn't be prowder.

"I enjoyed doing the signs and activity. I think that this will help me in the future with being a special needs assistant"

A very professional but friendly and focused to each individual child's needs.

“I liked the positive interaction between the tutor & learners.”

I learned over 100 signs which will make it a lot easier to communicate with my child.

The best thing about CATTS therapy is the tailored sessions and continuous review of what is working.

Amazing, Well planned, Very impressed with Lisa’s knowledge as a mother.

I liked the way the 100 words were split out throughout the day. Not information overload. Very enjoyable - the day flew!

I've joined so many groups etc to try help [NAME], this one is really useful. I do need to ask more questions though lol.

The energy and humour of the presenter helps me remember. Marijke delivered it very well and made it very informative and enjoyable! 🙂

I liked your enthuasian and how personable and approachable you are. So much was covered and I liked how you were willng to show us lots of other sign.

"I learned how important it is to communicate. I hope it will make life happier for the service users.”

Very beneficial program. I learnt a lot of strategies to help me.

"My thanks to you and Marijke for the excellent staff and responsive service that you have provided in CATTS."
Large Residential Service Provider

I have been using CATTS for several month with my daughter. What started off as a very difficult appointment every week (with another service), now my daughter is happy to enter the room immediately and engage with Marijke. I see an improvement at every appointment. I would be lost if I had not found CATTS.

I think the best thing is our therapist's approach to dealing with my sometimes difficult child.

We have been attending CATTS for over 5 years and can only recommend them to anyone looking for a friendly and professional service. My child's speech, communication and confidence has made huge improvements consistently over the years. He's gone from a child who was frustrated with very little words and screamed to let us know what he needed to now working on grammar! The sessions are always fun to keep him interested and focused on his needs and exactly what he should be working on. This progress wouldn't have been possible if I hadn't been attending Marijke at CATTS.

CATTS are very flexible. My child loves coming and my child understands the speech therapist's instructions, which is very important to me.

I liked the way the tutor presented the class. It enabled me to learn in a relaxed way. Her coverage was fantastic. I would attend another class hosted by her.

Thought the tutor (Marijke) was excellent. Really easy to listen to, so easy to learn from. Made the day fun. Kept you focused.

I learned a lot more than I expected to! thank you .

I learned more ways to create communication opportunities.

The CATTS team were so friendly and enthusiastic. We all felt really well looked after.

Huge amount of useful info. Video clips were useful.
Excellent topic and event. It is difficult to get the opportunity to learn from the main experts in specific fields.

Overall Satisfaction: 96%
Value for Money: 92%

CATTS Ireland were good and helpful hosts.
Great course. Need more interdisciplinary type courses in Ireland!

"Catts Ireland is providing a superb vital service for children"

Very well organised event. - Looking forward to the next CATTS CPD event. Thank you!

Good insight into different behaviours of autism which was based in the real world. Really excellent

"Since starting speech therapy my daughters speech has improved considerably. Her language skills and comprehension have also seen a huge improvement. She is more confident and thrives on the positive feedback about her progress. I love that the program is designed to meet her needs and grows with her."

Lisa is very inspiring, very practical and we benefited most from the presenter’s own experience. Enjoyed the positive approach of presenter – I feel invigorated

[NAME] settled well. He found it hard first time but after a few sessions he got used to being there and started to work well. He makes more sounds now and is copying the words after us.

“I liked the positive interaction between the tutor & learners.”

The energy of the course and how it was taught. Great information that will stay in my brain!

I came away with far more than I could have imagined

Excellent. Very informative and Patty was wonderfully engaging. Learned so much!

We've seen improvement from day one. We've also learned a lot from watching her work. My son enjoys his sessions with Marijke, she somehow manages to get a 4 year old to focus for the whole session and have fun while doing it. We're seeing constant improvement.

I liked that the day was active ad no one was put on the spot!

"Marijke made the day very funny and interesting."

Niamh is phenomenal! She is so talented at working with children in a fun and relaxed way. My 9 year old didn't even realize any of it was work. He looked forward to every session and that is due to Niamh and her kindness and skill.

I learned how to think about how it might feel to not be able to communicate. I learned not only about the signs but also how to associate them with other things to remember them. I also learned how to 'teach' the signs in an effective way with the kids.

I think the best thing about CATTS is the professional service. The therapists are very skilled and it is of huge benefit to my child.

CATTS work really well with my child's school resource teacher and SNA to insure my child has every opportunity to improve his communication skills.

[NAME] always had a 'difficult' relationship with his speech therapists from his service providers. CATTS therapists are totally different, young & energetic & determined to get the best out of him.

A Super Day! A wealth of knowledge. Loved the detail and attention to accuracy. Thank you.

I enjoyed the interaction and the humour!

Social interaction, speech has come on, both expressive and receptive. I'm more relaxed and reassured because I feel supported.

I learned a lot of signs I didn't know and how to teach them to my brother. I'll finally be able to have a proper conversation with him.

I liked the way nobody was singled out. The signs were demonstrated as a group.

Marijke was excellent - brilliant tutor.

With the rollout of Progressing Disabilities its so important to build awareness on family centred practice. Thank you for bringing this and other courses to Ireland.

Thoroughly enjoyed the class. Marijke makes learning fun!

Am so happy with speech therapy. She knows how to encourage my son to attempt to say words. He wouldn't have even tried for other therapists. (Therapist) has a fantastic way with him. And out of all the speech therapists we've attended over the years, both public and private, this has been the best by far. Highly recommend.

The BEST THING about CATTS is the One to One service, Great Advice and Tips to work on at home!

The day was fun! Marijke made it fun and easy to learn. Really enjoying. Good craic.

Refreshing no-nonsense parent’s perspective.

I learned 100 signs to go away and teach my autistic child.

I've joined so many groups etc to try help [NAME], this one is really useful. I do need to ask more questions though lol.

Good cooperation with parents to help special needs kids. Excellent Speech therapy support for kids with ASD.

The sessions are fun and she always strives to remember what works for our son down to the smallest details. Our SLT always made sessions fun and engaging but also was able to get the most out of each session which is so important when dealing with intellectual disability.

Patty’s approach to teaching was so engaging, she has a wealth of knowledge and a lovely way of delivering information. A really enjoyable experience overall.

I liked Marijke. You made the course interesting and fun.

"I learned how important it is to communicate. I hope it will make life happier for the service users.”

CATTS really know how to attract great speakers. Really professionally run event. Felt very well looked after.

I liked the way the 100 words were split out throughout the day. Not information overload. Very enjoyable - the day flew!

Public speaking is a significant feature of my job. An injury at work meant I had to step back from this aspect of my work. Present for me also was an underlying worry whether I would be able to overcome the resultant speech issues. Step by step, like completing a jig-saw, Marijke systematically took me through the various steps towards recovery with an additional, unexpected bonus of learning to use my voice properly when public speaking. This was never covered when I first trained in public speaking twenty years ago. I did my homework between sessions but I learned that I did not always execute the practices correctly. It was this expert correction and feedback from Marijke that was invaluable! Thank you !

"This is a great service, he really looks forward to the therapy sessions."

Excellently covered by Patty, I am walking away feeling a lot more confident that my clients will receive better therapy.

“What I liked: Use of videos as well as slides. The variety of signs taught. Relaxed atmosphere – had a laugh while learning signs.”

I have been attending CATTS with my son for 5 years now and the service we have received is fantastic. Marijke is a wonderful therapist and my son's speech and communication has come on so much from when he started from a no-verbal little boy to a fully verbal child now. Marijke has each session planned to meet his needs and I feel fully involved. We travel a long distance to each session but it is worth it to see the difference in my son's communication and confidence.

Public speaking is a significant feature of my job. An injury at work meant I had to step back from this aspect of my work. Present for me also was an underlying worry whether I would be able to overcome the resultant speech issues. Step by step, like completing a jig-saw, Marijke systematically took me through the various steps towards recovery with an additional, unexpected bonus of learning to use my voice properly when public speaking. This was never covered when I first trained in public speaking twenty years ago. I did my homework between sessions but I learned that I did not always execute the practices correctly. It was this expert correction and feedback from Marijke that was invaluable! Thank you !

“I thought the course was made very interesting because it was informal and amusing at times. I was surprised at how the Lamh signs stuck in my mind.”

I liked the multiple steps in learning signs - helped memory.

Everyone has commented on how well my son's speech has come on.
His speech is more relevant to what is happening around him. Today, he answered a 'Where' question for the first time appropriately without being prompted first.

Really enjoyed the course, excellent information & presenter.

Without a doubt my son's progression is down to Marijke's involvement. I think the best thing about CATTS service is that they value parents and external therapists input and have no problem liaising with outside services (i.e. HSE, Enable Ireland, etc). We have both learned techniques/ mechanisms to increase speech and reduce fustration. Definate drop in NAME's distress.

The progress my son has made over the last year is astounding. Marijke is a fabulous therapist. It is obvious she enjoys her job and cares for her clients. I appreciate the value CATTS places on parent involvement ant think the tips / techniques provided to use at home have proved to be very successful. We are 100% satisfied with the service CATTS provide.

100% of Speech Therapy clients surveyed would recommend CATTS to a friend or family member!

I liked Marijke as a Lamh tutor. She was extremely engaging and personable. I like how it was fun during the lesson.

I liked your enthuasian and how personable and approachable you are. So much was covered and I liked how you were willng to show us lots of other sign.

Marijke made it very easy to learn and very entertaining! ?

The best thing is the therapist's genuine interest in my child and getting to know her and what works best for her - in particular a shared passion for Pokemon! I have noticed improvements in pronunciation of words, developments of language and improvements of winning / losing scenarios.

The best thing is that my daughter's needs, strengths and weaknesses are being met, understood and worked on. Going at her pace, with patience.

Would highly recommend CATTS. I have seen a big difference in my child since his first session. The biggest has been learning to wait. [NAME] has come along so much, now his vocab is coming on better and better everyday. Since starting the sessions the whole family have joined in to learn what we do in every session and really enjoy learning how to really have fun on [NAME]'s level. it is great to see [NAME] so excited when we get out of the car and see Marijke's door. He knows where he is going and really enjoys it which makes it really enjoyable for us to look at. Thank you.

I find our therapist Brilliant! She gives great tips and is excellent in engaging with my son. It is much improved for primary school as he can tell me things that happen in his summer setting, which is less frustrating for him and less worrying for me.

The best thing about CATTS therapy is the tailored sessions and continuous review of what is working.

I learned over 100 signs which will make it a lot easier to communicate with my child.

[NAME] is very happy and is progressing. My son has built a lot of confidence since starting therapy, our family & friends really see a difference in his abilities.

Very happy with the attention and detail [NAME] gets at each session. Each session is setup in advance and if a games doesn't go to plan there is always a backup nearby.

I like the no rushing of each session so it can respond to what [NAME] needs on the day. He has opened up so much and has become more confident as time goes on.

“I liked learning sign language so it can help me communicate with my cousin and each other.”

I learned a lot of new signs and that it's possible to learn a lot of signs in a relatively short space of time.

[NAME] enjoys going to Marijke and I feel the work being done is addressing [NAME]'s needs. We attended other speech therapists in the past and whilst they also helped I think CATTS' way of establishing where [NAME]'s main areas of need are, is very good.

"I enjoyed the group interaction. Moving between theory and practical Lamh signs has helped me to concentrate for the entirety of the day.”

I am very satisfied with the treatment I got from CATTS. I was a bit apprehensive but the friendly, professional attitude of the therapist put me at my ease. The comparison of my performance at the start of treatment and at the six-monthly follow up showed that my voice had improved both in volume and range. I am more than pleased.

I am very happy with the progress that my daughter has made since we started to come to CATTS. The service is professional, on point and there is a genuine interest in the child. Every session is different with a combination of work and games which is very effective. There are adequate breaks which is very important and an excellent understanding of my daughter's ASD and ADHD. The games and lesson plans tie in very naturally with whats going on with school and at home and this makes the sessions valuable and effective with excellent learning and development for my daughter. I have recommended CATTS to many other mums and will continue to do so.

"Our therapist obviously puts a lot of thought and effort into each of [NAME]'s sessions, very creative to get the best out of him."

Very happy with the speech service my son is getting through CATTS. The therapist is working very well with my son and gets the best out of him. Only for this service my son would be getting no speech. I am very grateful.

A very professional but friendly and focused to each individual child's needs.

Great few days. Very professionally done and all needs tended to and anticipated

We researched a lot of places and time and time again CATTS was recommended to us. We are so glad we listened as we have seen great progress in our son. [Therapist] just "gets him" and its so nice to have a positive experience all the while our son is doing some "work".

I liked the structure of the class. Marijke made the class fun and enjoyable to learn the different signs.

Very beneficial program. I learnt a lot of strategies to help me.

"Nice people, good understanding with asd kids."

I learned a lot of new Lamh signs

"Great anecdotes helped me associate the words with the sign."

This was a fun, interactive course. Marijke was very good, and patient, friendly and funny.

“What did I like: being able to communicate with Lamh user. Brilliant course. Would recommend it to other people.”

I liked the structure of the day. The associations Marijke used helped me to remember the signs. I also like that the games reinforced the signs. Plus the sweets as rewards!

"Am so happy with speech therapy. She knows how to encourage my son to attempt to say words. He wouldn't have even tried for other therapists. (Therapist) has a fantastic way with him. And out of all the speech therapists we've attended over the years, both public and private, this has been the best by far. Highly recommend. Only annoyed we didn't know about it before. We would have taken him years ago."

“I’ve enjoyed learning everything about Lamh, including watching videos, doing games and working in group. It was very interesting.”

Since starting speech therapy my daughters speech has improved considerably. Her language skills and comprehension have also seen a huge improvement.  She is more confident and thrives on the positive feedback about her progress. I love that the program is designed to meet her needs and grows with her.

Amazing, Well planned, Very impressed with Lisa’s knowledge as a mother.

“I enjoyed the games, these were practical and helped consolidate our learning and helped us to retain the new signs.”

Since starting with CATTS, my son's confidence has improved, he is involved more socially and he is not as anxious.

I learned how I can use signs to help children communicate on a one to one basis or in a group to encourage social and language skills in an informal way.
Learned more than I thought I would at one sitting!

I really enjoyed Patty, loved her style, stories and analogies

Found Marijke very enjoyable as a teacher. Made the course a lot more intereting and easier to learn.

“I thought it was very well presented. Not only was it about Lamh sign; it was about communication.”

That's fantastic thanks so much for all of those strategies! I want to maximise on this latest development with his desire to vocalise sounds and some words! Thanks a million!

“I’ve learned so many signs and how to effectively communicate with residents.”

I learned how to put Lamh into the school setting where I work. How to plan and create situations where I can use it.

"Loved the training style. Very enjoyable day."

Lovely facilities, nice class size. Amazing that only 3 rows back, it felt small and intimate.

I learned lots of new signs. Can't wait to learn more.

“I’ve learned 100 Lamh signs. I’ve learned ways to use them and importance of repetition. I’ve enjoyed Marijke’s energetic method of teaching.”

I have been using CATTS for several month with my daughter. What started off as a very difficult appointment every week (with another service), now my daughter is happy to enter the room immediately and engage with Marijke. I see an improvement at every appointment. I would be lost if I had not found CATTS.

My little boy absolutely loves going to CATTS. He loves playing all his 'games' and 'sound games' and thinks it is great fun. Marijke makes every minute of speech therapy fun and exciting. It is lovely to see my little boy progress in a fun, warm environment. Marijke is warm and provides great guidance and support for home. Marijke always responds to queries in a timely manner. Learning is made fun. He has made improvements in speech sounds and is now more susceptible to fixing up errors without resistance.

CATTS is an excellent service providing Speech and Language which is highly needed for children with special needs.

"Very interesting. Benefits us especially while working with kids - learned so many things I never knew e.g. DVD, and apps"

The best thing about CATTS is the experience of the Speech Therapist. How she engages with my son. He understands a lot more, his receptive language has improved greatly since starting.

This is a great idea. It really helps to have a resource on hand you can trust

The energy and humour of the presenter helps me remember. Marijke delivered it very well and made it very informative and enjoyable! 🙂

My son has attended regularly for some months now, and responded very early on to the use of Lámh. He has made good progress and enjoys going to sessions. Overall would highly recommend Marijke as an SLT.

I am very happy with the service we have received with [Therapist]. After 2 sessions [NAME] had started saying 'more', 'again', 'up', 'down' and is continuing to add new words each week.

Really Great Event. Well done CATTS 🙂

CATTS has a great system that definitely works.
[Therapist] just makes him feel do comfortable. [NAME] has come along so well since we started CATTS. Me and [NAME] have a great communication now and he barely spoke 2 words when we started. Now he is flying with his vocab. We couldn't be prowder.

The best thing about CATTS is that each session is individually tailored to that child's need at that time and carried out in a fun way.

I was a bit hesitant at first to ask a question, but once I did, she was really quick getting back to me with pointers and things to do.

Very informative course, learned a lot both theoretical and practical from a very skilled presenter.

"My thanks to you and Marijke for the excellent staff and responsive service that you have provided in CATTS."
Large Residential Service Provider

I liked the enthusiasm of the presenter. It was really interactive, clear and well paced.

Patty is an excellent presenter, very knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

I learned so many new signs and lots of different ways to approach kids to create conversation opportunities.

"Very helpful when we asked questions - she didn't hesitate to answer anything we asked"

"I enjoyed doing the signs and activity. I think that this will help me in the future with being a special needs assistant"

Efficient, excellent communication and follow up post classes, excellent advice for further at hone progress.

Great Content. Well organised.
All members of the CATTS team were friendly and helpful. They were always providing much needed information.

I learned so many new signs and lots of different ways to approach kids to create conversation opportunities.

The BEST THING about CATTS is the One to One service, Great Advice and Tips to work on at home!

The sessions are fun and she always strives to remember what works for our son down to the smallest details. Our SLT always made sessions fun and engaging but also was able to get the most out of each session which is so important when dealing with intellectual disability.

Am so happy with speech therapy. She knows how to encourage my son to attempt to say words. He wouldn't have even tried for other therapists. (Therapist) has a fantastic way with him. And out of all the speech therapists we've attended over the years, both public and private, this has been the best by far. Highly recommend.

Patty is an excellent presenter, very knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

"Nice people, good understanding with asd kids."

“I’ve enjoyed learning everything about Lamh, including watching videos, doing games and working in group. It was very interesting.”

We researched a lot of places and time and time again CATTS was recommended to us. We are so glad we listened as we have seen great progress in our son. [Therapist] just "gets him" and its so nice to have a positive experience all the while our son is doing some "work".

This was a fun, interactive course. Marijke was very good, and patient, friendly and funny.

I really enjoyed Patty, loved her style, stories and analogies

Great few days. Very professionally done and all needs tended to and anticipated

I learned how to put Lamh into the school setting where I work. How to plan and create situations where I can use it.

“I liked the positive interaction between the tutor & learners.”

Would highly recommend CATTS. I have seen a big difference in my child since his first session. The biggest has been learning to wait. [NAME] has come along so much, now his vocab is coming on better and better everyday. Since starting the sessions the whole family have joined in to learn what we do in every session and really enjoy learning how to really have fun on [NAME]'s level. it is great to see [NAME] so excited when we get out of the car and see Marijke's door. He knows where he is going and really enjoys it which makes it really enjoyable for us to look at. Thank you.

“I liked learning sign language so it can help me communicate with my cousin and each other.”

Lovely facilities, nice class size. Amazing that only 3 rows back, it felt small and intimate.

The best thing is that my daughter's needs, strengths and weaknesses are being met, understood and worked on. Going at her pace, with patience.

I find our therapist Brilliant! She gives great tips and is excellent in engaging with my son. It is much improved for primary school as he can tell me things that happen in his summer setting, which is less frustrating for him and less worrying for me.

Overall Satisfaction: 96%
Value for Money: 92%

CATTS is an excellent service providing Speech and Language which is highly needed for children with special needs.

“I thought it was very well presented. Not only was it about Lamh sign; it was about communication.”

I liked the way the tutor presented the class. It enabled me to learn in a relaxed way. Her coverage was fantastic. I would attend another class hosted by her.

Found Marijke very enjoyable as a teacher. Made the course a lot more intereting and easier to learn.

Niamh is phenomenal! She is so talented at working with children in a fun and relaxed way. My 9 year old didn't even realize any of it was work. He looked forward to every session and that is due to Niamh and her kindness and skill.

"I enjoyed the group interaction. Moving between theory and practical Lamh signs has helped me to concentrate for the entirety of the day.”

I liked Marijke. You made the course interesting and fun.

This is a great idea. It really helps to have a resource on hand you can trust

"Very helpful when we asked questions - she didn't hesitate to answer anything we asked"

The energy of the course and how it was taught. Great information that will stay in my brain!

I learned a lot of new signs and that it's possible to learn a lot of signs in a relatively short space of time.

Since starting with CATTS, my son's confidence has improved, he is involved more socially and he is not as anxious.

"I learned how important it is to communicate. I hope it will make life happier for the service users.”

"I enjoyed doing the signs and activity. I think that this will help me in the future with being a special needs assistant"

Public speaking is a significant feature of my job. An injury at work meant I had to step back from this aspect of my work. Present for me also was an underlying worry whether I would be able to overcome the resultant speech issues. Step by step, like completing a jig-saw, Marijke systematically took me through the various steps towards recovery with an additional, unexpected bonus of learning to use my voice properly when public speaking. This was never covered when I first trained in public speaking twenty years ago. I did my homework between sessions but I learned that I did not always execute the practices correctly. It was this expert correction and feedback from Marijke that was invaluable! Thank you !

I learned how I can use signs to help children communicate on a one to one basis or in a group to encourage social and language skills in an informal way.
Learned more than I thought I would at one sitting!

CATTS has a great system that definitely works.
[Therapist] just makes him feel do comfortable. [NAME] has come along so well since we started CATTS. Me and [NAME] have a great communication now and he barely spoke 2 words when we started. Now he is flying with his vocab. We couldn't be prowder.

"Loved the training style. Very enjoyable day."

Very informative course, learned a lot both theoretical and practical from a very skilled presenter.

I learned a lot of new Lamh signs

"Very interesting. Benefits us especially while working with kids - learned so many things I never knew e.g. DVD, and apps"

Really enjoyed the course, excellent information & presenter.

The day was fun! Marijke made it fun and easy to learn. Really enjoying. Good craic.

I enjoyed the interaction and the humour!

“What did I like: being able to communicate with Lamh user. Brilliant course. Would recommend it to other people.”

The CATTS team were so friendly and enthusiastic. We all felt really well looked after.

I liked the enthusiasm of the presenter. It was really interactive, clear and well paced.

Since starting speech therapy my daughters speech has improved considerably. Her language skills and comprehension have also seen a huge improvement.  She is more confident and thrives on the positive feedback about her progress. I love that the program is designed to meet her needs and grows with her.

Marijke was excellent - brilliant tutor.

I liked Marijke as a Lamh tutor. She was extremely engaging and personable. I like how it was fun during the lesson.

Very happy with the attention and detail [NAME] gets at each session. Each session is setup in advance and if a games doesn't go to plan there is always a backup nearby.

I like the no rushing of each session so it can respond to what [NAME] needs on the day. He has opened up so much and has become more confident as time goes on.

I liked the way nobody was singled out. The signs were demonstrated as a group.

I came away with far more than I could have imagined

Very beneficial program. I learnt a lot of strategies to help me.

I have been attending CATTS with my son for 5 years now and the service we have received is fantastic. Marijke is a wonderful therapist and my son's speech and communication has come on so much from when he started from a no-verbal little boy to a fully verbal child now. Marijke has each session planned to meet his needs and I feel fully involved. We travel a long distance to each session but it is worth it to see the difference in my son's communication and confidence.

[NAME] always had a 'difficult' relationship with his speech therapists from his service providers. CATTS therapists are totally different, young & energetic & determined to get the best out of him.

Really Great Event. Well done CATTS 🙂

CATTS Ireland were good and helpful hosts.
Great course. Need more interdisciplinary type courses in Ireland!

I have been using CATTS for several month with my daughter. What started off as a very difficult appointment every week (with another service), now my daughter is happy to enter the room immediately and engage with Marijke. I see an improvement at every appointment. I would be lost if I had not found CATTS.

I was a bit hesitant at first to ask a question, but once I did, she was really quick getting back to me with pointers and things to do.

I learned a lot of signs I didn't know and how to teach them to my brother. I'll finally be able to have a proper conversation with him.

That's fantastic thanks so much for all of those strategies! I want to maximise on this latest development with his desire to vocalise sounds and some words! Thanks a million!

I learned 100 signs to go away and teach my autistic child.

We have been attending CATTS for over 5 years and can only recommend them to anyone looking for a friendly and professional service. My child's speech, communication and confidence has made huge improvements consistently over the years. He's gone from a child who was frustrated with very little words and screamed to let us know what he needed to now working on grammar! The sessions are always fun to keep him interested and focused on his needs and exactly what he should be working on. This progress wouldn't have been possible if I hadn't been attending Marijke at CATTS.

“What I liked: Use of videos as well as slides. The variety of signs taught. Relaxed atmosphere – had a laugh while learning signs.”

"Our therapist obviously puts a lot of thought and effort into each of [NAME]'s sessions, very creative to get the best out of him."

Thought the tutor (Marijke) was excellent. Really easy to listen to, so easy to learn from. Made the day fun. Kept you focused.

My son has attended regularly for some months now, and responded very early on to the use of Lámh. He has made good progress and enjoys going to sessions. Overall would highly recommend Marijke as an SLT.

I've joined so many groups etc to try help [NAME], this one is really useful. I do need to ask more questions though lol.

The best thing about CATTS is the experience of the Speech Therapist. How she engages with my son. He understands a lot more, his receptive language has improved greatly since starting.

I am very happy with the progress that my daughter has made since we started to come to CATTS. The service is professional, on point and there is a genuine interest in the child. Every session is different with a combination of work and games which is very effective. There are adequate breaks which is very important and an excellent understanding of my daughter's ASD and ADHD. The games and lesson plans tie in very naturally with whats going on with school and at home and this makes the sessions valuable and effective with excellent learning and development for my daughter. I have recommended CATTS to many other mums and will continue to do so.

A very professional but friendly and focused to each individual child's needs.

Good insight into different behaviours of autism which was based in the real world. Really excellent

With the rollout of Progressing Disabilities its so important to build awareness on family centred practice. Thank you for bringing this and other courses to Ireland.

I am very satisfied with the treatment I got from CATTS. I was a bit apprehensive but the friendly, professional attitude of the therapist put me at my ease. The comparison of my performance at the start of treatment and at the six-monthly follow up showed that my voice had improved both in volume and range. I am more than pleased.

I liked the structure of the day. The associations Marijke used helped me to remember the signs. I also like that the games reinforced the signs. Plus the sweets as rewards!

I learned over 100 signs which will make it a lot easier to communicate with my child.

"Great anecdotes helped me associate the words with the sign."

“I’ve learned 100 Lamh signs. I’ve learned ways to use them and importance of repetition. I’ve enjoyed Marijke’s energetic method of teaching.”

I think the best thing about CATTS is the professional service. The therapists are very skilled and it is of huge benefit to my child.

The best thing about CATTS therapy is the tailored sessions and continuous review of what is working.

Excellent. Very informative and Patty was wonderfully engaging. Learned so much!

I liked your enthuasian and how personable and approachable you are. So much was covered and I liked how you were willng to show us lots of other sign.

I think the best thing is our therapist's approach to dealing with my sometimes difficult child.

[NAME] enjoys going to Marijke and I feel the work being done is addressing [NAME]'s needs. We attended other speech therapists in the past and whilst they also helped I think CATTS' way of establishing where [NAME]'s main areas of need are, is very good.

100% of Speech Therapy clients surveyed would recommend CATTS to a friend or family member!

Public speaking is a significant feature of my job. An injury at work meant I had to step back from this aspect of my work. Present for me also was an underlying worry whether I would be able to overcome the resultant speech issues. Step by step, like completing a jig-saw, Marijke systematically took me through the various steps towards recovery with an additional, unexpected bonus of learning to use my voice properly when public speaking. This was never covered when I first trained in public speaking twenty years ago. I did my homework between sessions but I learned that I did not always execute the practices correctly. It was this expert correction and feedback from Marijke that was invaluable! Thank you !

“I thought the course was made very interesting because it was informal and amusing at times. I was surprised at how the Lamh signs stuck in my mind.”

I liked that the day was active ad no one was put on the spot!

Social interaction, speech has come on, both expressive and receptive. I'm more relaxed and reassured because I feel supported.

Great Content. Well organised.
All members of the CATTS team were friendly and helpful. They were always providing much needed information.

I liked the structure of the class. Marijke made the class fun and enjoyable to learn the different signs.

A Super Day! A wealth of knowledge. Loved the detail and attention to accuracy. Thank you.

I learned a lot more than I expected to! thank you .

"This is a great service, he really looks forward to the therapy sessions."

“I’ve learned so many signs and how to effectively communicate with residents.”

“I enjoyed the games, these were practical and helped consolidate our learning and helped us to retain the new signs.”

Huge amount of useful info. Video clips were useful.
Excellent topic and event. It is difficult to get the opportunity to learn from the main experts in specific fields.

I like the fact that you can look at the videos and browse the group at your own pace.

I learned lots of new signs. Can't wait to learn more.

Very well organised event. - Looking forward to the next CATTS CPD event. Thank you!

"My thanks to you and Marijke for the excellent staff and responsive service that you have provided in CATTS."
Large Residential Service Provider

CATTS work really well with my child's school resource teacher and SNA to insure my child has every opportunity to improve his communication skills.

The best thing is the therapist's genuine interest in my child and getting to know her and what works best for her - in particular a shared passion for Pokemon! I have noticed improvements in pronunciation of words, developments of language and improvements of winning / losing scenarios.

We've seen improvement from day one. We've also learned a lot from watching her work. My son enjoys his sessions with Marijke, she somehow manages to get a 4 year old to focus for the whole session and have fun while doing it. We're seeing constant improvement.

"Since starting speech therapy my daughters speech has improved considerably. Her language skills and comprehension have also seen a huge improvement. She is more confident and thrives on the positive feedback about her progress. I love that the program is designed to meet her needs and grows with her."

[NAME] is very happy and is progressing. My son has built a lot of confidence since starting therapy, our family & friends really see a difference in his abilities.

I liked the multiple steps in learning signs - helped memory.

"Catts Ireland is providing a superb vital service for children"

The energy and humour of the presenter helps me remember. Marijke delivered it very well and made it very informative and enjoyable! 🙂

Efficient, excellent communication and follow up post classes, excellent advice for further at hone progress.

"Am so happy with speech therapy. She knows how to encourage my son to attempt to say words. He wouldn't have even tried for other therapists. (Therapist) has a fantastic way with him. And out of all the speech therapists we've attended over the years, both public and private, this has been the best by far. Highly recommend. Only annoyed we didn't know about it before. We would have taken him years ago."

[NAME] settled well. He found it hard first time but after a few sessions he got used to being there and started to work well. He makes more sounds now and is copying the words after us.

The best thing about CATTS is that each session is individually tailored to that child's need at that time and carried out in a fun way.

CATTS really know how to attract great speakers. Really professionally run event. Felt very well looked after.

I liked the way the 100 words were split out throughout the day. Not information overload. Very enjoyable - the day flew!

"Marijke made the day very funny and interesting."

I learned more ways to create communication opportunities.

Amazing, Well planned, Very impressed with Lisa’s knowledge as a mother.

Excellently covered by Patty, I am walking away feeling a lot more confident that my clients will receive better therapy.

Refreshing no-nonsense parent’s perspective.

Thoroughly enjoyed the class. Marijke makes learning fun!

CATTS are very flexible. My child loves coming and my child understands the speech therapist's instructions, which is very important to me.

Very happy with the speech service my son is getting through CATTS. The therapist is working very well with my son and gets the best out of him. Only for this service my son would be getting no speech. I am very grateful.

Everyone has commented on how well my son's speech has come on.
His speech is more relevant to what is happening around him. Today, he answered a 'Where' question for the first time appropriately without being prompted first.

Lisa is very inspiring, very practical and we benefited most from the presenter’s own experience. Enjoyed the positive approach of presenter – I feel invigorated

I am very happy with the service we have received with [Therapist]. After 2 sessions [NAME] had started saying 'more', 'again', 'up', 'down' and is continuing to add new words each week.

My little boy absolutely loves going to CATTS. He loves playing all his 'games' and 'sound games' and thinks it is great fun. Marijke makes every minute of speech therapy fun and exciting. It is lovely to see my little boy progress in a fun, warm environment. Marijke is warm and provides great guidance and support for home. Marijke always responds to queries in a timely manner. Learning is made fun. He has made improvements in speech sounds and is now more susceptible to fixing up errors without resistance.

I learned how to think about how it might feel to not be able to communicate. I learned not only about the signs but also how to associate them with other things to remember them. I also learned how to 'teach' the signs in an effective way with the kids.

Without a doubt my son's progression is down to Marijke's involvement. I think the best thing about CATTS service is that they value parents and external therapists input and have no problem liaising with outside services (i.e. HSE, Enable Ireland, etc). We have both learned techniques/ mechanisms to increase speech and reduce fustration. Definate drop in NAME's distress.

The progress my son has made over the last year is astounding. Marijke is a fabulous therapist. It is obvious she enjoys her job and cares for her clients. I appreciate the value CATTS places on parent involvement ant think the tips / techniques provided to use at home have proved to be very successful. We are 100% satisfied with the service CATTS provide.

Patty’s approach to teaching was so engaging, she has a wealth of knowledge and a lovely way of delivering information. A really enjoyable experience overall.

Marijke made it very easy to learn and very entertaining! ?

I came away with far more than I could have imagined

I liked the way the tutor presented the class. It enabled me to learn in a relaxed way. Her coverage was fantastic. I would attend another class hosted by her.

Social interaction, speech has come on, both expressive and receptive. I'm more relaxed and reassured because I feel supported.

“I thought it was very well presented. Not only was it about Lamh sign; it was about communication.”

I liked that the day was active ad no one was put on the spot!

CATTS Ireland were good and helpful hosts.
Great course. Need more interdisciplinary type courses in Ireland!

“What I liked: Use of videos as well as slides. The variety of signs taught. Relaxed atmosphere – had a laugh while learning signs.”

"I learned how important it is to communicate. I hope it will make life happier for the service users.”

I learned a lot more than I expected to! thank you .

My son has attended regularly for some months now, and responded very early on to the use of Lámh. He has made good progress and enjoys going to sessions. Overall would highly recommend Marijke as an SLT.

The CATTS team were so friendly and enthusiastic. We all felt really well looked after.

I really enjoyed Patty, loved her style, stories and analogies

"Am so happy with speech therapy. She knows how to encourage my son to attempt to say words. He wouldn't have even tried for other therapists. (Therapist) has a fantastic way with him. And out of all the speech therapists we've attended over the years, both public and private, this has been the best by far. Highly recommend. Only annoyed we didn't know about it before. We would have taken him years ago."

We've seen improvement from day one. We've also learned a lot from watching her work. My son enjoys his sessions with Marijke, she somehow manages to get a 4 year old to focus for the whole session and have fun while doing it. We're seeing constant improvement.

“I’ve learned so many signs and how to effectively communicate with residents.”

[NAME] settled well. He found it hard first time but after a few sessions he got used to being there and started to work well. He makes more sounds now and is copying the words after us.

With the rollout of Progressing Disabilities its so important to build awareness on family centred practice. Thank you for bringing this and other courses to Ireland.

I find our therapist Brilliant! She gives great tips and is excellent in engaging with my son. It is much improved for primary school as he can tell me things that happen in his summer setting, which is less frustrating for him and less worrying for me.

That's fantastic thanks so much for all of those strategies! I want to maximise on this latest development with his desire to vocalise sounds and some words! Thanks a million!

Am so happy with speech therapy. She knows how to encourage my son to attempt to say words. He wouldn't have even tried for other therapists. (Therapist) has a fantastic way with him. And out of all the speech therapists we've attended over the years, both public and private, this has been the best by far. Highly recommend.

Patty’s approach to teaching was so engaging, she has a wealth of knowledge and a lovely way of delivering information. A really enjoyable experience overall.

Lisa is very inspiring, very practical and we benefited most from the presenter’s own experience. Enjoyed the positive approach of presenter – I feel invigorated

Without a doubt my son's progression is down to Marijke's involvement. I think the best thing about CATTS service is that they value parents and external therapists input and have no problem liaising with outside services (i.e. HSE, Enable Ireland, etc). We have both learned techniques/ mechanisms to increase speech and reduce fustration. Definate drop in NAME's distress.

The progress my son has made over the last year is astounding. Marijke is a fabulous therapist. It is obvious she enjoys her job and cares for her clients. I appreciate the value CATTS places on parent involvement ant think the tips / techniques provided to use at home have proved to be very successful. We are 100% satisfied with the service CATTS provide.

Would highly recommend CATTS. I have seen a big difference in my child since his first session. The biggest has been learning to wait. [NAME] has come along so much, now his vocab is coming on better and better everyday. Since starting the sessions the whole family have joined in to learn what we do in every session and really enjoy learning how to really have fun on [NAME]'s level. it is great to see [NAME] so excited when we get out of the car and see Marijke's door. He knows where he is going and really enjoys it which makes it really enjoyable for us to look at. Thank you.

Very well organised event. - Looking forward to the next CATTS CPD event. Thank you!

I was a bit hesitant at first to ask a question, but once I did, she was really quick getting back to me with pointers and things to do.

“I thought the course was made very interesting because it was informal and amusing at times. I was surprised at how the Lamh signs stuck in my mind.”

Good cooperation with parents to help special needs kids. Excellent Speech therapy support for kids with ASD.

Marijke was excellent - brilliant tutor.

I liked the enthusiasm of the presenter. It was really interactive, clear and well paced.

"My thanks to you and Marijke for the excellent staff and responsive service that you have provided in CATTS."
Large Residential Service Provider

I liked the way the 100 words were split out throughout the day. Not information overload. Very enjoyable - the day flew!

Great Content. Well organised.
All members of the CATTS team were friendly and helpful. They were always providing much needed information.

A Super Day! A wealth of knowledge. Loved the detail and attention to accuracy. Thank you.

100% of Speech Therapy clients surveyed would recommend CATTS to a friend or family member!

The best thing about CATTS is that each session is individually tailored to that child's need at that time and carried out in a fun way.

I am very satisfied with the treatment I got from CATTS. I was a bit apprehensive but the friendly, professional attitude of the therapist put me at my ease. The comparison of my performance at the start of treatment and at the six-monthly follow up showed that my voice had improved both in volume and range. I am more than pleased.

Excellently covered by Patty, I am walking away feeling a lot more confident that my clients will receive better therapy.

Very informative course, learned a lot both theoretical and practical from a very skilled presenter.

I learned how I can use signs to help children communicate on a one to one basis or in a group to encourage social and language skills in an informal way.
Learned more than I thought I would at one sitting!

I enjoyed the interaction and the humour!

"Great anecdotes helped me associate the words with the sign."

I've joined so many groups etc to try help [NAME], this one is really useful. I do need to ask more questions though lol.

I learned a lot of new Lamh signs

Huge amount of useful info. Video clips were useful.
Excellent topic and event. It is difficult to get the opportunity to learn from the main experts in specific fields.

This was a fun, interactive course. Marijke was very good, and patient, friendly and funny.

The best thing about CATTS is the experience of the Speech Therapist. How she engages with my son. He understands a lot more, his receptive language has improved greatly since starting.

"Marijke made the day very funny and interesting."

CATTS has a great system that definitely works.
[Therapist] just makes him feel do comfortable. [NAME] has come along so well since we started CATTS. Me and [NAME] have a great communication now and he barely spoke 2 words when we started. Now he is flying with his vocab. We couldn't be prowder.

I learned more ways to create communication opportunities.

"Very helpful when we asked questions - she didn't hesitate to answer anything we asked"

CATTS are very flexible. My child loves coming and my child understands the speech therapist's instructions, which is very important to me.

Thoroughly enjoyed the class. Marijke makes learning fun!

Amazing, Well planned, Very impressed with Lisa’s knowledge as a mother.

I like the fact that you can look at the videos and browse the group at your own pace.

Refreshing no-nonsense parent’s perspective.

I learned how to think about how it might feel to not be able to communicate. I learned not only about the signs but also how to associate them with other things to remember them. I also learned how to 'teach' the signs in an effective way with the kids.

I learned over 100 signs which will make it a lot easier to communicate with my child.

Very happy with the attention and detail [NAME] gets at each session. Each session is setup in advance and if a games doesn't go to plan there is always a backup nearby.

I like the no rushing of each session so it can respond to what [NAME] needs on the day. He has opened up so much and has become more confident as time goes on.

"I enjoyed doing the signs and activity. I think that this will help me in the future with being a special needs assistant"

My little boy absolutely loves going to CATTS. He loves playing all his 'games' and 'sound games' and thinks it is great fun. Marijke makes every minute of speech therapy fun and exciting. It is lovely to see my little boy progress in a fun, warm environment. Marijke is warm and provides great guidance and support for home. Marijke always responds to queries in a timely manner. Learning is made fun. He has made improvements in speech sounds and is now more susceptible to fixing up errors without resistance.

I learned 100 signs to go away and teach my autistic child.

“I’ve learned 100 Lamh signs. I’ve learned ways to use them and importance of repetition. I’ve enjoyed Marijke’s energetic method of teaching.”

[NAME] enjoys going to Marijke and I feel the work being done is addressing [NAME]'s needs. We attended other speech therapists in the past and whilst they also helped I think CATTS' way of establishing where [NAME]'s main areas of need are, is very good.

“I liked learning sign language so it can help me communicate with my cousin and each other.”

"Loved the training style. Very enjoyable day."

Patty is an excellent presenter, very knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

"Very interesting. Benefits us especially while working with kids - learned so many things I never knew e.g. DVD, and apps"

I have been using CATTS for several month with my daughter. What started off as a very difficult appointment every week (with another service), now my daughter is happy to enter the room immediately and engage with Marijke. I see an improvement at every appointment. I would be lost if I had not found CATTS.

Really enjoyed the course, excellent information & presenter.

Efficient, excellent communication and follow up post classes, excellent advice for further at hone progress.

Public speaking is a significant feature of my job. An injury at work meant I had to step back from this aspect of my work. Present for me also was an underlying worry whether I would be able to overcome the resultant speech issues. Step by step, like completing a jig-saw, Marijke systematically took me through the various steps towards recovery with an additional, unexpected bonus of learning to use my voice properly when public speaking. This was never covered when I first trained in public speaking twenty years ago. I did my homework between sessions but I learned that I did not always execute the practices correctly. It was this expert correction and feedback from Marijke that was invaluable! Thank you !

This is a great idea. It really helps to have a resource on hand you can trust

Lovely facilities, nice class size. Amazing that only 3 rows back, it felt small and intimate.

I liked the multiple steps in learning signs - helped memory.

[NAME] always had a 'difficult' relationship with his speech therapists from his service providers. CATTS therapists are totally different, young & energetic & determined to get the best out of him.

Very beneficial program. I learnt a lot of strategies to help me.

I learned how to put Lamh into the school setting where I work. How to plan and create situations where I can use it.

I learned so many new signs and lots of different ways to approach kids to create conversation opportunities.

Niamh is phenomenal! She is so talented at working with children in a fun and relaxed way. My 9 year old didn't even realize any of it was work. He looked forward to every session and that is due to Niamh and her kindness and skill.

Excellent. Very informative and Patty was wonderfully engaging. Learned so much!

Everyone has commented on how well my son's speech has come on.
His speech is more relevant to what is happening around him. Today, he answered a 'Where' question for the first time appropriately without being prompted first.

Since starting with CATTS, my son's confidence has improved, he is involved more socially and he is not as anxious.

Very happy with the speech service my son is getting through CATTS. The therapist is working very well with my son and gets the best out of him. Only for this service my son would be getting no speech. I am very grateful.

I learned lots of new signs. Can't wait to learn more.

I liked Marijke. You made the course interesting and fun.

"Catts Ireland is providing a superb vital service for children"

Public speaking is a significant feature of my job. An injury at work meant I had to step back from this aspect of my work. Present for me also was an underlying worry whether I would be able to overcome the resultant speech issues. Step by step, like completing a jig-saw, Marijke systematically took me through the various steps towards recovery with an additional, unexpected bonus of learning to use my voice properly when public speaking. This was never covered when I first trained in public speaking twenty years ago. I did my homework between sessions but I learned that I did not always execute the practices correctly. It was this expert correction and feedback from Marijke that was invaluable! Thank you !

I liked the structure of the day. The associations Marijke used helped me to remember the signs. I also like that the games reinforced the signs. Plus the sweets as rewards!

"Since starting speech therapy my daughters speech has improved considerably. Her language skills and comprehension have also seen a huge improvement. She is more confident and thrives on the positive feedback about her progress. I love that the program is designed to meet her needs and grows with her."

CATTS work really well with my child's school resource teacher and SNA to insure my child has every opportunity to improve his communication skills.

[NAME] is very happy and is progressing. My son has built a lot of confidence since starting therapy, our family & friends really see a difference in his abilities.

I think the best thing about CATTS is the professional service. The therapists are very skilled and it is of huge benefit to my child.

I liked Marijke as a Lamh tutor. She was extremely engaging and personable. I like how it was fun during the lesson.

"Nice people, good understanding with asd kids."

I am very happy with the service we have received with [Therapist]. After 2 sessions [NAME] had started saying 'more', 'again', 'up', 'down' and is continuing to add new words each week.

“I liked the positive interaction between the tutor & learners.”

We researched a lot of places and time and time again CATTS was recommended to us. We are so glad we listened as we have seen great progress in our son. [Therapist] just "gets him" and its so nice to have a positive experience all the while our son is doing some "work".

I liked the way nobody was singled out. The signs were demonstrated as a group.

“I enjoyed the games, these were practical and helped consolidate our learning and helped us to retain the new signs.”

"This is a great service, he really looks forward to the therapy sessions."

Really Great Event. Well done CATTS 🙂

I liked the structure of the class. Marijke made the class fun and enjoyable to learn the different signs.

A very professional but friendly and focused to each individual child's needs.

"I enjoyed the group interaction. Moving between theory and practical Lamh signs has helped me to concentrate for the entirety of the day.”

The best thing about CATTS therapy is the tailored sessions and continuous review of what is working.

“I’ve enjoyed learning everything about Lamh, including watching videos, doing games and working in group. It was very interesting.”

The day was fun! Marijke made it fun and easy to learn. Really enjoying. Good craic.

The sessions are fun and she always strives to remember what works for our son down to the smallest details. Our SLT always made sessions fun and engaging but also was able to get the most out of each session which is so important when dealing with intellectual disability.

Thought the tutor (Marijke) was excellent. Really easy to listen to, so easy to learn from. Made the day fun. Kept you focused.

The energy and humour of the presenter helps me remember. Marijke delivered it very well and made it very informative and enjoyable! 🙂

Found Marijke very enjoyable as a teacher. Made the course a lot more intereting and easier to learn.

I am very happy with the progress that my daughter has made since we started to come to CATTS. The service is professional, on point and there is a genuine interest in the child. Every session is different with a combination of work and games which is very effective. There are adequate breaks which is very important and an excellent understanding of my daughter's ASD and ADHD. The games and lesson plans tie in very naturally with whats going on with school and at home and this makes the sessions valuable and effective with excellent learning and development for my daughter. I have recommended CATTS to many other mums and will continue to do so.

Marijke made it very easy to learn and very entertaining! ?

I learned a lot of signs I didn't know and how to teach them to my brother. I'll finally be able to have a proper conversation with him.

I have been attending CATTS with my son for 5 years now and the service we have received is fantastic. Marijke is a wonderful therapist and my son's speech and communication has come on so much from when he started from a no-verbal little boy to a fully verbal child now. Marijke has each session planned to meet his needs and I feel fully involved. We travel a long distance to each session but it is worth it to see the difference in my son's communication and confidence.

The energy of the course and how it was taught. Great information that will stay in my brain!

CATTS really know how to attract great speakers. Really professionally run event. Felt very well looked after.

Good insight into different behaviours of autism which was based in the real world. Really excellent

I learned a lot of new signs and that it's possible to learn a lot of signs in a relatively short space of time.

I liked your enthuasian and how personable and approachable you are. So much was covered and I liked how you were willng to show us lots of other sign.

"Our therapist obviously puts a lot of thought and effort into each of [NAME]'s sessions, very creative to get the best out of him."

Overall Satisfaction: 96%
Value for Money: 92%

We have been attending CATTS for over 5 years and can only recommend them to anyone looking for a friendly and professional service. My child's speech, communication and confidence has made huge improvements consistently over the years. He's gone from a child who was frustrated with very little words and screamed to let us know what he needed to now working on grammar! The sessions are always fun to keep him interested and focused on his needs and exactly what he should be working on. This progress wouldn't have been possible if I hadn't been attending Marijke at CATTS.

The best thing is the therapist's genuine interest in my child and getting to know her and what works best for her - in particular a shared passion for Pokemon! I have noticed improvements in pronunciation of words, developments of language and improvements of winning / losing scenarios.

“What did I like: being able to communicate with Lamh user. Brilliant course. Would recommend it to other people.”

The best thing is that my daughter's needs, strengths and weaknesses are being met, understood and worked on. Going at her pace, with patience.

Since starting speech therapy my daughters speech has improved considerably. Her language skills and comprehension have also seen a huge improvement.  She is more confident and thrives on the positive feedback about her progress. I love that the program is designed to meet her needs and grows with her.

CATTS is an excellent service providing Speech and Language which is highly needed for children with special needs.

I think the best thing is our therapist's approach to dealing with my sometimes difficult child.

The BEST THING about CATTS is the One to One service, Great Advice and Tips to work on at home!