Testimonials
We have received a subsidy for our son's assessment and tuition fees through SPELADD. This has been a huge help financially for us as without this subsidy we would not have been able to give our son the one on one tuition, which he needs to assist him with his learning. SPELADD have been extremely accommodating to our family's needs and we would recommend this service to other friends and family.
— Sarah
_______ says he is feeling more confident and was happy with how his entrance tests at Awatapu went last week...
— From a Mother of a Struggling Son.
... I went to Speladd in Palmerston North seeking help and understanding for my then 8 year old Grandson. The family was having considerable difficulties with his behaviour both at home and at school. Even as a toddler he did not have good socialising skills and was aggressive with other children. He had one sibling, a brother who was 12 years older than he.
One of the problems he had was coping with noise, which he reacted to badly. I was attending an ear appointment when I asked one of the staff about this problem. After some discussion she advised me to visit SPELADD.
On arrival I was greeted very warmly by Elizabeth, who put me at my ease. We chatted for a while discussing fully my grandson’s problems, the difficulties teacher’s and peers were having with him. Things were at the stage where he was going to be excluded from school. In fact, at a later date he finished up being excluded from 4 schools and the Dept. of Special Education informed his mother that no school in their City would take him.
Elizabeth gave me a number of articles relating to my grandson’s problems which seemed to fall into the area of Autism. On reading these articles we came to a good understanding of his problems.
My family had a long road ahead of them, as it was very difficult to get any co-operation through the education system. It is a long and complicated story. However, my grandson is now 17. He was eventually officially diagnosed as being on the Autism scale, with high functioning Asperger's syndrome.
Eventually one school agreed to help him, one teacher, with much support from the Principal, in particular. I cannot express enough how much this teacher has done for him. She also applied for special funding for him, which is in place for support throughout his educational years until he is 21 years old.
He is doing well at Secondary School, gaining good marks, excelling in some subjects. His social interaction has improved tremendously and although there are days where he can be difficult at home, at school he is coping well.
I am writing this letter to state how much Elizabeth, from Palmerston North’s Speladd helped me so much in the initial stages. We realized it was going to be a life-long journey, and at that stage things were and would continue to be difficult until a correct diagnosis was made. I would like to thank Elizabeth and the Speladd organisation for providing this easily accessible service, which provided comfort and assurance and much needed information.
— Kathy (Kathleen) QSM
We came to SPELADD thanks to a recommendation from ---. We were looking for an assessment to identify educational needs, with the additional support for 1to1 tutoring.
We have found the process of working with SPELADD good and thorough. The report, based on the assessment findings has allowed for further investigations and support.
We choose to work with a SPELADD tutor as we wanted the 1to1 teaching which is tailored to our son specifically. The tutor really understands his needs and requirements, and even in a small amount of time there has been a positive change. At school, teachers have witnessed the changes as writing has improved and the overall educational achievements have improved. Without the additional tutoring all aspects of school life would have continued to slip.
We would recommend SPELADD to others concerned with Specific Learning Difficulties, both for the assessment and for tutoring.