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Child psychologist, Alison Chowdhary, has recently opened a new practice in the region offering a range of support services for children with learning and emotional difficulties.
Helping children aged between 4 and 16, Alison’s practice is a welcome addition to the region, where it can often be difficult to find specialist support for children in English.
Alison told knowitall.ch, “My aim is to help children overcome their difficulties by teaching them strategies which can be applied both in the classroom and at home, and which will help to improve their self-esteem. However, these strategies will only work with the collaboration of parents, teachers and special needs staff, so I work closely with them also to ensure the best results for my young clients. Having lived in Switzerland for over 20 years, I am bilingual and work fluently in both English and French."
Alison’s services fall into four main categories. Cognitive evaluations are a fundamental part of her work, frequently required by schools before they will accept children with special needs. Alison conducts both WISC (for children aged 6 years and upwards) and WIPPSI (for pre-primary age) assessments to help identify the specific needs of children, including their strengths as well as their weaknesses.
Alison explained, “Assessments are often required by parents considering a change of schooling for their children, but they are equally useful in highlighting areas where schools can adapt their learning support provision to the individual needs of a student in their care. Many parents come to me, concerned that their child is not thriving in their current school, but feel they could do better, without needing to change schools, if teachers had more information and a better understanding about their child’s individual needs.”
Following a cognitive evaluation, Alison is often asked to provide coaching for children identified as needing additional support in literacy and/or numeracy. As a former primary school teacher, Alison has 16 years experience teaching the British curriculum at different levels of primary education, and is well equipped to apply the results of her cognitive assessments to build up a learning program specially adapted to the individual needs of her children.
Whilst most of her students are currently coached on a one-to-one basis, Alison is keen to offer small group tuition to those children who she thinks would benefit from social interaction in the classroom. “Good self-esteem is critical for any child with learning difficulties to make progress,” she explained to us. “By learning alongside children with similar needs and abilities, young learners soon come to realize that they are not alone and that with a little encouragement from their teacher and co-learners, they can make huge leaps in progress, both academically and socially.”
Alison also provides psychological assessments for children experiencing behavioural and emotional problems such as anxiety, ADHD and autism. These assessments can prove to be a turning point for many families who have been struggling for years to cope with a difficult child both at home and at school, but have not been able to put their finger on the specific problem.
As a registered member of the Fédération Suisse des Psychologues and the Association Vaudoise des Psychologues, as well as the British Psychological Society, Alison’s evaluations are covered by most complimentary medical insurances.
Recognizing that many of the difficulties experienced by her young clients could be avoided with better support in schools, Alison also works with the local special needs organization, All Special Kids, to provide training for teachers in our local schools. Research has demonstrated that by recognizing symptoms such as autism and ADHD early on in the development of a child, it is possible to reduce the attendant low self-esteem and high levels of anxiety, which may not only hinder a child’s academic performance, but can have a serious impact on their emotional wellbeing too.
Alison Chowdhary (MEd, MSc)
Child psychologist (FSP)
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
079 590 53 80
