TEENAGERS

Cluas @ Home

Cluas provides home based listening programmes to teenagers with a range of difficulties, such as difficulties learning to read or write, School difficulties, Dyspraxia, Attention difficulties (ADD or ADHD), or young people with Asperger’s Syndrome.

We offer Cluas @ Home Programmes from the Cluas Centre in Dublin.

Our Home Based Approach

Our home based approach means that teenagers can complete the Cluas programme at home, arranging the daily 2 hour sessions at a time that suits the young person and their family.

Where younger children completing a Cluas @ Home children’s programme need significant day to day supervision, many teenagers may be well able to manage more of their own programme themselves. Considerably less supervision from parents may be needed. This programme can be arranged to better fit in with the teenager’s school and other activities.

During the daily 2-hour sessions of the listening programme, the young person may also be able to carry on with their studying or home-work. The young person will be able to talk and interact with others and also move around while they are wearing the headphones (through which they receive their programme).

Parents will however need to encourage and support the teenager as they go through the Cluas programme. The Cluas team are also available to respond to any issues arising for you or your teenager on any week-day during the programme.

Programme Structure

A standard Cluas programme consists of three phases:

  • An Assessment at a Cluas Centre

Briefing and hand-over of Parent’s Guide and Cluas Equipment at Cluas Centre

  • The first stage is 15 days – for 2 hours each week-day (over 3 consecutive weeks)

Review, Listening Test and hand-back of Cluas Equipment at Cluas Centre

followed by an interval of 4 weeks (with no Cluas programme)

 

Review, Listening Test and hand-over of Cluas Equipment at Cluas Centre

  • The second stage is 8 days – for 2 hours each week-day (over 2 consecutive weeks)

Review, Listening Test and hand-back of Cluas Equipment at Cluas Centre

followed by an interval of 4 weeks (with no Cluas programme)

 

Review, Listening Test and hand-over of Cluas Equipment at Cluas Centre

  • The third stage is 8 days – for 2 hours each week-day (over 2 consecutive weeks)

Review, Listening Test and hand-back of Cluas Equipment at Cluas Centre

Planning Cluas @ Home

We will discuss and agree with you the timing in both the young person and the family’s daily routines that will best ensure that the Cluas programme is successfully completed:

For the teenager and the family the implementation of a Cluas programme needs planning and careful thought. The best time of day for the teenager and indeed the rest of the household all need to be taken into account. The other demands on the teenager and the family need to be arranged to create a clear space and time for 100% commitment to the daily 2-hour sessions of Cluas programme.

We will provide guidelines that will support the teenager to complete the programme at home.  Included in this will be a simple system for recording the details of when and how the daily sessions of the programme are completed.

What will they do for the 2-hour sessions?

While completing the Cluas programme this is an ideal time to do home work or study. On the other hand watching TV or playing computer or video games, mobile phones etc. is not useful (- it is not allowed, basically no screen activities). Other activities such as drawing, painting or playing card or board games are highly recommended. The Cluas team are also available to respond to any issues arising on any week-day during the programme.

During the home based programme the young person will need to be in a room free from the distractions of TV, games consoles or computers. While they are wearing the headphones and listening to the Cluas programme they need to be engaged in constructive activities.

Reviewing and ‘re-attuning’ each programme

Consultations and reviews with parents and the young person occur at the beginning and end of each stage – this needs to take place at a Cluas Centre. These reviews of the overall progress and additionally the completion of frequent Listening Tests at the reviews enable us to monitor each teenager’s progress. A review may also be needed in the middle of Stage 1 of the programme.

In addition to these face to face consultation at the beginning and end of every stage, we will arrange to have a phone consultation at the beginning and end of every week of the active stages of the programme to ensure that all the elements are in place and working well.

These reviews and monitoring by Listening Tests help inform us how best to re-attune each young person’s  programme as the programme progresses, and hence allows us to capitalise on each step forward that the young person takes. This individual refinement of each young person’s programme contributes significantly to the good results that we achieve with many young people at Cluas.

Senior Cluas staff are also available to answer any questions or address any concerns you may have while your teenager is going through the programme.

Next Steps

The next step is to get in contact with us either by phone on 01-4002016 or using the contact form below. We can then have a a chat about how we may be able to help and make any arrangements from there.

TESTIMONIAL

Ciaran, age 17 from Co. Dublin - School and Study difficultiesNov '13

“… he is much more focused, better organised and more easily able to concentrate both in class …” Ciaran and his parents came to Cluas in Dublin in November 2012 for an Assessment and within a few weeks Ciaran started a Cluas @ Home program. The three program stages were completed for two h...

“… he is much more focused, better organised and more easily able to concentrate both in class …”

Ciaran and his parents came to Cluas in Dublin in November 2012 for an Assessment and within a few weeks Ciaran started a Cluas @ Home program.

The three program stages were completed for two hours each day after school in December (for 15 days) and in January (for 8 more days) and in March (for a final 8 days). Ciaran came back to Cluas in Novemeber 2013 for a review and his mother Una told us how Ciaran was now getting on:

We embarked on the Cluas program in an effort to help Ciaran settle better into the classroom environment in preparation for his Leaving Certificate. Since he started in 5th year we have found that he is much more focused, better organised and more easily able to concentrate both in class and at home.  He has matured significantly and we are sure that the Cluas program has contributed, coinciding with his Transition Year experience and his own personal development.   

Una, November 2013

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