Something completely different for this blog post! Not my usual focus on aspects of the book, or of the writing process, or indeed PDA. This time I am focussing on the next chapter of my professional and personal life.
Passing the professional baton…
Retiring finally from clinical assessment work at the end of March 2025 was an incredibly difficult decision. But it was one that had been begging for some considerable time. Why was that? Well, I felt very guilty that I was leaving so many wonderful parents without a lifeline to the robust clinical assessment that they very much needed and sought from me. If I couldn’t do the assessment who could? In short, until earlier in 2025 my short answer was ‘I don’t know who else I could recommend’. Not helpful at all. But I am now able to share with you details of a dedicated, very knowledgeable, Consultant Clinical Psychologist with whom I was actually able to work in January and February this year. He is Dr Dan Weisberg, who runs CAYP-Psychology in Manchester.
In my absence through ill-health, Dan was able to pick up the baton and provide an extremely robust, thorough, sensitive and insightful assessment of a boy with PDA in the north east of England. Like me, Dan spent hours and hours at the little boy’s home skilfully engaging him in a variety of WISC and WIAT assessments, and generating great insight and knowledge into his presentation. Dan, parents and I were later able to pool our knowledge in a virtual meeting, and Dan’s professional report was extremely detailed, robust, and rigorous. It was unequivocal in determining that the little boy must not return to any school. It supported completely the requirement for EOTAS.
At last I had met someone in whom I felt reassured and confident about their skills, PDA knowledge, capabilities, and qualities. I could pass on the baton of PDA professionals assessments with relief and confidence.
A little while later I was able to recommend Dr Weisberg’s services to another set of parents, as I had made the decision to cease clinical assessment work. They duly contacted Daniel, and emailed me with an update:
‘Dear Hilary
I just wanted to say a huge thank you for recommending Dr Daniel Weisberg. He came down from Manchester to Southend to carry out a full cognitive assessment of U – it took six hours over two days but thanks to his enormous skill, patience and compassion he managed to do it. (By way of contrast, the local authority’s EP gave up after 10 minutes!) His extremely helpful report is now being considered by the EHC assessment panel.
So thank you once again for the recommendation and all your other suggestions, they have been invaluable.
Best wishes
J’.
So, the future of PDA assessment work is now safe, I believe, in Dr Dan Weisberg’s capable professional hands. You can contact Dr Daniel Weisberg here
https://www.cayp-psychology.com/team/dr-daniel-weisberg/
I can now focus on completing other projects including the book ‘New Insights into PDA’.
I can also report personal success in one of my ‘special interests’…
Not many of you will know that I own and adore my modern award-winning classic car. In fact I have been an engineering geek and petrol head for over 60 years – all thanks to my dad, a brilliant engineer who taught me everything in response to my incessant questions, clear aptitude, and infinite curiosity. Back in the 1960s and 70s girls were not encouraged to have careers in engineering, so my passion remained just an interest – a hobby. Indeed my secondary education was completed at a selective, exclusive, girls’ grammar school where I gained considerable success as a musician, and polyglot, and represented my school at hockey, tennis and rounders. Engineering was sadly not on the curriculum,- but country dancing and elocution lessons were.
Back to the classic car: Mine since 4th June 1998, and now nearly 30 years old, my beloved Mazda 323f and I have been attending classic car shows and gatherings on odd weekends since he turned 20. Of course with more time on my hands to do all the tinkering and polishing, since retiring from clinical practice, I have really upped the ante and become quite obsessed with this whole classic car movement. So imagine my joy and delight when we were recently rewarded with a 2nd place rosette in the ‘Future Classics’ class at Thornton-le-Dale show in North Yorkshire. On top of that we got to meet and were congratulated by the ‘godfather’ of classic cars: Derek Mathewson of ‘Bangers and Cash’ television show fame. Happy Day!
Why does this matter? Why am I telling you this? Well, given my professional focus on EOTAS, had I been any less willing to attend school (from 11) than I was, perhaps I would have chosen EOTAS provision for myself, based on all my self-determined interests, as an autodidact, including of course engineering and car maintenance. That’s why I have been so passionate about the importance of supporting parents who seek EOTAS for their children. Simply because I know how my own learning would have been so very different and may have taken me into other professional careers had this opportunity been available to me. But then I wouldn’t be where I am now.
UK readers, enjoy the summer! I’m off to wash and polish Geordie Boy for his show tomorrow. Happy Days!
Warmest wishes until next time,
Hilary (and Geordie Boy the Mazda).
