Assessments
Your first appointment is the perfect opportunity to discuss your child’s current skills and identify future therapy goals. Your speech pathologist will get to know your child and their needs through natural play and conversation, as well as questionnaires and standardised assessment tools.
After this appointment, you will receive a comprehensive report summarising any observations, assessment results and recommendations to support communication at home or in the classroom. A copy of this report may also be provided to your child’s teachers or any other health professionals involved.
Our Therapy Approach
Your speech pathologist will make recommendations for the type and frequency of therapy after your initial assessment session. You know your child best and your insights are invaluable throughout the therapy process. We prioritise the goals that are most important to you, using therapy approaches guided by your child and their unique skills and interests.
Individual therapy sessions are scheduled fortnightly at a time that suits you, and are typically 45 minutes long. Your speech pathologist will also provide homework activities to help with generalisation of skills between clinic sessions.
It’s about more than communication. It’s about connection.
Focus Areas
Speech Sound Production
Children learn speech sounds as they grow, with vowels and simple consonants such as ‘p’, ‘b’ and ‘m’ typically developing first. More complex sounds such as ‘s’, ‘r’ and ‘th’ often take longer to emerge. Your child’s speech may sound unclear, or they may substitute one sound for another (e.g. ‘wabbit’ for ‘rabbit.’) Speech differences can make it difficult for others to understand your child. Your speech pathologist can let you know whether your child’s speech is age-appropriate, or whether ongoing therapy is recommended.
Stuttering
Stuttering refers to disruptions in the natural flow of speech. These disruptions may sound like repetitions (e.g. b - b - ball), elongated sounds (e.g. sss-un) or blocks (e.g. where no sound is produced when attempting to speak). You may also notice additional body movements such as blinking or head nods associated with stuttering. Early intervention is strongly recommended for the best therapeutic outcomes. It is no longer best practice to ‘wait and see’ as we cannot predict which children will improve naturally and which children will need additional support.
Receptive language skills refer to a child’s ability to understand spoken words and sentences. Expressive language skills refer to a child’s ability to use words and sentences to express their wants and needs. For many preschool children, language goals focus on increasing vocabulary and reducing frustration caused by communication breakdown. Observations, questionnaires and standardised assessment tools can help your speech pathologist identify relevant language goals.
Receptive & Expressive Language
Play & Social Communication
Many children benefit from intervention targeting play and social communication skills. Therapy targets a wide range of skills such as greetings, asking others to play, sharing and collaborating, imaginative play skills, communicating thoughts and feelings, understanding social rules as well as establishing and maintaining positive peer relationships. These skills are beneficial for children of all ages, and can become increasingly important with age as social expectations and associated challenges evolve over time.
We Are Accepting New Clients for Kindergarten & School Visits!
Whilst most clients choose to attend in-clinic sessions, we understand that not everyone is able to attend the clinic during office hours. As such, we offer offsite speech pathology services in local kindergartens and schools. These appointments may also be beneficial for those needing additional support to generalise communication skills in the classroom or on the playground. Many children also benefit from one-off observations of their communication skills in their natural environment. Let your clinician know if you think your child may benefit from a kindergarten or school visit.