Children’s Speech Pathology
What is a Speech Pathologist?
Speech pathologists are university trained allied health professionals who study, diagnose and treat communications difficulties and disorders, this may include helping with:
- early communication skills,
- speech sound production and clarity,
- language understanding and expression,
- phonological awareness skills that are the foundation for literacy development,
- reading and writing,
- fluency or stuttering,
- auditory processing,
- healthy voice use, and
- social communication skills.
There are lots of reasons your baby or child might need some extra help with their communication development, and our team of certified practicing speech pathologists are ready to help!
At Little Allied Health, we place children and families at the centre of all we do. We work collaboratively with our clients and their families to provide evidence-based supports tailored to your choices, challenges, goals, and priorities.
At your first appointment, your speech pathologist will take a case history and collect some information about your child and family. The next step is usually to complete an assessment and develop some goals to work towards in your sessions, we’ll ask for your input to make sure that the goals we identify work for you.
Once we have a plan, it’s time to get started with some sessions. Your therapist will speak with you about how often, and for how long, you should come in for sessions. Our aim is to help your child reach their goals as quickly as we can, while we don’t like saying goodbye – we also LOVE seeing our clients reach their potential and head off into the world as confident communicators!
At your first appointment, your speech pathologist will take a case history and collect some information about your child and family. The next step is usually to complete an assessment and develop some goals to work towards in your sessions, we’ll ask for your input to make sure that the goals we identify work for you.
Every child is different, and so is every child’s development. Having said this, research says that the earlier you access supports, the better the outcomes for your child. If you’re concerned about your child’s development there’s no harm in getting in touch to arrange an appointment.
Speech Pathology Australia provides some useful information about communication development and what to look for at each stage of development, you can access this information here.
The Raising Children website is another great source of evidence-based, up to date information about child development.
Our team of experienced therapists are Certified Practicing Speech Pathologists (CPSPs) and members of Speech Pathology Australia. This means that they are committed to meet the Association’s professional standards, bound by the Associations code of ethics, and committed to ongoing professional development.
Do I need a referral to see a Speech Pathologist?
You don’t need a referral to see a speech pathologist. You may be able to access Medicare rebates with a referral, or if your child has a Team Care Arrangement. If you have access to funding through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) we can provide services to self-managed and plan-managed clients. Speak to one of our friendly team to learn about the various funding supports available.