Speech Pathologists also known as Speech Language Pathologists or Speech Therapists assess, diagnose, treat and help prevent difficulties related to speech, language, social communication, voice, swallowing and fluency.
How can Speech Pathology help?
Speech Pathologists can help with communication and swallowing difficulties. Speech Pathologists work with children and young people to overcome communication and swallowing difficulty.
Speech Pathologists can support children and families with the following:
- Speech
- Language
- Literacy (reading and writing)
- Social communication
- Stuttering
- Swallowing and feeding
When should you take your child to see a speech pathologist?
If you have any concerns about your child’s development, it is best to seek professional advice as soon as possible, as it is a lot easier to make changes in a child’s early childhood years than later on in life.
Some red flags you should be aware of that may indicate your child should see speech pathologist are listed below. It’s important to remember that every child will develop at different rates. The following indicators are given only as a guide. Please click here, if you’d like to make an appointment with one of our Speech Pathologists.
Speech Pathology Developmental Milestones Checklist – Red Flags *
Speech Pathology Australia – Communication Milestones 12 months to 5 years.
12 months
Does not:
- Understand any words
- Respond to their name
- Understand or use gestures such as waving ‘hi’ and ‘bye’
- Recognise a few familiar people or objects (e.g. mummy, bottle teddy)
- Make eye contact
- Use or imitate sounds
18 months
Does not:
- Understand any words or short phrases
- Follow simple instructions (e.g. throw the ball)
- Point to familiar objects when named
- Talk (I.e. say 6 to 20 words)
- Copy words or noises
- Name body parts
- Use objects in pretend play e.g. hold the phone to their ear
2 years
Does not:
- Follow simple 2 part instructions (e.g. give me the ball and the car)
- Respond to simple what, where questions
- Point to body parts or pictures in books when named
- Say more than 50 words
- Put two words together e.g. ‘bye nana’ or ‘big car’
- Say ‘no’
3 years
Does not:
- Follow complex two part instructions (e.g. give me the teddy and throw the ball)
- Understand or ask simple what, where, who questions
- Recognise some basic colours
- Say four to five words in a sentence
4 years
Does not:
- Ask and answer lots of questions
- Count to five and identify some numbers
- Name a few colours
- Talk in longer sentences
5 years
Does not:
- Follow three part instructions (e.g., put on your shoes, get your backpack and line up outside)
- Understand some letters, sounds and numbers
- Tell simple stories with a beginning, middle and end
- Use most speech sounds but may still have difficulty with ‘s’, ‘r’, ‘l’ and ‘th’
How much does it cost to see a speech pathologist?
Youthrive is a fee paying service, however some Medicare and private health insurance rebates may be available. You do not require a referral to see a speech pathologist at Youthrive, however if you have a referral from your GP, Paediatrician or Psychiatrist, you may be able to receive a rebate for our service. Click here to see our full fee schedule.
We can help children with
- Improving their ability to be understood by others
- Strengthening their skills in reading and writing
- Overcoming difficulties with social communication skills
- Increasing their comprehension including ability to follow directions
- Creating or recommending assistive devices to support their communication
- Safe swallowing of food and drink
- Reducing their stuttering
Speech Pathology Assessments
Assessments may be informal and include observations of your child, consulting with your child’s school and completing questionnaires about your child. Formal or standardised assessments are used to assess overall achievement and compare a child’s performance with other children their age. Standardised assessments may take more than one session to complete.
Assessment
Youthrive uses a range of informal and standardised assessments to assist with identifying articulation and phonological delays.
Make an AppointmentAssessment
Informal assessments such as play-based observations and check-lists may be used. Standardised assessments include:
The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals – A comprehensive assessment of a student’s language skills. This assessment determines the presence or absence of a language disorder, the nature of the disorder and strengths and weaknesses in a student’s language development. This assessment is valid for children 5 years of age to adults 21 years of age.
The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals Preschool – Evaluates aspects of language necessary for preschool children to make the transition to the classroom. This assessment measures a broad range of expressive and receptive language skills and identifies the presence or absence of a language disorder. This assessment is valid for children 3 to 6 years of age.
The Preschool Language Scales – A comprehensive play-based developmental language assessment for children birth to 7 years 11 months.
Make an AppointmentAssessment
These assessments give an overview of the child’s phonological and phonemic awareness skills required for literacy development.
Make an AppointmentAssessment
These assessments review the way a child uses language within social situations.
Make an AppointmentRebates and Funding Programs
While Youthrive is a fee paying service, some Medicare and private health insurance rebates may be available for our services. Families are encouraged to speak with their GP and nominated health fund to find out whether they are eligible various rebates. Please note rebates listed below are subject to change without notice.
We support families
Speech Pathologists at Youthrive utilise a number of evidence based therapeutic interventions when working with children and their families. The intervention provided is dependent upon the child’s need.
Occupational Therapy & Speech Pathology Screening Sessions
This childhood screening package aims to assist early childhood educators and parents in identifying developmental challenges for children as early as possible.
To find out more, click here.
Learnersaurus Literacy Program
A multisensory approach to teaching literacy skills to all learners, including those with Dyslexia.
The Lidcombe Therapy
A behavioural treatment for children who stutter.
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
PECS is a communication device for children. It is particularly useful for children on the autism spectrum.
Hanen ‘More Than Words’
Designed specifically for parents of children aged 5 years and under on the autism spectrum. The program provides parents with strategies to support their child to reach their full communication potential.
Hanen ‘It Takes Two to Talk’
Designed specifically for parents of children aged 5 years and under and whom have been identified as having a language delay. Parents learn strategies to assist their child’ learn language throughout the day.
