Speech Pathology

Our mission is to build confidence through collaboration and communication. This means we help our clients, and the people who communicate with them, to develop skills and strategies that foster effective communication.

There are many ways to communicate, and we support clients to communicate in ways that are most comfortable and natural for them. We support multi-modal communication. Multi-modal communication is the use of a range of communication methods that allow a person to be confident and independent.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is commonly used by people who have difficulty accessing verbal communication. We are able to support clients to explore AAC options that may suit them best. AAC may involve the use of “high-technology” solutions such as a tablet with software, or eye-gaze devices. It can also involve use of “mid-tech” or “light-tech“ supports such as printed communication books, key word sign, or printed pictures. Often a combination of methods is used.

Language is the way we use words, sentences or stories to communicate with one another. Someone who has difficulty with language may struggle to understand information or express themselves clearly. We can support clients to understand their language learning profile and strengths, and support them to improve their ability to access language. This may involve supporting their:

• Vocabulary

• Sentence Structure and grammar

• Story telling

• Working Memory

• Speech Sounds

Learning to read and write is a complex task! Literacy allows people to access written information, and to express ideas in writing. People who struggle with communication can have difficulty learning these skills at school. Speech Pathologists are uniquely experienced to work with those who have literacy difficulties. We also support clients to develop compensatory strategies or access technology that allows them to understand and use written communication.

Speech sounds are the way we use individual sounds to pronounce words. As children get older, their speech becomes clearer and easier for others to understand. For example, a young child may pronounce the word “red” as “wed“ but begin using the “r” sound as they turn five.

We can support you to understand speech development, and can provide strategies and support if this is an area of concern. Difficulties with speech sounds are linked to difficulties with literacy and language, so we may recommend evaluation of other areas of communication.

Fluency is uninterrupted, smooth speech production. All verbal communicators experience disfluencies at times. One type of disfluency that can impact communication is stuttering. Stuttering may sound like:

• Repetitions: repeating sounds, words, phrases or full sentences. For example “C-c-can I have a tea.”

• Blocks: when words or sounds feel as though they are ‘stuck’ when talking.

• Prolongations: when sounds are drawn out unintentionally.

Speech Pathologists can support those living with stuttering to develop strategies and confidence when communicating.

Communication is an important avenue for learning and developing relationships with others. We can support those with communication difficulties within the school setting to ensure they can learn optimally.

When providing school based supports, we can provide classroom strategies and recommendations. As we are a mobile service, we can attend schools, day-cares, kindergartens and other places of learning to deliver supports within the relevant environments.

Building meaningful relationships and friendships is a goal that some clients may wish to work towards. We support our clients, and those who they communicate with, to engage in effective communication to interact with others.