This is a common question for many people looking to book a speech pathology appointment. The real answer to this question is actually anyone. If you have a concern regarding your child or yourself, you can call a speech pathology clinic to book an appointment without a referral from another profession. While there are referrals you can get for speech pathology which entitle you to Medicare rebates, you do not need a referral to see a speech … [Read more...]
The impact of language delay at school
One of the most popular misconceptions about children with speech and language delay is that taking a ‘wait and see’ approach cannot hurt. While this approach may not lead to anything life threatening, it can have serious repercussions for a child’s entire future following poor performance at school leading to decreased opportunities in further education, career and employment. Here are a few examples of a child’s delayed language skills … [Read more...]
How speech delay can impact reading and spelling
There are a number or speech errors, also know as phonological processes, that normally developing children produce. These include substitutions of back sounds, which are harder to produce, e.g. K and G sounds, for front sounds, e.g. T and D sound, causing them to say a word like ‘cat’ as ‘tat’. Children may also voice a sound, which does not require voicing, e.g. the ‘k’ in ‘dock’ when voiced may sound like ‘dog’. Another common error is … [Read more...]
Resource Review – Nessy Learning Programme and Resources
In a previous blog, I reviewed the Spalding program for literacy. This teaching method has been used successfully for half a decade and is very effective for students that struggle to read and write. The traditional method is excellent for older students that have greater levels of concentration. However it can be somewhat dry and unengaging when used with younger children, especially those with dyslexia or struggle with working memory and … [Read more...]
How to Make Speech Therapy Effective
From time to time, I come across parents of children that have shopped around to different speech pathologists after finding that their child does not seem to be making progress with their communication or feeding concerns. There are many reasons why this may be the case and even times where progress has been made however not perceived. There are a few things to keep in mind when gauging progress in speech therapy and finding the right treatment … [Read more...]
Conversational Flow and Discourse
A person’s discourse and the way their conversation flows can sometimes be overlooked when assessing for communication difficulties. This may be because the child’s verbal language understanding, grammar and vocabulary may be quite strong, which can mask difficulties with discourse. Signs of difficulties with discourse include: Jumbled up or illogical flow of conversation. Missing references to key characters within a story. Mixing up … [Read more...]
The Westmead Program for Stuttering Therapy
Syllable-timed speech Syllable-timed speech techniques (STS) like the Westmead Program have been used for hundreds of years. The technique works by saying each syllable with equal stress to a rhythmic beat like a robot. The Westmead Program differs from older STS treatments as it doesn’t require any props such as a metronomes maintain the beat; the child doesn’t have to speak very slowly in a monotone voice or pre-programmed steps that start … [Read more...]
What treatment is available for school-aged kids who stutter?
Unlike pre-schooler stuttering, the evidence-base for successful treatment of school-aged children who stutter is limited. Currently, the most viable contenders for school-age stuttering treatments include: Speech restructuring These programs work on manipulation speech to help control stuttering like the Camperdown Program, which slows down speech rate to assist with fluency control. Speech restructuring can be successful for older children in … [Read more...]
What is a voice disorder?
Voice disorders are conditions involving abnormal pitch, loudness or quality of the voice, thereby affecting speech production. A voice disorder describes differences in voice that are inappropriate for an individual's age, gender, cultural background, or geographic location. A person has a voice disorder if they express concern about having an abnormal voice that does not meet their daily needs. Even in the case where others cannot perceive the … [Read more...]
Holiday Language Game Show Activities
Take the time this holiday season while the kids are on break to get the whole family involved in some fun interactive activities and get those language goals down pat at the same time by playing some fun Christmas and holiday themed game show activities. Here are a couple to get you started: Holiday Family Feud Work on improving semantic associations between words and increasing your child’s vocabulary with Christmas themed words by setting up … [Read more...]
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