Speech pathology services include assessment and therapy in:
Articulation - Speech sound difficulties Language Therapy - Receptive (understanding) and Expressive (use) Literacy Assessment: Reading/ Spelling/ Writing/ Phonological Awareness & Processing Multi-Sensory Literacy Intervention Fluency - Evidence-based programs for children, adolescents and adults Autism Spectrum Disorder - Social Skills / Alternative and Augmentative Communication Scroll down to read more about each of these therapy areas
Articulation/Speech
This is what most people understand as the work of a speech pathologist; to help children and others who have difficulty making specific speech sounds.These can include what are known as lisps where the 's' sound is mispronounced as 'th' or when the 's' sounds 'slushy' which is described a lateral lisp.
Speech pathologists also treat children with speech delays who are not able to make the sounds we would expect for their age. This is known as a speech sound delay or disorder depending on the severity and whether the errors follow the expected developmental patterns.
Another group of speech-sound focused clients include those with motor programing difficulties. These are children or adults who cannot easily coordinate the movements required to move from one sound to another. In children, this is called Childhood Apraxia of Speech or CAS. This difficulty with the motor programming of speech can also occur in adults who have suffered from a stroke because it has a neurological origin. It is then known as Dyspraxia or Apraxia of Speech
Cued Articulation is a series of hand signs developed by an Australian speech pathologist; Jane Passy. These are used to assist children 'see' the mouth and movement shapes linked to each sound.
Minimal Pairs are matching cards which differ by one speech sound. (In this case - the 't' and the 'k' sounds.) The aim is to help the child to hear the difference between what they are saying and what they mean to say. These are used in a variety of ways to keep therapy fun and at the same time functional using real words.
Language
Speech pathologists talk about two main aspects of language which we call receptive and expressive language. Receptive Language is what a person understands. This includes their knowledge of words or vocabulary but also their ability to comprehend instructional language. This relates to following directions and understanding words signifying time. It can also impact the understanding of more complex stories or narratives. Expressive language is what a person can say and how they are able to use words to put together grammatical and meaningful sentences. There are specific norms or average abilities that guide speech pathologists in assessing if a child needs assistance to improve the way they can express themselves orally. This can often be assisting the child to think through and organise their ideas before speaking. (Who was it?, Where was it?, What did they do?) Expressive language also includes the vocabulary a person uses but also the way in which they can organise this - so what we often call grammar when referring to written language. Oral language is not always grammatically correct but when pieces of information are missing, it is easy for the communication partner to become confused. When someone has difficulties with understanding or receptive language it can appear that they are not listening attentively. Alternatively when someone has difficulties with expressive language this is often reflected in difficulties with literacy or the person may seem to 'never have a lot to say'. In many instances, what is thought to be a literacy or learning difficulty, actually has an underlying receptive or expressive language component.
Language and literacy focused therapy
As a dual qualified speech pathologist and teacher I have a broad range of skills which allow me to assist children with literacy learning. I have undertaken further training in the Orton Gillingham program by Ron Yoshimoto and Multisensory Literacy Intervention based on Dr Lillian Fawcett's Cracking the ABC Code Programs. If you have access to funding through NDIS (self or plan managed) it may be possible to develop a program with a language and literacy focus which meets the criteria for funding.
Fluency
Improving fluency is often helpful for persons who stutter. There are a variety of ways to treat stuttering depending on the age of onset, the temperament of the child or client and the capacity of the family to provide support and home based-therapy. With adolescents it is particularly important to determine the impact the stuttering is having on their education and social interactions. This is often more important than the actual severity of the stutter. Research suggests that young children who begin to stutter may be monitored for up to 6 months to see if the condition resolves but should be treated in the preschool years whenever possible. Two Australian programs are used frequently to treat or reduce the impact of stuttering. These were developed and trialed at the Australian Stuttering Research Centre (ASRC) through the University of Sydney by leading researchers in the field and are continuing at the University of Technology; Sydney. The Lidcombe Program for younger children and The Camperdown Program for adolescents and adults have been demonstrated to have significant positive impact for many clients. I have completed training through the Lidcombe Trainers Consortium and have experience delivering the Camperdown Program with adolescents. For further information: https://www.uts.edu.au/research-and-teaching/our-research/australian-stuttering-research-centre
Autism Spectrum Disorder
There are a wide range of presentations and characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), such that it is often said; "if you have met one person on the autism spectrum - you have met one person on the autism spectrum." Clients with autism can present as verbal or non-verbal and can often experience co-occurring difficulties or disorders. These may include: an intellectual disability, a language disorder, attention and hyperactivity disorders and a range of other specific diagnoses. Previously organised into separate diagnoses such as; Aspergers, Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) and Low Functioning, autism is now described with numerical severity ratings 1-3 and behavioral descriptions. Autism Spectrum Disorder is generally diagnosed in early childhood by a paediatrician or psychologist. Speech pathologists are also often involved in the diagnosis because of their expertise in the area of social communication (known as pragmatics). Being unable or unwilling to communicate appropriately within various social settings is a key indicator of autism even in very young children.
Speech pathologists assist children with autism to communicate more effectively and to begin to understand the perspectives of others. This is often referred to as developing 'Theory of Mind', or the understanding that someone else does not think the same as you, and cannot read your mind. Sometimes children with autism are helped by learning to use scripts or social stories to interact in certain situations. Other children with autism may need low or high tech assistance in the form of picture exchange systems, electronic communication devices or applications on an iPad, to learn the benefits of communicating. There is research evidence to suggest that using these alternate communication systems can improve a child's understanding of the purposes of communication and may lead to the increased use of speech. Higher functioning children on the spectrum often interpret language very literally and benefit from the exploration of idioms and other examples of figurative language such as proverbs and common phrases. As there are so many idioms, learning how to interpret idioms based on the clues within them can develop the ability to interpret an idiom not met previously and can also encourage appropriate questioning about non-literal language use.
Fee Schedule - July 2019
Speech- Language Therapy (Health Fund/Medicare rebates available) $90 30 mins Speech/language-literacy therapy including CDM/EPC plans (Enhanced Primary Care plan) $95 30 min NDIS speech/language-literacy/communication therapy (Additional reporting & admin requirements) $135 45 mins Speech/language-literacy/communication therapy $145 45 min NDIS speech/language-literacy/communication therapy (Additional reporting & admin requirements) $190 60 mins NDIS letter of support/review summary $145 45 mins NDIS review meeting (in-person or telehealth)/Consultative meeting-school or other health care professions $380 30 min Pragmatics Profile Interview: Social communication interview with caregiver or teacher plus report which may contrast social language use across two settings. Used to support ASD diagnosis. $380 45 mins Preschool Language sample-based assessment (Renfrew Action Picture Test (RAPT) and Articulation Survey plus report and feedback session. Assessment 45 minutes plus analysis and report $500 60 mins Preschool Language Assessment (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test PPVT-5: 60 minutes @ $190| Articulation summary of observations: 45 minutes @ $140 |Analysis and Report Writing 60 minutes @ $190| Test subscription and individual test scoring $20 $600 60-90 mins Assessment & comprehensive report (E.g. Comprehensive Evaluation of Language Fundamentals Ed 5 CELF-5) Assessment session: 60-90 mins| online test & scoring costs| data analysis and report writing: 90-120 mins