FAQ & Resources
F.A.Q.
No, however, we would like to see any previous reports and important documents to make the assessment process run smoothly
Please feel free to contact one of our staff to arrange an assessment for your child. We are willing to help you find a time and availability that best suits your family’s needs.
Children would benefit from an assessment of their speech sounds if:
- they are difficult for familiar people to understand by the age of two years
- they are difficult for strangers to understand by the age of three years
- they leave many sounds off the beginnings, middles or ends of words after two years of age
- their speech sounds “slushy” or “nasally”
- they have not developed use of the following sounds by these ages:
- 3 years – m, n, h, p, w, d, g, y, k, f, b, t
- 4 years – sh, ch, j, l
- 5 years – r, v
- 6 years – s, z
- 7 years – th
Parents often say this but it doesn’t really make sense. Many children who can’t talk go to all kinds of effort to get their point across, pointing and gesturing and making noises or working hard to try to do things all by themselves. Some also get very frustrated and maybe even have tantrums because no one understands what they want. Talking is a very useful way to get what you want and what child wouldn’t like that. It’s is also quicker and easier in most cases than communicating in other ways, so I think most kids would choose to talk if they could do so. A speech pathologist can help work out why your child is finding it hard to talk and can help them learn these skills. Some kids need alternative ways of communicating that work better than tantrums to help them express themselves and reduce their frustration while other skills are developing. A speech pathologist can help with that too.
My child doesn’t talk at all so how can a speech pathologist work with them? Speech pathologists work on communication which begins well before speech happens. Speech pathologists can help your child develop the skills needed to communicate and then move on to helping speech develop. Some kids also benefit from learning an alternative way of communicating such as signing or picture symbols. For most children this will be a temporary thing to reduce frustration and kick start the communication process.
Won’t sign language or picture communication stop my child from learning to talk? Parents often worry about this but research has shown that signing and alternative communication systems actually make children speak more quickly. It also helps a child to develop vital communication skills and confidence in their ability to express themselves and relate to others.
Resources
Websites
Key Word Sign Australia (kwsa.com.au)
Home (speechpathologyaustralia.org.au)
https://dyslexiaassociation.org.au/what-is-dyslexia/
National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
Blogs we like with freebies
Caroline Bowen Speech-Language Therapy dot com (speech-language-therapy.com)
Autism Courses and Resources – Sue Larkey
Amaze — Shaping the future for autism
430+ Free Multisyllabic Words List Activity Bundle – Speech Therapy Store
Speech Therapy Worksheets and Forms | Mommy Speech Therapy