FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the role of a Speech Pathologist?
Speech pathologists study, diagnose and treat communication disorders, including difficulties with speaking, listening, understanding language, reading, writing, social skills, stuttering and using voice.
They work with people who have difficulty communicating because of developmental delays, stroke, brain injuries, learning disability, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, dementia and hearing loss, as well as other problems that can affect speech and language. To learn more, click here.
Can I attend the session with my child?
Of course! Parents are always encouraged to participate in sessions. It provides a great opportunity for parents to learn how to continue and implement therapy tasks at home.
We regularly liaise with families, educators and other team members to achieve the best possible outcome for the child/student.
What do sessions look like?
Sessions are usually held on a one-on-one basis, tailored to each individual person’s requirements, interests and goals. They are aimed to be holistic, functional and fun based to keep your child/student or yourself motivated and to transfer new learned skills into daily activities.
The initial session (free) is designed to establish a relationship and may entail taking a case history, establishing some achievable goals, observation and screening. Intervention sessions usually entail a variety of therapy games, physical activities, conversations, books, worksheets, Apps and occasionally Craft, cooking and gardening activities. We also run regular group sessions for children to practice their social communication skills and conduct classroom observations (where relevant) to get a better picture of how your child operates and copes in the classroom environment.
Why should I seek therapy for my child?
Speech and/or language problems may result in significant barriers within everyday life and progressing in education. Children who start school with speech and/or language difficulties are at risk of experiencing challenges when learning to read and spell.
In school aged children, these difficulties may present as children not making progress within the classroom, difficulties follow instructions from the teacher, not able to focus and interrupting the classroom. These children often experience social difficulties not being able forming and maintaining relationships. Additionally these children often find it difficult to express their feelings and needs, which may lead to great frustrations, loss of confidence, difficulties making friends, anxiety attacks, depression and withdrawal from activities.
What are some common signs of Speech and Language difficulties?
Common signs can include:
Limited eye contact;
Poor turn taking and difficulty with starting and ending conversations;
Problems getting the conversation back on track after two people have talked at once, or if there has been a misunderstanding between them;
Difficulty understanding or responding to feedback from the listener, (e.g., not noticing when someone is bored or doesn’t understand something);
Difficulty staying on topic in conversation;
Difficulty using language to negotiate in discussions or arguments;
Word finding difficulties and basic use of vocabulary;
Difficulty understanding and/or using meta linguistic skills such as interpreting abstract information, inferring meaning from non-literal language, understanding ellipsis and humour.
How can I tell whether my child needs a Speech Pathologist?
In very young children, Speech and language difficulties might be displayed as:
The child using less than 50 words.
The child is not using two word combinations e.g. (‘Daddy home.)
The child is not using many consonants to form a word.
The child is not following simple instructions.
The child is not asking questions.
The child is not enjoying listening to stories.
The child is not being able to sing simple songs
Limited eye-contact
The child is not interacting with others.
Poor turn taking
The child is not imitating.
In Children aged 4-5, Speech and Language difficulties might be displayed as:
The child is not forming simple sentences.
The child is not intelligible to others.
The child is not intelligible for parents.
The child does not understand spoken language/cannot process spoken language quickly enough.
Limited eye-contact
The child is not interacting with others.
Poor turn taking
The child is not imitating.
In Children aged 5-6, Speech and Language difficulties might be displayed as:
The child is poorly intelligible
No adequate reaction to questions or commands
Disturbed communication
The child does not understand composite commands
The child produces only simple sentences
The child does not ask questions
