Children and teenagers, birth to eighteen
We are a paediatric practice. Adult speech pathology — stroke recovery, voice, adult swallowing — is a different skill set and we will refer you to someone who does it properly.
What we work on, and who each area suits
Every entry says the age band and how sessions typically run before you book anything.
Late talking
Few or no words by two, or a child who had words and has stopped using them. This is the age band where an assessment answers the most, because there is still time to change how the week is structured before school starts. Parent coaching is most of the intervention — we teach you how to build language into the day rather than doing twenty minutes a week ourselves. Sessions run weekly and are mostly parent coaching.
Speech sound difficulties
Sounds left out, swapped or distorted. Some errors are age-appropriate and some are not, and the assessment sorts which is which. The benchmark worth remembering: by four, someone who has never met your child should be able to understand them. Sessions run weekly, in clinic.
Stuttering
Repeating sounds or words, stretching them, or getting visibly stuck. Roughly three quarters of preschool stuttering resolves on its own, but we cannot tell which children in advance, which is why we assess rather than apply a rule of thumb. We use the Lidcombe Program, which is parent-delivered at home with a session here to check progress. Weekly check-ins here, daily practice at home.
Language & comprehension
Difficulty following instructions, retelling events, finding words or understanding what was asked. Frequently read as inattention or poor behaviour at school, which is why so many of these children arrive here via a teacher rather than a parent. Sessions run weekly or fortnightly.
Reading, spelling & literacy
Reading is built on the ability to hear and manipulate speech sounds, which is why speech pathologists work on it. We assess phonological awareness, decoding and spelling, and use structured synthetic phonics. Where dyslexia is suspected we say so plainly and work with the school. Sessions run weekly, using structured phonics.
Autism & social communication
Practical communication support built around the child rather than around making them appear typical. That includes AAC and speech-generating devices where spoken language is not developing — and no, using a device does not reduce the chance of speech developing; the evidence says the opposite. Sessions are ongoing and reviewed each term.
Feeding & fussy eating
Extreme food refusal, gagging, texture aversion and difficulty chewing. We work with a paediatric dietitian on these. Genuine swallowing safety concerns — coughing or wetness during feeds — are referred for a swallow study first. Sessions run fortnightly, alongside the dietitian.
Voice
Persistent hoarseness or a voice that tires and fails. Any voice change lasting more than a fortnight needs an ENT examination before therapy, without exception — we will not treat a voice nobody has looked at.
Who we work alongside
Speech does not sit on its own. With your permission we talk directly to the other people involved, because six professionals working from six separate plans is how families end up exhausted.
Occupational therapists & psychologists
Four things we will not compromise on.
Four things we will not compromise on.
GPs, paediatricians & ENT
With your consent we share goals with the classroom teacher and can attend support meetings. A goal the teacher knows about gets practised every day instead of weekly.
No deposits
Several of our families see all three. We coordinate so you are not running three unrelated programs, and we will tell you if one of them should pause.
No call-out charge
Reports go out within a week. Hearing is checked before we treat any speech sound difficulty — glue ear explains a great deal of unclear speech.
No sales visit
We will quote from photographs where we honestly can.
First assessments are usually available within three weeks
No referral needed for a first appointment. Ring between 8:30am and 5:30pm weekdays and we will find a time.