Speech Therapy for Children in Sydney
Expressive and Receptive language refers to the way we use and understand language to communicate effectively. We offer professional Speech Therapy Sydney for Children.
Speech therapy is about more than just talking. It is about communication. It’s about voice. It’s about language. It’s about swallowing. It’s about eating and drinking. It’s about social skills.
The Speech and OT Centre speech therapists will want to know all about you. They will get to know you and learn about your goals. They will work with you and your family or carer to open the door to big possibilities.
Speech therapy uses lots of different tools to help people communicate. You can expect games and activities. Group sessions. Ways to communicate that don’t use speech such as sign language. Communication aids. Practicing skills such as listening, reading and writing. We’ll help you feel more confident interacting with others and we’ll welcome your family and carer to get involved.
Speech therapy can also help with swallowing. Swallowing difficulties can be scary both for you and your family or carer. Your speech pathologist can work with you to increase tongue movement, make your mouth stronger and reduce pain you have when swallowing, eating or drinking. We can improve how you chew your food. We can help you control choking and gagging. We can also assist with coughing.
When to Refer?
Concerns with your child’s language will vary depending on their age, but may be indicated by:
- Only using single words, or having a limited vocabulary by 2 years of age
- Not using sentences appropriate in length for their age
- Difficulties finding the ‘right’ word
- Difficulties putting words together to express a thought or idea
- Difficulties in being understood by others
- Difficulties understanding and following an instruction
- Requiring repetition and additional support (i.e pointing, showing) to complete a task
- Difficulties listening and responding
Stuttering is a disorder whereby the flow of speech is interrupted.
Stuttering is a disorder whereby the flow of speech is interrupted. There are different types of stutters, including the repetition of a sound (i.e. “b-b-b-b-but l want the ball”), repetition of a syllable (i.e. ”I want to read the “ca-ca-ca-caterpillar book”), repetition of a word (i.e “can-can-can-can l have a turn?”), or repetition of a phrase (i.e. “ I want-l want-I want-I want to go to the park”). Other types of stutters include prolongations, where a sound is stretched in a word (i.e. “I don’t wa-a-a-a-a-a-ant to go”) and blockage, where there is a stoppage of airflow and your child is unable to make any sounds at all.
When to Refer?
Concerns with your child’s fluency will vary, but may be indicated if:
- Your child has been stuttering for more than 6 months – When you notice disfluencies in your child’s speech, although the Speech Pathologist may choose to wait 6 months prior to providing intervention, as some children naturally recover.
- The stuttering is causing distress and frustration to your child
- It is impacting on your child’s social functioning (i.e. your child is being teased by other children, or your child may avoid talking situations)
The Speech & OT Centre Services is a Paediatric service supporting children with their communication difficulties. Our vision is to deliver a culturally diverse, family centred service, incorporating evidence based practice, to work with your child’s strengths in order to empower you and give you a sense of ownership in your child’s learning and development.
Our Speech Pathologists can provide services in Arabic, English, Cantonese and Mandarin.
Articulation refers to how we use our tongue, teeth, lips and jaw to produce speech sounds.
Articulation refers to how we use our tongue, teeth, lips and jaw to produce speech sounds. Children will produce errors in their speech sounds at different points throughout their speech development, as different sounds are produced at different ages. A speech delay occurs when a child continues to produce these errors past the age expected.
When to Refer?
Concerns with your child’s speech will vary depending on their age, but may be indicated by:
- Unclear speech
- Difficulties being understood by others
- Sound substitutions i.e ‘cat’ is produced as ‘tat’, or ‘fish’ is produced as ‘pish’
- Dropping sounds off words
- Lisp i.e ‘sun’ is pronounced as ‘thun’
Speech Therapy at home
The Speech & OT Centre in Sydney offer the convenience of both mobile and centre based services, working individually with children and their families in their own homes, educational settings, and in a clinic setting. We also work closely with other professionals who may be involved in your child’s care, such as Paediatricians, Psychologists/Behavioural Clinicians, Physiotherapists and Educators, to provide a holistic approach to your child’s management. For a full list of services that we offer, please click here.
The Speech & OT Centre in Sydney accept all types of funding, and offer the convenience of EFTPOS and HICPAS (participating health funds), for easy, on the spot payments and claims. We have bilingual speaking therapists, to deliver services in a variety of languages, including Arabic, Cantonese and Mandarin.
Contact us today if you have you need Speech Therapy Sydney for Children.
The Speech & OT Centre is a Paediatric service supporting Speech Therapy for children with their communication difficulties. Our vision is to deliver a culturally diverse, family centred service, incorporating evidence based practice, to work with your child’s strengths in order to empower you and give you a sense of ownership in your child’s learning and development.
Our Speech therapists can provide services in Arabic, Cantonese and Mandarin.