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When you can communicate well and build relationships with others, it can change their life.

Speaking and communicating are so important in building relationships with other people and in our everyday activities.

Speech therapy, or speech pathology is an area of allied health that helps children and young adults with delayed speech and language development.

It supports your child’s needs in building communication skills, literacy and social skills across a range of settings.

Some of the most common challenges or difficulties our speech therapists and speech pathologists address include:

Speaking with clear and correct pronunciation.
Being understood by others.
Overcoming stuttering and articulation disorders to speak fluently.
Addressing literacy, reading and writing difficulties.
Consuming food and drinks safely.

Our speech therapists use a range of evidence-based strategies to develop a treatment program for your child, based on their individual needs and work with on any challenges they may have with language and social skills.

To learn more about speech and language pathology or to book an appointment contact your nearest Early Start Australia clinic.

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Benefits of speech therapy

Speech therapists or speech pathologists are university trained and qualified health professionals.

Using a range of evidence-based strategies they will:

Work with your child on any challenges they may have with language, social skills, and literacy.
Help with issues that involve the biomechanics of the jaw and mouth, which can help improve speaking and even eating.

At Early Start Australia, we work with you to achieve your goals for your child and family.

In our therapy sessions, we develop a treatment program for your child based on their individual needs and the goals you have identified for them.

Some common goals include:

Making friends
Clear speech
Building confidence and assertiveness
Improving their understanding
Improving academic performance and increasing participation

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How speech therapy works

Speech pathologists use a variety of formal and informal assessment tools to identify difficulties in specific areas and use evidence-based therapies to help improve communication and other skills across a variety of everyday settings.

At Early Start Australia, all our speech pathologists have attended additional training to specialise their skills, such as SOS feeding, DIR Floortime, Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), Secret Agent Society, Hanen, PEERS and others.

Our speech pathologists will also collaborate with your child’s other caregivers, educators and health professionals to ensure your child is given the best and most consistent care possible.

Parent coaching is also an approach we often use during sessions to help parents and caregivers learn how to implement strategies at home.

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Speech Therapy Programs

As part of your therapy journey your Speech Pathologist may recommend some therapy programs to assist in achieving your goals including:

Little Oaks

Little Oaks is for children under five years of age, particularly toddlers, with known developmental delays, Autism or disabilities.

Learn more

Literacy programs

Literacy programs are designed to help

Learn more

Therapy for orofacial myofunctional disorders

Therapy for Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders teaches techniques, movements and postural patterns to address issues related to talking, eating, swallowing and breathing.

Learn more

Frequently asked questions about speech therapy

You should seek advice from a speech pathologist as soon as you have any concerns about your child’s speech, language, communication or feeding development.

They can be assessed from as early as birth. It’s never too early.

Or if you have had a recent diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), dyslexia, articulation disorders and hearing impairment

If you have any concerns, it is always best to seek advice.

Some key indicators for needing a speech therapist to help a child’s speech include:

Either you or other people find your child difficult to understand
Your child doesn’t talk or sound like other kids their age
Your child is getting frustrated by not being heard or understood
Your child struggles in social settings and/or has difficulty making friends
Your child is struggling in the classroom or is behind at school
Your child has a very limited diet or doesn’t eat like other children their age
Your child’s teacher or early childhood educator, or other caregiver has concerns about your child
Your GP or paediatrician suggests a speech assessment
Your child has very specific interests and is fixed or rigid in their thinking
Your child has problem-solving and other executive functioning difficulties
Your child has a diagnosis that impacts their speech and language development

Key milestones can be helpful in understanding where your child should be at for their age and whether you should think about booking an appointment with a speech therapist.

By two years old

Have a vocabulary of approximately 50 to 75 words
Produce vowel sounds and ‘m’, ‘n’, ‘p’, ‘t’ and ‘w’ sounds correctly
Join two words together, such as ‘bear eat’ and ‘bubble pop’
Point to objects when they say the object’s name
Follow simple instructions, such as ‘wave goodbye’

By three years old

Have a vocabulary of approximately 200+ words
Follow simple instructions, such as ‘brush bear’s hair’
Use 3-to-4-word sentences, such as ‘daddy go outside’
Produce ‘m’, ‘n’, ‘p’, ‘b’, ‘t’, ‘w’, ‘h’, ‘d’, ‘k’ and ‘g’ sounds

By four years old

Have a vocabulary of more than 1,000+ words
Use 4-to-5-word sentences, such as ‘grandma likes tea, doesn’t she?’
Ask and answer who, what and where questions
Be more than 90% understood by others

By five years old

Be 100% understood by others
Speak in long and detailed sentences
Use the correct form of verbs to talk about past and future events
Start to understand some concepts of time, such as night, day and yesterday
Produce all speech sounds correctly except some consonant blends, such as ‘r’ and ‘th’

Speech pathologists use a range of evidence-based strategies to work on challenges your child may have with language, social skills, literacy, feeding or speaking.

Therapy can be delivered in your home, your child’s school or childcare centre, or one of our therapy clinics.

At Early Start Australia, we make sure therapy is fun for your child by using a play-based approach.

Your speech pathologist can create a home program for you based on their assessment and understanding of your child’s needs and goals.

At Early Start, we also use a parent coaching approach to empower you and your family to implement strategies at home.

NDIS Speech Therapy services

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is an Australian Government initiative that provides funding and support to individuals with disabilities, enabling them to access services to enhance their quality of life and independence.

Early Start Australia is a registered NDIS provider delivering NDIS Speech Pathology services across Australia.

Depending on your goals and individual needs, the NDIS may provide funding for allied health therapy supports such as speech pathology to support the development of communication and social skills.

In your NDIS plan, speech therapy is usually covered under the Capacity Building Supports budget (Improved Daily Living). As a registered NDIS provider, our speech therapists are registered with the Speech Pathology Association.

At Early Start Australia our NDIS speech therapists can support children and adults who have difficulties with speech, language, fluency such as stuttering, literacy (reading and writing) and eating or swallowing.

We can also provide assessments and recommendations for augmentative and alternative communication systems where required.

To learn more about our NDIS speech pathology and speech therapy services please contact us on 1300 372 439 or complete the online form.

The Early Start Australia promise

Holistic care and treatment plans

Our multi-disciplinary team works together with you to understand your child’s needs. From there, we’ll develop a plan with evidence-based strategies. Work with us to achieve your goals and enjoy a better quality of life.

Australia-wide reach

With clinics in every state and territory, and an experienced team of therapists. Find help when you need it, where you need it.

Registered NDIS provider

We are a registered NDIS provider and are here to help you on your NDIS journey. We provide quality and safe services, follow NDIS requirements, and support your needs and goals.

Early intervention at all stages

Early intervention is not just for young children. We offer therapies that cater to all ages, needs and abilities, and we know the sooner you start your therapy journey, the better your outcomes. With us, you can learn new skills and enjoy more freedom and control in your life.

Speech and language therapy

When you can communicate well and build relationships with others, it can change their life.

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NDIS Speech Therapy services

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