CALL US TODAY0413 556 822

School Aged

  1. Home
  2. School Aged
Let's Play Connect & Communicate

School Aged Speech & Language Therapy

Slide 2
Slide 3
Slide 1
Does Your School Age Child Need Speech Therapy?
By school age, your child should be able to speak clearly and be understood by everyone. All school aged children should be able to pronounce the /s/ correctly (i.e without a lisp). This sound that is usually common for kindergarteners to struggle with is “th”.
It is important for all children to be able to pronounce all their sounds correctly by the time they start kindergarten, so they don’t get confused when learning phonics. If the child mispronounces sounds, it can impact their ability to be understood by others which may undermine their ability to participate in the playground/ classroom. This may also impact their reading development which will delay their progress in comparison to their peers.
School Aged Speech & Language Therapy
Slide 1
School Aged Speech & Language Therapy
Social Skills
Having good social skills is critical for long-term success in life, often more so than academic achievement. Many children struggle with social skills in the playground and classroom because of difficulties they have in understanding aspects of language. They may be performing well academically, but still struggle socially, because of these problems. Struggling socially often results in great unhappiness in the playground as well as at home.
Slide 1
When To Call For Help?
Get in contact if you are concerned about any aspect of your child’s speech/language or if they are struggling with their reading or socials skills. The important thing to remember is that intervening early is always preferable. A small delay in infants and early primary years can become more significant as time goes on.
If you are worried about any aspect of your child’s speech or understanding of what they hear, we recommend you discuss your child’s development with a teacher or carer, and if in doubt get in contact to determine if your child is reaching the right developmental milestones.
School Aged Speech & Language Therapy
Slide 1
ASSESSMENTS
At Explore My Voice, we are passionate about providing a high quality, comprehensive assessment service when we meet with families. We appreciate that children are individuals with their own unique set of strengths and challenges.
Kindergarten to year 12
We want children to be their best self. We provide services tailored for primary and high school aged children and their family, with balance for the younger primary and older primary child and teenager.
We understand the children in younger primary school learn when they are stimulated and having fun; and our assessment and therapy sessions are just that!

We also understand that children in later primary and high school can find it very difficult to access services that may make them appear different to their peers.

For primary aged children we want them to be ready to start later primary and high school.

For teenagers, the big picture is to ensure they have skills for life. We provide specific subject related help and take into account their career aspirations.
Speech Sound Assessment
Speech sound assessment is crucial to early identification not a variety of communication difficulties. It helps address any concerns you have and give a clearer picture as to whether intervention may be required. We listen to how your child says different sounds when saying both single words and in conversation. Based on the sounds they have difficulty with, we determine whether it is “age appropriate”. Research continues to support the benefits of early intervention for children and adults with speech, language and learning difficulties.

The speech sounds assessment considers the production of speech sounds, vocal and nasal quality. This will consider the errors made as either “age appropriate” or “not age appropriate”. If there are errors that are “not age appropriate”, an intervention plan is created and proposed if needed.
LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT (RECEPTIVE + EXPRESSIVE)
We use expressive and receptive language skills to communicate with others effectively. If a person has trouble understanding others or sharing thoughts, ideas and feelings, the person may have a language disorder. A language disorder can be a receptive or expressive language disorder. To determine if your child has receptive or expressive language difficulties, it is important to understand the difference between receptive language and expressive language.

Language Assessment will assess both receptive and expressive skills. A speech Pathologist will consider a variety of informal and formal assessments to determine a specific receptive and expressive language weaknesses. Receptive targets may focus on attention, vocabulary, understanding of grammar, figurative language, comprehension strategies and following directions. Expressive skills focus on one’s ability to express their needs and wants.
How Long is a Speech Pathology Assessment?
To gather the required information, we often recommend at least two separate sessions to complete assessments. We usually limit each session to 60-90 minutes. This ensures your child can remain engaged and we can gather the most accurate information relating to their development. All children will respond differently in an assessment, and that is ok. We are always willing to adapt our methods, timing and even resources to ensure your child has the best experience.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This