Paediatric Speech Pathology Adelaide | Speech Therapy for Children and Young People

Speech refers to an individual’s ability to pronounce speech sounds accurately (articulation) and their ability to organise these sounds into patterns (phonological processes) to form words. Difficulties in these areas can affect communication, making it hard for others to understand.

Our speech therapists work to support and enhance an individual’s speech sound system through tailored, evidence-based interventions. The goal is to improve the individual's intelligibility, ensuring their speech is clear and easily understood in everyday interactions. By addressing both articulation and phonological processes, our therapists help individuals communicate more effectively, boosting confidence and social engagement.

Receptive Language refers to an individual’s ability to understand and comprehend language.

Speech therapy targets areas such as:

- following instructions/directions understanding questions (e.g., ‘where’, ‘what’, ‘who’)

-understanding concepts (e.g., direction, position, sequence, quality, size)

-understanding word meanings and their relationships

-understanding grammatical elements (e.g., past tense, plurals)

-understanding object functions (e.g., scissors are for cutting)

Expressive language refers to an individual’s ability to communicate their thoughts, desires, ideas, and feelings effectively to others.

Our speech therapists targets areas such as:

• Using grammatical elements (e.g., verb tenses, pronouns, and conjunctions) to form phrases and sentences that make sense and follow proper syntax.

• Constructing longer, more complex sentences to retell stories or recount personal experiences, like describing a child’s day or sharing past events.

• Expanding the use of meaningful words (vocabulary), helping the child to express themselves more precisely and engage in richer conversations.

Multimodal Communication refers to an individual’s ability to communicate using a variety of methods. It encompasses various forms of communicating such as mouth words, vocalisations, pictures and choice boards, gestures, sign language, typing, facial expressions, low-mid tech devices, and robust Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) tools. Our speech therapists provide specialised insight in identifying the most suitable multimodal communication tool to meet a child’s individual needs.

Play is a crucial component in the early years of development. Through play, children learn important skills such as problem-solving, creativity, and social interaction. Whether it’s building with blocks, pretending to be superheroes, or playing board games, every playful activity contributes to a child’s physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth. Speech therapy is provided through a child- centred and play-based approach.

Our speech pathologists assist with feeding by assessing oral-motor skills and identifying issues like difficulty chewing or swallowing. They develop personalised strategies to improve feeding, such as exercises to strengthen muscles, sensory integration techniques, and modifying food textures for easier consumption. They also address feeding aversions or challenges in children, promoting positive mealtime experiences. Additionally, they provide education to families and caregivers on safe feeding practices and ongoing support for progress.

Stuttering/Fluency refers to an individual’s ability to join together speech sounds and words with fluent, smooth, and clear movements. Our speech therapists support individuals who experience an interruption in the flow of their fluent speech.

Literacy refers to child’s reading and writing skills which plays a crucial role in development, education, employment, social participation, and overall well-being. Our speech therapists target areas such as phonological awareness (e.g., rhyming, segmenting, blending, manipulating sounds) and decoding strategies (e.g., letter-sound correspondence, word recognition).

Our speech pathologists can help children with social communication by addressing communication difficulties that can hinder social interactions. They can work with children and families to help them develop the skills they need to build and maintain relationships, express themselves, and participate in social activities.