Speech Pathology and Therapy Adelaide

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What makes us special

Speech pathologists work on all aspects of communication. Communication involves an individual’s ability to convey and understand information in any means to another individual. This can be in the form of verbal (spoken), non-verbal (body language), listening and writing.

As communication occurs lifelong, speech pathologists work with individuals across the lifespan. We are able to work with toddlers all the way to geriatric patients.

Speech therapy has many forms and with children, therapy tends to be play based utilising toys and games. Therapy is always fun and engaging. With teenagers, therapy tends to be more tabletop tasks and will require the individual to engage in conversation and carry out targeted tasks. Adult intervention tends to be very much more focused on communication goals established by the patient. Therapy can be with just a clinician or with significant others included.

Speech therapy can occur anywhere such as the clinical space, patient homes, educational institutions and via telehealth should they be required. Preference for therapy tends to be in the clinical setting, however, clinicians are aware that at times this may not be possible. Therapy settings can also vary depending on individual goals, as some patients may need to have therapy in various settings to provide them with real life situational feedback.

The difference between speech and language

Speech may also be known as articulation. An articulation delay/disorder occurs when your child is unable to produce/pronounce a particular sound accurately, for example, /s/ or /f/. Children with speech delays have difficulty being understood.

Language is the ability to acquire and use communication. Language can be broken into two parts, how we understand language (receptive language) and how we use language to express ourselves (expressive language).

Our speech therapy process

At SASHC we have a structured intake process to minimise waitlisting and ensuring patients are seen as soon as possible.

To begin, simply contact our clinic to request speech therapy. Our administration team will discuss your needs and send an online set of forms for completion, which may include:

For Children: Speech Pathology Case History Form

For Adults: Adult Case History Form and Service Agreement

For NDIS Patients: NDIS Service Agreement

For Privately Funded Patients: Non-NDIS Service Agreement

We also request any relevant past assessments or reports at this stage to help our team fully understand your needs.

Once your forms are submitted, our administration team notifies our lead clinician. They will review and triage all therapy requests, reaching out if additional information is needed to ensure the best plan is created. Any recent assessments (from the last 18 months) will also be factored into the planning process.

Based on the triage, our lead clinician will recommend the necessary assessments or commencement of therapy sessions. Our administration team will then reach out to you to schedule these appointments.

Typically, the SASHC process takes about two weeks, depending on the prompt return of forms and reports.

Therapy at SASHC

At SASHC our clinicians work on a range of communication needs. We focus on:

  • Articulation
  • Languaged
  • Social skills
  • Literacy
  • Problem solving skills
  • Language and learning based difficulty
  • Communication breakdowns
  • Intervention for developmental disorders such as ASD and Global delays

While we offer a range of intervention options, we do not at present offer feeding therapy or dysphagia intervention for adults and children.

FAQs

Speech and language assessments are helpful to inform speech pathologists on the needs of the individual. It will allow the clinician to know where language and speech gaps are and to tailor therapy to the patient’s needs. These assessments will also allow therapists to build rapport and a relationship prior to commencing therapy.

For the paediatric population, we can commence intervention should there be a speech and language report from a previous therapist no more than 18 months old. Those who have had a language assessment carried out 2 or more years ago will be recommended to have a speech and language assessment completed prior to intervention sessions being booked in.

Adult sessions vary from the paediatric sessions. We will book patients in for therapy and assess the need for formal assessments should they be needed. This is primarily because adult patients tend to have specific goals in mind that need to be targeted and we can tailor our sessions to work on these identified goals.

Dyslexia is most often diagnosed by a psychologist. While speech pathologists do not diagnose the condition, intervention is often carried out by speech pathologists and we can support individuals with a diagnosis of dyslexia.

If a Chronic Disease Management Plan (CDM)/ or an Enhanced Primary Care Plan is obtained from a General Practitioner, rebates may apply.

How can SASHC help?
A speech therapy session with a child and speech therapist focusing on speech pathology and communication disorders

Booked an initial appointment? Please read our initial appointment information sheet below.

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