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Speech Therapy

For Children, Teens & Adults

Feeding &
Mealtime Management

For children or Adults. Difficulties can relate to:

  • fussy eaters in children

  • trouble sucking, chewing, moving food and fluid around the mouth

  • managing their saliva or swallowing.

  • difficulty transitioning between textures or using equipment such as bottles, cups or cutlery.

  • difficulty picking food up, or keeping their lips closed to keep food in their mouth.

  • Some clients may have restricted food and fluid intake.

Speech

When there is difficulty with speech, errors can be made in sounds (articulation) and phonics (sound patterns). For example, you may notice that elements of speech:

  • Sound slushy

  • is unclear and difficult to understand

  • carries a lisp (eg, using a 'th' sound instead of an 's')

  • or replacing sounds in words for incorrect sounds (eg, replacing 'r' with 'w' sound)

Expressive & Receptive Language

This is one's ability to express themselves in a way that is understood by others, and to understand what someone says or what is written. Difficulties in expressive and receptive language may include:

  • difficulty following instructions (verbal or written)

  • struggling to tell/write or follow a story

  • difficulties in literacy and comprehension where questions are written

  • Difficulty engaging and participating in a conversation

  • using incorrect grammar or punctuation

  • difficulty creating sentences when speaking or writing. 

Stuttering

This is when the flow of somebody's speech is interrupted. There are many different types of stuttering, some of which includes:

  • Repeating a sound or word

  • Getting stuck on a particular sound or word

Social Skills

Individuals require proficient verbal and non-verbal skills to engage with others. Some find it easy to engage with others, while others struggle. We provide support and training in social skills by working on the following areas:

  • Understanding the perspectives and emotions of others

  • Initiating conversation with others

  • Engaging in topics of conversation with others that are outside our own interests

  • Taking turns

  • Identifying and responding appropriately to social cues.

Phonological Awareness

This is the building blocks of early reading and writing development. It involves understanding how words are broken down into sounds and syllables; how sounds blend together; identifying the start and final sounds of words; and identifying rhyming words. Struggles with Phonological awareness may be identified by:

  • Difficulty decoding sounds within a word

  • Mispronouncing sounds or words.

  • Getting confused between similar looking letters or similar sounds

  • Guessing and skipping over words when reading

  • Guessing the spelling of a word

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