How do I know if my child needs and Assessment?
A discussion with a speech pathologist can help determine whether your child’s skills are within the normal developmental range, or if an assessment is indicated.
What happens when I contact the clinic?
If you’d like your child to be seen by a speech pathologist, the first step is to phone us or drop in. Your first contact will probably be with our office staff, who will take down details about the age of your child and what you are concerned about. A speech pathologist will then contact you to discuss this in more detail and to arrange an appointment time for an assessment.
What happens during an assessment?
During the assessment, our speech pathologist will use a variety of tests to evaluate your child’s speech, language and literacy skills, these will be in the form of games, activites or structured assessments.
What is the speech pathologist assessing?
The speech pathologist is assessing the following area of your child’s speech, communication and language development.
- Articulation – the way speech sounds are made by the mouth.
- Auditory Processing – paying attention to, analysing and organising information we hear.
- Dysfluency (stuttering) – sounds, syllables or words may be repeated or “stuck”.
- Dyspraxia – difficulty planning and co-ordinating mouth movements for clear speech.
- Expressive Language – use of vocabulary, grammar, explanations and story-telling.
- Phonology – the way speech sounds are organised in our brain so the right sound is used in the right place.
- Phonological Awareness – abilities such as breaking words into syllables and sounds, and combining sounds to make words (necessary for literacy development).
- Pragmatics – social skills, ability to use language appropriately.
- Pre-language Skills – skills such as eye-contact, attention and turn-taking.
- Receptive Language – understanding of questions, concepts, instructions and conversation.
What happens after the assessment?
After the testing is complete, the speech pathologist will discuss the results with you. This includes discussing how your child did on each test, what effect this could have on your child’s communication skills and school learning, and what action is recommended.
Our speech pathologists are also happy to talk to teachers and other specialists working with your child. Your speech pathologist may recommend that your child have a hearing test, or have further testing with a psychologist, paediatrician or occupational therapist.