Parents provide the gateway for learning for their children. If you are at all concerned about your child’s communication or eating and drinking development that is cause enough to contact us. We trust in your knowledge of your own child, and will respond to your calls with compassion and clinical expertise. An obligation free chat on the phone or email is all that is needed to find out more.

It is an individual journey for both you and your child. Most treatment blocks are recommended to start at a 12 week block of once a week sessions to begin to see change and mastery. Every aspect of speech and language is different as is every child, some having more complex needs than others. As a rule of thumb - children with a single disorder , and a high level of support at home to complete the home practice will progress more rapidly through the program than children with multiple needs. As with any learning, the more you put in the more you get back, and key here is that it must be the right treatment , pitched in the right way to engage your child.

A Speech Therapist uses varies forms of therapies to assist your child

These therapies include

Language therapy

Stuttering therapy

Literacy therapy

Eating and Drinking therapy

Social skills therapy

Please find more information on this page

Language therapy:-

How we learn and engage with others throughout the lifespan is largely through language in all its forms.

We understand what is said (also known as comprehension or receptive language) and we speak and write to communicate our thoughts and ideas to others (expressive language).

Language therapy includes all aspects of language skill building including -

vocabulary building -using a broad range of vocabulary and expanding your child’s repertoire of words available to them, and understanding a broad range of words used by others.

grammar and syntax- speaking and writing using grammatically correct sentence structure, and understanding others’ sentences.

question forms of language- understanding and responding appropriately to questions asked, and being able to formulate questions to support understanding and learning.

using appropriate language forms and appropriate levels of detail when communicating in verbal or written forms.

Following instructions.

Social Skills ( also known as Pragmatics) -understanding the social rules of communication.

Supporting Late Talkers - ‘Hanan’ -based parent education sessions. Trained as a certified Hanan practioner, we can offer the latest methods to encourage and support your baby and toddler to begin to communicate. If you’re concerned that your little one isn’t yet speaking or seems to be frustrated in their communication attempts, we can assess your baby to give you clear practical ways to increase their communication success.

Speech Sound Therapy (also known as articulation therapy.) All children use short cuts to say words as they are beginning to speak for the first few years. When the developmental patterns of speech sound ‘errors’ or substitutions start to linger and your child is not being understood it’s time to address their speech sounds.

By the age of 3 yrs of age a child should be around 50% intelligible , at 4yrs a child should be nearly 75% intelligible when speaking in sentences with their parents and other familiar adults. Your average 5 yr old should be at least 90% intelligible (Husted et al 2021). Certainly by 5 1/2 years of age a child following the typical developmental norms should be 100% intelligibile - that is be fully understood by an unfamiliar adult.

In a fun, game-based approach we work on enabling your child to speak using pronunciation of the age appropriate speech sounds.

Many children have a stutter or stammer as it is also known in their early years. Whilst some may ‘grow out of it’, this is not always the case , and research has shown that early intervention is a quick and effective way of eliminating this speech production difficulty. Children typically start to stutter when they are around 3-4 yrs of age when they are starting to put words together into short sentences.

Stuttering affects your child’s verbal communication whereby their speech is interrupted by movements of their mouth and tongue, lips and palate creating ‘bumpy talking’. It is classed as a motor or physical speech disorder, likely caused by a problem with the brain activity supporting speech production.

Children who stutter can become very frustrated and can also then become socially withdrawn as speaking is more difficult. It is therefore essential to treat stuttering as soon as it becomes apparent, with effective treatment possible as early as 2.5/3yrs of age. Using the key treatment techniques including the Lidcombe and Westmead programs we aim to support your child to achieve fluent, stutter-free speech.

Stuttering is a physical disorder and is not caused by stress or anxiety though this can certainly contribute to making stuttering worse.

If you’re concerned that your pre-school aged child is stuttering an assessment is recommended where advice can be given and treatment commenced as quickly as possible.

School-aged children are also able to achieve fluent speech with the support of the Speech pathologist, enabling them to have renewed confidence when communicating.

Literacy Therapy

Unlike learning to talk, learning to read and write is not an innate skill, it needs to be taught. Many children require a little more support to ‘crack the code’ of text-based language, and move on to reading and writing needed to succeed at school and in all aspects of life.

Text-based communication is a vital skill- from learning in the early primary years , to socialising using phone texting and emails, high school education including science and maths subjects, and higher education study.

The pre-literacy skills of sound awareness (phonological awareness) and understanding that letters are a symbol for the sounds of speech, and rhyme are the early building blocks of literacy.

At Singhi Speech Clinic, phonics- based literacy training is provided , using a thoroughly researched method with a proven track record around the world to get results for your child. As a certified ‘Sounds Write‘ practitioner we can offer you the best treatment methods available alongside a range of other research-based treatments.

Using fun, interactive sessions utilising pen , paper, books and iPad technology we support our young readers with subjects which interest them. With a large range of carefully selected decodable readers and higher level texts to suit your child’s developing literacy skills we can engage your child with the exciting world of reading and writing .

Social Skills therapy

Social skills are both verbal and non-verbal communication behaviours we use to interact with others.

Depending on our culture, age and beliefs there are different ‘social rules’ in different situations.

Learning to read the unspoken rules of communication is something we learn by watching our parents, and wider community.

As with all learned skills, some children may need support to begin to learn these skills, particularly as they are often very subtle skill sets involving behaviours which are not clearly spoken aloud eg eye contact, body positioning , reading others’ facial expressions, using the right tone of voice and volume, using the correct social distance from others, reading others body language and emotions, and as they become older-navigating social media such as texting and communication platforms ( Instagram and SnapChat).

Children who struggle with social skills interaction may find themselves excluded from groups at school and other activities, making the child feel anxious and demotivated to mix in groups with peers.

Using fun and interactive video-based learning support tools , and practical exercises in a gradual and supportive way children can learn to read others in a variety of social situations. This is a practical, skill -based program which has been research-backed to prove it can provide the change kids need to ‘crack the social code’.

Where possible we also offer treatment in small group settings for children with similar social needs enabling real life opportunities for practice and growth.

Eating and Drinking Therapy

Just as learning to talk is an innate skill it is also acquired through watching others and learning through practice, learning to swallow and tolerate a variety of food textures is a learned skill.

Many young children can get ‘stuck’ at a developmental level, preferring to eat only soft mushy or easy to chew foods. These kids are often termed by their parents and General Practitioners as ‘fussy eaters’.

Difficulty with eating a variety of foods can lead to nutritional, social and dental issues as the child grows older.

Through a research-based behavioural program your child is supported to gradually transition to more age-appropriate foods.

Some children may have a neurological or physical cause of their swallowing difficulty which can also be addressed with a rehabilitation-based approach.

If the cause of the swallowing difficulty is a stroke or any other brain injury, swallowing therapy may be needed to regain skills of safe eating and drinking again. When food or liquid is swallowed and there is a problem with the swallowing mechanism, it can ‘go down the wrong way’, instead of going into the stomach , it may go into the airways and lungs, leading to choking events and chest infections. This is a very serious medical situation which needs urgent assessment by Speech pathologist to advise on safe eating and drinking. Speech Pathologists are swallowing specialists, trained to diagnose and treat swallowing difficulties in both children and adults.

Please call on 0421 095 823 or email us on elizabeth@singhispeechtherapy.com.au

We are open Mon to Fri and have Saturday sessions available

Yes, rebates are available from private health funds and we are fully registered with HiCaps. We can provide rebates on the spot at the time of your consultation

Singhi Speech Clinic is registered with all major health funds. Private health fund rebates may apply depending on the type and level of your private health cover. To determine your eligibility, please contact your health fund directly.

We are only able to see clients who are self managed for NDIS. Please note that we are not a registered provider of NDIS services.

Chronic Disease Management Plan (CDM)

If you or your child has a ‘chronic’ condition (a condition that is present for a minimum of six months) requiring speech pathology, you may be eligible for a Chronic Disease Management Plan (CDM). This is a GP managed plan that provides a Medicare rebate for allied health services.

The CDM plan provides a maximum of 5 total rebates per calendar year for all allied health services. If you are accessing more than one type of allied health service, you are entitled to 5 rebates across all of the services combined, not 5 rebates per clinical service.

How do I access a CDM plan?

You need to visit your GP to have this discussion. At Singhi Speech Therapy, we can give you a CDM referral form for your GP to complete. Your GP will decide if you are eligible for these services and will refer you where appropriate. GPs will have a CDM checklist. For further information, please contact your GP.

Can I get a CDM for speech pathology?

Yes, speech pathology is an allied health service. If you need to access us along with one other service, you may be eligible.

Our most common co-providers are audiology, ear nose & throat (ENT) and occupational therapy (OT). If you are already seeing one of these health professionals, you are likely to be eligible for a GP CDM plan.

All Singhi Speech Therapy our speech pathologists are registered as certified practising speech pathologists with Speech Pathology Australia, which means if you have a CDM plan you can claim with us.

When can I use a CDM?

You can use a CDM at any time. Some of our clients use it at the end of the year to get 5 sessions with a rebate. They can re-apply in January for a new plan as they are only issued once per calendar year. This allows another 5 sessions with Medicare rebate. This effectively creates a 10-week block of therapy with Medicare rebate.

Is my child eligible if they have delayed speech or language?

A GP must make up their mind as to whether they consider a condition to be chronic (lasting more than 6 months), requiring at least two allied health professionals. In some cases, it is obvious that a CDM is needed. For example, a child with a diagnosed hearing impairment due to glue-ear or repeated ear infections impacting speech and language development will need to see both Audiology and ENT alongside Speech Pathology for ongoing management.

Some GPs will want an initial assessment report first before a CDM especially if they are unsure how significant the speech or language concern may be. This means that you will not be able to use a CDM to claim for the initial assessment but will be able to use it to claim against the therapy sessions.

I have been referred to you on a CDM plan, how does it work?

You will need to provide us with your referral form. We will write back to your GP along with our assessment results and plan of intervention. You will be eligible to claim up to a maximum of 5 rebated sessions per calendar-year, provided that your GP has registered your plan through Medicare. We will notify your GP once you have used the five Medicare rebated sessions.

Therapy provided by Singhi Speech Therapy will need to be paid in full. You can immediately load your receipt to the Express Plus Medicare app on your mobile device. Alternatively, you can claim your rebate online or in person.

Speech Pathologist’s are also at the forefront of supporting children and adults in using devices such as talking Ipads, eye -gaze pointers and other computer technologies to allow them to communicate with others.

Using the support of technology partners, your child can gain access to the equipment they need to succeed in their social and academic development .