Seeing a speech pathologist
What is a speech pathologist/therapist?
A speech pathologist, speech therapist or "speechie" is an allied health professional who supports children and adults with communication and swallowing. They are university trained in these areas and complete regular professional development whilst following a code of ethics to continue practicing.
does my child need a speech therapist?
Children can see a speech therapist for many reasons. Some of the areas of practice a speech therapist may support include:
- Speech sounds (how much you/others understand their speech)
- Language (development of grammar, vocabulary, and ability to follow directions)
- Stutters (repeating sounds or parts of words when talking)
- Voice (having access to a consistent, strong voice)
- Complex communication needs (using other tools to communicate such as an AAC device or sign language)
- Literacy supports (strengthening reading, writing and spelling skills)
- Swallowing and mealtimes (including picky eaters)
- Social supports (making friends, having conversations)
what age group/s does let's talk: neurodiversity supports see?
Elise is a paediatric speech pathologist. This means she only works with children and teenagers. She is confident to work with children from birth to 18 years. Cammy predominantly works with children and teenagers, however also supports adults with social communication and gender-affirming voice goals. Comprehensive assessment is also available with Cammy for adults in most areas of speech pathology support. Feel free to contact us to find out more.
funding options
DO I NEED A REFERRAL TO SEE A SPEECH THERAPIST?
Anyone can self-refer to speech therapy and you don't need to have NDIS funding to see a speech pathologist.
WHAT FUNDING OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE?
The funding options accessible to you will depend on your child's needs, however the most common ones include
- Medicare - Chronic Condition Management Plan (CCMP) which includes up to 5 sessions with a rebate per calendar year or M10 plan for complex neurodevelopmental conditions. These are provided by a GP.
- Private Health Insurance - check with your provider to see what you can claim.
- National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) - Speech Pathology comes under "Capacity Building" on your NDIS plan. Note: Let's Talk are not a registered provider which means we cannot see NDIA-managed clients at this time. You can use your NDIS funding with us if you are self- or plan-managed.
HOW MANY SESSIONS WILL I or MY CHILD NEED?
The supports or therapy provided by your speech therapist will depend entirely on your goals. Some families find that regular sessions with home practice in between is a good fit, whilst others will have check-ins periodically, rather than weekly or fortnightly sessions.
It can be hard to know how many sessions a child will need but when goals are set, you can discuss what this plan will look like with your clinician.
It can be hard to know how many sessions a child will need but when goals are set, you can discuss what this plan will look like with your clinician.
what are the payment options?
At Let's Talk: Neurodiversity Supports, our primary payment method is direct debit/bank transfer.
Our payment policy is payment within 7 days, for both private/self-managed and plan-managed clients.
Payment plans for assessments, including ADOS assessment and report, can be discussed with your therapist at the time of booking.
Our payment policy is payment within 7 days, for both private/self-managed and plan-managed clients.
Payment plans for assessments, including ADOS assessment and report, can be discussed with your therapist at the time of booking.
what are the appointment options?
Appointment locations
Let's Talk: Neurodiversity Supports are predominantly telehealth based. Cammy has clinic-based appointments available on Thursdays at Buddina (run out of Revolution Rehab) and available on other days in Glasshouse Mountains, on discussion.
We also offer home, childcare/kindergarten and school visits (where available). These do incur a travel charge depending on how far you are from the therapist's base location (therapist dependent).
Some families also opt for telehealth appointments, via our telehealth platform Microsoft Teams. This means that you do not have to be on the Sunshine Coast to access supports from our team.
We also offer home, childcare/kindergarten and school visits (where available). These do incur a travel charge depending on how far you are from the therapist's base location (therapist dependent).
Some families also opt for telehealth appointments, via our telehealth platform Microsoft Teams. This means that you do not have to be on the Sunshine Coast to access supports from our team.
how long are appointments?
The length of appointment can be dependent on your needs, funding and goals. Typically, most appointments will be 60-minutes which includes 45-minute direct supports with you/your child and 15-minutes indirect supports for documentation, follow up and notes.
Assessments will be booked for a longer slot, as will initial consultations to allow for time to collect information and build rapport with your child.
Assessments will be booked for a longer slot, as will initial consultations to allow for time to collect information and build rapport with your child.
how do i cancel an appointment or cancel services?
We have a cancellation policy that outlines how much notice you need to give us to avoid a cancellation fee.
If you are finishing up with Let's Talk: Neurodiversity Supports, please let us know via email with enough notice prior to your following appointment. This allows us to make sure we have finalised any reports and have provided you with copies of these to share with your future therapists.
If you are finishing up with Let's Talk: Neurodiversity Supports, please let us know via email with enough notice prior to your following appointment. This allows us to make sure we have finalised any reports and have provided you with copies of these to share with your future therapists.
ADOS assessments
what is an ados assessment?
ADOS stands for "Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule". It is a formal assessment tool used to describe an individual's characteristics and whether these may indicate an autism diagnosis.
who can have an ados assessment?
Our speech pathologist, Cammy, is trained to administer the ADOS assessment and can do so with children aged 3 years all the way through to adults.
An ADOS assessment is often included in a multidisciplinary assessment prior to seeing a paediatrician or clinical psychologist to explore whether a person may be autistic.
An ADOS assessment is often included in a multidisciplinary assessment prior to seeing a paediatrician or clinical psychologist to explore whether a person may be autistic.
what does an ados assessment look like?
The ADOS assessment session includes a range of questions and activities over a 2 hour appointment. For some children, the clinician may want the parent to be present, but for others, the child/teenager/adult may attend the appointment independently.
There is a resource kit of toys, books and games that are used throughout the assessment.
After the assessment, a comprehensive report is written to provide the results to the diagnostician (usually a paediatrician or clinical psychologist).
Please note: although you can access an ADOS assessment privately, many paediatricians and psychologists prefer to administer the assessment themselves. Please check with your specialist prior to booking an ADOS assessment.
There is a resource kit of toys, books and games that are used throughout the assessment.
After the assessment, a comprehensive report is written to provide the results to the diagnostician (usually a paediatrician or clinical psychologist).
Please note: although you can access an ADOS assessment privately, many paediatricians and psychologists prefer to administer the assessment themselves. Please check with your specialist prior to booking an ADOS assessment.
