FAQ

Speech is defined as spoken language. It refers to ‘how’ we produce sounds and words and the physical movement that is involved with our mouth to produce clear speech (using the tongue, lips, teeth, palate). The speech ‘umbrella’ also covers voice, and fluency. Language skills include both comprehension of what others say (called receptive language) and using language to communicate ideas to others (called expressive language).

Speech Pathology may be required if your baby/child;

• Has poor joint attention
• Struggles with social skills
• Is not smiling, babbling or vocalising much
• Doesn’t use gestures such as waving, clapping, pointing
• Doesn’t respond to your attempts at communication (e.g. sounds, play)
• Is delayed in developing first words or putting words together (two words together such as “mummy go” or “ball down” develop anywhere between 14 and 28 months)
• Has less than 100 words at 2 years of age
• Appears frustrated when trying to communicate
• At 24 months, is not producing sounds such as ‘m, p, b, t, and d’
• Is not 100% understandable by about 4 years of age
• Difficulty being understood by others
• Difficulty understanding what others say
• There are ‘red flags’ such as: family history of speech and/or language delay, frequent recurring ear infections, not having adequate language stimulation or opportunities to communicate, and being born a second or later child

Feeding intervention may be required if you, your child or loved one has difficulty with: 

• Nipple/breast pain
• Poor latch
• Poor volume intake/lengthy feeds
• Poor suck/swallow/breath coordination
• Coughing, choking, gagging or vomiting on particular foods
• Spitting out food/turning head away from food
• Delayed transition to different textured foods
• Cranky/tired/crying/anxious when certain foods are presented, or around mealtimes in general
• Avoiding entire groups of food textures (e.g: purees, crunchy solids, meats or chewy solids)
• Significantly limited food range, resulting in nutritional or growth concerns
• Is tube fed
• Wet or gurgly sounding voice during/after eating or drinking
• Extra effort or time needed to chew or swallow
• Food or liquid leaking from the mouth or getting stuck in the mouth
• Poor endurance & fatigue
• Poor coordination or strength of the swallowing muscles

Early intervention is always key – preferably before a child starts school. This will reduce impact on social skills and academic performance. There is no age that is ‘too early’, however for children who are having difficulty with speech sounds, generally 3-3.5 years of age is ideal to start therapy. For concerns with language skills, the earlier the better. Communication starts at birth with studies showing joint attention in babies as early as 3 days old. There are always strategies to use in order to develop communication skills from very early on. However the best option would be to call a Speech Pathologist who can give you further information and decide where to go to from there. 

To make an appointment you simply need to call us on our number provided or email us and we will discuss each individual case to determine whether an assessment is necessary. Then we will discuss a suitable time with you to book in a day/time to attend. 

No, you do not need a doctor’s referral to book an appointment with a Speech Pathologist. You simply call/email and book an appointment directly with us and we go from there. However you will need a referral if you are planning on claiming a rebate through Medicare (see below).

Yes. Private health insurance funds generally include Speech Pathology in their ‘extras’ or ‘ancillary’ cover options, so you may be eligible for rebates depending on the level of cover you have. The amount that will be paid varies from fund to fund, and for the type of service claimed. So you will need to contact your health fund directly to determine the rebates you will receive.

You may also be eligible for rebates of up to five (5) appointments per calendar year, through the Medicare Allied Health Initiative. Your doctor will need to complete a Chronic Disease Management Plan (formerly Enhance Primary Care Plan) form before you attend Speech Pathology. You will be required to pay for your Speech Pathology services at the time of your appointment, however your invoice will contain all the information required to claim your rebate from Medicare.

Alternatively, we can claim and refund you on the spot in our clinic using our HICAPS/EFTPOS machine.

The scheme aims to:

• identify supports to help people with disability to live their life and to achieve their goals, including independence, community involvement, education, employment, health and well-being; and
• provide people with disability choice and control over how, when and where their reasonable and necessary supports are provided, and offers certainty of access to support over their lifetime.

You may use your funding at Changing Tides Speech Pathology if you or your family member are self-managed or plan managed (not NDIS managed). This allows you to choose any healthcare provider of your choice.

Assessments involve a combination of approaches including interviews, observation, and formal and informal testing activities. Parents are included during children’s assessments. At the end of the assessment, the Speech Pathologist will discuss the results, including strengths and weaknesses observed, and advise whether any areas require further development or therapy intervention.

Goals are set then each session progress is discussed and new goals/strategies are implemented as needed. Each session may be a mixture of table-top or floor-based activities, with a broad range of structure. Goals are based around what the client can already do and built from there. This ensures maximum success. 

Therapy usually runs between 30-60 minutes depending on the client’s needs. Frequency of attendance depends on the presenting problem. Most commonly, visits are weekly however they may also be fortnightly, monthly or even daily (if using electrical stimulation for swallowing difficulties). The amount of appointments required widely varies depending on the nature and severity of the presenting difficulties, the amount of practise being done between appointments and the rate of progress.

This depends on your availability of times/days during the week. However generally we are able to book you in within a few days of you calling. 

You can get in contact by calling Changing Tides on 0431 105 843

Emailing info@changingtidesspeech.com

Or filling in the Contact form on this website

We will be happy to help you in any way we can. 

More information can be found at www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au