Little Voices Speech Pathology
Ph: 0479178291
Helping your child become a successful and happy communicator
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Specialising in supporting the language and literacy development of all children
Little Voices Speech Pathology is currently taking appointments for speech, language, literacy and dyslexia assessments. We have an open waiting list for ongoing therapy sessions.
Are you a parent or teacher who is feeling frustrated and confused about how to best support a child who is struggling with reading and spelling?
We hear this every day. Unfortunately, in Australia, there are still so many barriers to get the right support for kids with reading difficulties or dyslexia. There are issues with teacher knowledge, and that’s not their fault. Every teacher I speak with wants to know what they can do to help the kids they teach, they’ve just never been taught how to do it, and don’t know where to look. Then when a teacher does notice that a child is really struggling, and they wonder if it’s dyslexia, they may face hurdles with leadership telling them that’s not their place. And if they are able to discuss their concerns with parents, getting a diagnosis can be a very expensive process. Sometimes dyslexia is known as the rich person’s disability, as it can cost up to $3000 at some places for a full assessment. Then there’s the waiting lists. It’s all so frustrating, and so heartbreaking to watch the kids struggle and not know what to do. We dream of a world where no child ever feels the frustration, despair and crippling anxiety of not learning how to read. It really does have a devastating impact on kids and their families. Read Elise’s blog about some families’ experiences here: The Devastating impact of a late dyslexia diagnosis.
If this sounds familiar to you, we can help. Check out our “Services” page for more information about what we offer.
Language and Literacy Development
As a parent, sending your child off to school for the first time can be an emotional experience. On the one hand, you’re proud and excited to see your child enter a new phase of education and growth. On the other hand, you may feel some anxiety and worry about how your child may adjust to the new environment, and how they’ll navigate the new challenges and opportunities throughout their learning journey.
Learning to read and write should be a fun journey of discovery for all children. There's little more exciting for a parent than seeing their young child master the skill of reading. For many children though, learning to read is not as successful as it could be. For many children learning that the strange squiggles they see on paper match the speech sounds they say is not an easy process.
They may not be able to identify the individual sounds that we say in different words.They may not be able to easily learn the relationship between the sounds they say and the letters that represent them. They may have difficulty with aspects of spoken language, such as understanding and learning vocabulary, or structuring spoken sentences. Or they may learn these early skills but come to a hurdle later in school when learning to read becomes about reading to learn.
Unfortunately a number of schools in Australia don't teach reading and writing in the way that many children need in order to develop the skills they require. Or your child may need more repetition or more explicit teaching than school provides them. If you feel this may be the case for your child and you're not sure how best to help them, you're not alone. Please give Little Voices a call to discuss how we may be able to support your child in their journey to become a successful reader and writer.
To find out more about how a Speech Pathologist can help support your child’s reading and spelling, visit our Dyslexia and Literacy Support page.
Can a Speech Pathologist diagnose Dyslexia? To learn more about this, read Elise’s recent blog post, Unlocking the Mystery.
