Frequently Asked
Questions
When starting a speech therapy journey, you’re sure to have loads of questions. Here are the answers to some common ones.
If your child is experiencing difficulties in speaking, understanding, reading, writing, fluency, socialising or any other aspect of communication, it pays to book a formal assessment with one of our qualified speech pathologists. This will identify your child’s strengths and areas of difficulty and help you decide on a treatment path if required.
We work with children and teens from 18 months to 18 years old.
There is a lot you can do to help your child at home once therapy starts and as we continue on our journey. In fact, your support will be invaluable in determining your child’s progress and success. Your speech therapist will prescribe home practise to assist with skill development, and they will explain the practical ways parents and family members can help.
If your child/teen has recently been assessed, and a report is provided, therapy sessions can be arranged without further formal assessment.
- Parents/carers
- General practitioners/paediatricians
- Daycare, kindergarten and school teachers
- Other professionals and community health organisations
Any previous reports from other health professionals, including hearing tests and/or previous speech pathology assessments. If your child is young, it can also be helpful to pack some snacks as this can be a useful break.
We begin all our interventions with an initial meeting where we discuss your child’s strengths and challenges. In deciding which areas to work on first, we will consider the nature of the areas of difficulty, the current research findings regarding the most effective and appropriate approaches, and our understanding about which areas require the most urgent attention for the benefit of your child and family.
Each client is unique and their journey is affected by a multitude of different variables, making it impossible to provide an accurate estimate of how long their therapy journey will take. Things such as the number and severity of the difficulties your child is facing, their developmental stage, temperament, and personality play a role as do the suitability and goals of therapy. Family circumstances and commitment to support home practice will also impact on duration. Rather than focussing on how long it will take, direct your energies to supporting and celebrating your child’s ongoing improvements. This will keep them motivated and enthusiastic about their journey.
Homework and home practice are essential for the success of the speech therapy process. We are teaching our clients new skills and like all other skills (such as playing sport or learning a musical instrument) they need to practise in order to see improvement. If you’re worried about the type or amount of home practice required, please discuss these with your clinician so they can provide guidance.
We believe that each client is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all program that works for everyone. So all our services are different. Age, developmental stage, learning style, attention span, movement needs, family circumstances and areas of difficulty are just a few of the criteria we use to create specific tailored clinical interventions for each of our clients.
That said, our sessions usually include a combination of tabletop-, floor-, movement-, digital activities. We try to incorporate fun and play into each activity to keep children and teens motivated and engaged in their sessions. In addition to clinic-based sessions, we also offer one-on-one sessions at school, kindy or home.
Yes. We take the movement needs of each child into consideration when creating our treatment plans and will work around your child’s need to move.
We accept payment via:
- Eftpos
- Paypass
- Credit Card
- Direct Deposit
You may be eligible for rebates from:
- Private health funds. If your private health insurance covers your child for speech pathology, you will be able to get a rebate on your sessions. The amount will vary depending on your health fund and level of coverage. Our HiCaps system makes it easy to process claims through most health funds at the clinic.
- Medicare. If your child has a Care Plan (CDMP) from your GP, you may be eligible for a Medicare rebate on a limited number of sessions. Please note this is NOT BULK BILLED as the rebate does not cover the whole of the session cost.
- We are also a registered provider of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Talk to our friendly team
The BSP Clinic
Monday to Friday 7:30am to 5:00pm
Community Based Services
We provide services in homes, schools, kindergartens and a variety of other locations.
Please contact us for our current areas, locations and availability