What We Do
Speech Pathologists are allied health professionals who are specifically qualified to address communication, swallowing and voice difficulties across the lifespan.
Chat Shack Speech Pathology can provide face to face therapy in clinic, or telehealth sessions via Zoom.
We value evidence-based practices and can assist you in the following areas...
Speech
Speech is the act of physically articulating our language through sound. Speech is the production of sounds using our lips, tongue, teeth, jaw and voice.
There can be many reasons a person may experience difficulty producing clear speech, including:
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general development delay
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articulation difficulties
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motor planning issues such as apraxia of speech
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acquired speech issues following injury, illness or surgery
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physical differences such as cleft palate
Jes and Meg have extensive experience diagnosing and treating speech difficulties throughout the lifespan.
Language
Language refers to how we communicate with each other, and how we understand and process what others convey to us. We use language every day to ask for help, follow directions, understand a book, relay a story, tell our family we love them . This is how we interface with the world around us. The use of language includes oral language, written language and even non-verbal language such as signing or speech output devices.
Language therapy is highly dependent upon each individual and your speech therapist will work together with you to develop language goals that are functional and specific for you or your child's needs.
Literacy
Reading and writing are crucial life skills that need to be explicitly taught. Some children will need a little help to catch up, some children may receive a diagnosis of dyslexia and require more intensive intervention. With their in-depth knowledge of language development, speech pathologists are uniquely qualified to assess and treat literacy issues. Jes and Meg utilise evidence based, systematic synthetic phonics programs such as Sounds-Write and Read3 to support our literacy clients.
Fluency
This is typically referred to as stuttering or stammering. This is when the flow of speech is interrupted by repetitions of sounds or parts of words and phrases, prolonged sounds, pauses or blocks. Stuttering can affect people of all ages. Early intervention by a speech pathologist is recommended for children who develop a stutter. There are various treatment approaches available for adults and children. Your speech pathologist can discuss evidence-based therapy with you.
Multi-Modal Communication
There may be a variety of reasons people use alternative means of communication and at Chat Shack, we value and support all forms of communication. This may look like:
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robust AAC systems
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pictures and choice boards
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PODD
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texting, typing and writing
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gestures and sign language
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vocalisations
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body language
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behavioural changes
Whatever the means, we will help you reach your full communication potential.
Social Communication
Often referred to as pragmatic language, this is essentially the way we apply our language skills on a day to day basis. It informs how we interact with our peers, understand indirect language, use critical thinking, interpret social cues or choose which lingo to use in a particular setting. It is very important to us that we are neuro-divergent affirming in our practice of social communication therapy. We do not believe in 'teaching social skills' which have typically been responsible for teaching Autistic people to 'mask' who they really are. Our social communication therapy aims to bridge the gap between neuro-divergence and neuro-typicality.
Voice
The mechanism of our vocal tract is a complex and delicate system. Losing our voice can affect how we work, socialise, interact with our families and can even be detrimental to our sense of self. Speech therapy can assist those who are experiencing changes in their vocal quality due to illness, injury, surgery, medication, hormonal change or even incorrect use. This is typically high voice users such as teachers, singers or public speakers. Working in collaboration with your ENT surgeon, we can provide safe and effective rehabilitation. Another exciting area of voice therapy is helping transgender clients find a voice that they feel is a representation of their true self. Whatever your goal, Meg and Jes have the experience to get your voice on the right path.
Eating and Drinking
Swallowing is an essential bodily function and difficulty in this area is known as dysphagia. Dysphagia can be debilitating and may be experienced following a stroke or surgery, as part of illness progression or old age. The role of a speech pathologist is to assist you to safely manage your food and fluids through modifications or mealtime adjustments. We can also help children who have restricted eating due to sensory or oral issues which may make eating certain foods feel unsafe or confronting. The shape and function of your oral structures can be closely connected to swallowing, speech and even your airway management and is something that Jes and Meg are particularly aware of.