During the assessment, we’ll gather information about your child’s medical history, communication skills, and any concerns or difficulties they may be experiencing. This may involve speaking with you, your child, and other healthcare professionals or educators who have interacted with them. When working with children, your Speech Pathologist will typically involve you in the goal-setting process to ensure that the goals are meaningful and relevant to the child’s needs and daily life. This may involve discussing your child’s strengths, challenges, and areas of concern, as well as your goals and expectations for your child.

Rest assured, we aim to make the assessment process as relaxed and fun as we can for your child. We just want to get a sense of how your child communicates in their daily life. To do this, we may play with and observe your child, or we may ask your child to complete a variety of tasks, such as naming pictures, reading, repeating words or phrases, answering questions, and/or demonstrating their feeding abilities. We may also use some specialised instruments or tests to gather more detailed information about their skills and abilities. It may also be beneficial to observe your child in their natural environment, such as at school or daycare.

Based on the information we gather, we’ll be able to identify any areas of difficulty or concern and develop a plan for treatment or support. This plan may include recommendations for speech therapy, feeding therapy, or other interventions to help your child improve their communication skills.

Our ultimate goal is to help your child communicate effectively in their daily life and the assessment and goal-setting process helps ensure that the child’s treatment is tailored to their unique needs. We’re here to support you and your child every step of the way, so please don’t hesitate to ask any questions you may have. We’re looking forward to working with you and your child!