Speech Pathologists

Paediatric speech pathologists or speech therapists can help your child with difficulties with speaking, listening, understanding language, reading, writing, eating, swallowing difficulties, social skills, stuttering and using voice.

Alternative Assistive Communication (AAC)

A growing area for speech therapists is work in trialling and prescribing alternative assistive communication (AAC) tools for non-speaking children.

Autism assessments

A number of Perth speech pathologists have undergone additional training in diagnostic assessments for autism. They can form part of a multidisciplinary assessment team or as a qualified practitioner to provide consensus on a diagnosis.

Language Development Centres

The Department of Education’s Language Development Schools and Centres provide specialist early intervention programs for children in the early years of schooling who have a speech and language impairment.

Language Development Centres (LDCs) provide specialised language support for students with a primary diagnosis of Developmental Language Disorder.

LDCs support students from Kindergarten to Year 2, offering small class sizes and a multi-disciplinary system.

Telethon Speech and Hearing

Telethon Speech and Hearing run a small school at their Wembley campus. They host playgroup sessions and Kindy and Pre-Primary programs that are attended 1-2 days per week, while the student attends their local school on the remaining days.

The class sizes are tiny with a maximum of 13 students and they have such great support with a highly trained teacher leading the group and support by education assistants and speech pathologists, occupational therapists to run small group sessions.

The Chatterbox and Talkabout programs are best suited for children with a speech and language delay or disorder from 18 months to 6 years. You do not need a referral to attend.

Students graduate from the part time program with the aim of being full time at their local school by year one. If you have funding through the NDIS Early Childhood Approach you may be able to use this towards the costs.