Your FAQs answered
No doubt, you have a lot of questions, especially if you’re not sure what speech pathology is or what happens in a typical session. We’re here to answer your questions to ensure you have a positive experience when you visit us at The Communication Clinic.
What We Do
Speech pathologists study, diagnose and treat communication disorders, including difficulties with speaking, listening, understanding language, reading, writing, social skills, stuttering and using voice. This covers physical, developmental and acquired communication issues, such as hearing loss, stroke, autism, learning disability, speech impediments and more.
No there isn’t – they are the same thing! Speech pathology is the professional term for what we do, while speech therapy is a term more commonly used by people outside our profession. You’ll find that we use both terms interchangeably here as they are both correct.
Every session will be different, depending on the needs of the person we’re working with. Generally, we start with an assessment to understand their communication goals and then we’ll work together with you to develop a program specifically designed to help. We believe in working with our clients and their families to make therapy fun, so we’ll often play games and do interactive activities as part of our sessions.
As fully qualified speech pathologists, our team works with all communication challenges, including those arising from developmental conditions (such as autism or cerebral palsy), learning disabilities (such as dyslexia), speech sound disorders (apraxia, articulation errors) and dysfluency when talking (stuttering). We can also help with eating and drinking skills in children and adults and food fussiness as well.
We work with people with a range of needs and disabilities including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). All our therapists have significant experience working with children and adults on the autism spectrum.
Our team is trained to assess reading, spelling, comprehension, vocabulary and writing. We provide support for children via our evidence programs. These include our school readiness Pre-Lit program right through to intervention for older students and adults via programs such as Sounds Write.
Yes. Besides our paediatric services, our team works with teens and young adults right through to providing end-of-life care for older adults.
How We Work
At The Communication Clinic, a qualified speech pathologist will always be a key part of your child’s program, with our fully-trained speech pathologists leading assessments, reviews and reporting. We’re also lucky to have several experienced therapy assistants in our team who provide extra support to our speech pathologists in both individual and group sessions.
Yes, we are a registered NDIS provider and can support agency, plan and self-managed NDIS participants. We also deliver services under Medicare, Private Health insurance and Third Party insurance too. Check out our funding page for more detailed information.
Full fee information is provided with our referral pack but we always try to keep the cost down so you can access the intervention you need. For instance, we’ll help you to access funding and link you to government-funded services to help reduce your out of pocket costs.
If you have a Medicare referral we’ll process your session at the Medicare rate. This will be the case until you reach the end of your allocated number of Medicare appointments included in your referral.
If you’re a self-funded NDIS participant or a private client, you can pay for your session using cash or a card. For plan or agency managed NDIS participants, we’ll directly invoice the NDIA or your plan manager on your behalf. Several Medicare subsidised plans can also help with the cost of your sessions (see our funding page for more information.)
No, there’s no need for a referral to access our services. However, a referral from a GP, allied health professional or another specialist can give us valuable information to assist with the initial assessment process. You can get referrals for Medicare services via your GP or paediatrician.
Several signs could indicate a need to refer your child to a qualified speech pathologist. Check out our resource library for detailed information on what to look for and when it might be time to seek an assessment.
What You Can Expect
This is tough to answer because there are so many different variables when it comes to speech therapy. Depending on the nature of the communication challenge, you might start to see results immediately or over several months. We’re always available to talk if you have any concerns about the progress of your communication program.
Yes. For speech therapy to be successful, speech pathologists and parents/carers need to work as a team. This means being involved in sessions and taking on board the strategies we recommend so you can continue to work on these at home and in the community.
Yes. Delivering support outside the clinic is a great way to generalise learning and work on strategies in different settings. When delivering therapy at school, we try to limit time out of class, however, there are times we may have to withdraw students. In these cases, we liaise closely with learning support teams and other therapists to ensure progress.
Yes, we do. Telehealth is a valuable tool that helps to reduce stress on families, contribute to smoother transitions and limits unnecessary travel while still achieving important goals. We have clinicians in the Hunter Valley and Sydney that provide telehealth services.
There is limited parking on-site at our clinics but there is access to ample on-street parking close by.
By all means, bring along anyone who plays a pivotal role in your life. Getting them involved in speech therapy is a great way to provide consistency, support education and promote generalisation of skills.
To help us get an accurate picture of the communication challenges that may be present, please bring along past reports, letters, reviews, diagnosis and any other information that could help us in interpreting our results.
Yes. Our speech pathology services are in high demand so we don’t often have availability to take on new clients. However, while you’re waiting for an appointment (or if you need immediate support), you can check out our resources page. We also recommend that you sign up to our email list to access specialist help and support via our newsletter.
As part of every speech therapy program, we’ll work with you to identify goals and suggest strategies to meet your goals. It’s important to use these strategies at home to consolidate the gains made in our sessions. We also have a library of resources designed to give you additional support that you can access at any time
Our buildings are accessible by ramp and all our rooms are spacious for manual and power wheelchair access as well as mobility scooters. When making your booking please advise us of your access requirements so we can support you during your visit.
If your question is still unanswered, please contact us so we can put your mind at ease.
