Speech Pathology

Speech pathologists provide assessments and intervention for people with communication disorders including difficulty with speech production, understanding and using language, fluency and literacy.

Speech pathologists also provide assessments for clients who experience difficulty with eating and drinking. This includes risk management plans around eating and drinking. Trusted Clinical Services provides highly individualised and specific programs to support the understanding and use of language and social interaction.

This includes:

• Developing accessible Augmentative and Alternative Communication supports according to individual needs e.g. signing, symbols, objects, high tech devices and photographs.
• Developing communication profiles in collaboration with the person and their wider support network to help everybody understand and communicate with the individual.
• Assisting in developing social interaction skills such as turn taking, asking for help, initiating interaction with others.
• Providing training to the person and their support networks on strategies that will support the communication process.

Services for Dysphagia (swallowing difficulties) may include:

• Safe swallowing recommendations and training.
• Modifying food and drink consistencies to assist with safe swallowing.
• Adaptations to the environment, equipment, positioning or other factors to support safe mealtimes.
• Developing and reviewing mealtime management plans.

Speech Pathology services focus on:

• What the person needs.
• What the person or their carers are hoping to achieve, e.g. asking for food or communicating about what activity they would like to do.
• Developing communication strategies for functional use across environments.
• Developing interaction skills with the person and their communication partners.