FAQs
Information about seeing a speech pathologist
FAQs about our consultations
Your therapist will complete a written summary or comprehensive report that outlines results from your child’s assessment. Our reports are not generic or computer generated. This will be provided to you within 2 weeks of the assessment having been completed.
For most families it is at this point that your child’s therapy journey begins. Sometimes a review appointment is recommended to monitor progress or we refer on to a more appropriate service if indicated.
With all assessment completed and your child’s Management Plan in place, we will match their profile, including their strengths and areas of need, to the recommended evidence-based therapy techniques in ways that are fun and engaging.
Each session begins with a review of progress since the previous session. With this feedback from you, we are able to get started with engaging your child in the therapeutic activities.
An older child can expect a mix of table-top activities which are carefully matched to target areas. Younger children will enjoy floor-based tasks of high interest.
Parents are guided to actively participate in sessions and encouraged to complete follow-up activities at home. This means you develop a better understanding of your child’s area/s of need and learn how to use strategies and targeted activities to support their communication development.
Management Plans are reviewed on a termly basis to ensure that therapy is on track. Changes will be made to existing goals or new goals will be established.
The number of sessions your child needs will depend entirely on their individual circumstances. Your therapist will make a recommendation for what regularity will be most beneficial once relevant assessment has been completed. We know that therapy is most effective when it is regular and consistent. For this reason, our clients attend weekly or fortnightly sessions on the same day and time. These are generally booked in blocks ahead of time. You and your therapist will assess your child’s needs and situation, and decide together from the outset, what will work best.
Yes. Telehealth is a session where your child is not in the same room as us but instead uses technology to be able to see, hear and share in a similar way to FaceTime or Skype. We will use different tools to make the session look and feel as close to a face-to-face appointment as possible. A few things your child will experience are:
- Use of video and audio for us to model and observe speech and language
- Screen share, which lets us share items on our computer with you. Your child can interact with screen-shared items as if they were on our own computer.
- Drawing and typing functions, which let your child interact with screen-shared materials
Put simply, no! The earlier we can assess your child and diagnose speech and/or language difficulties, the better the outcomes. The evidence is clear; waiting to take action until your child starts school at age 5 or 6 makes it harder for them to catch up to their peers. Regular therapy in their preschool years reduces the longer-term impact of speech and/or language difficulties on your child’s academic performance (including learning to read and write) and social-emotional well-being.
You can be confident that our team is equipped with the skills and training to engage even the most busy 2, 3 or 4 year old (and we even relish these opportunities!)
If you’re still unsure whether to make an appointment, call us! One of our friendly team will be available to discuss your concerns and answer your questions. You can also read more about speech and language milestones here and here.
And remember: speech therapy is beneficial to ALL, harmful to NONE, crucial to SOME!
Our team is highly skilled at many things, though providing therapy for children and young people who stutter, is not one of these things. The same goes for feeding concerns and voice issues. If you call us regarding any of these presentations, we will refer you on to other services. Alternatively, you can use the Speech Pathology Australia ‘Find a Speech Pathologist’ search to locate a therapist who has the required skills and training to best support your child.
No, you don’t need a referral to see any of our speech pathologists. Simply contact us to make an appointment for your child.
Yes. Each one of our team members has a medicare provider number which means we can provide services under Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Medicare items on the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS).
Private Health
Invoices for Active Speech Pathology services may be claimed for rebate from your private health fund. Contact your fund to see if your level of cover entitles you to a rebate for speech pathology services.
Medicare Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Plans
Each one of our team members has a medicare provider number which means we can provide services under Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Medicare items on the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS). Eligibility for this plan is determined by GPs, based on your child’s level of need, and in these cases a partial refund for up to five services per calendar year is available.
The refund does not cover the full cost of sessions, and sessions must be paid in full prior to accessing refunds. We do not bulk bill. For more information contact your GP, or visit Speech Pathology Australia or The Department of Health.
National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
Active Speech Pathology is not a registered provider under the NDIS which means we are unable to provide services to those clients who are agency managed. We can accept families who are self or plan managed.Please bring along your child’s NDIS reference number, plan dates and plan goals to your initial session to ensure we provide supports that meet the NDIS’ requirements.
We believe our prices reflect the value we bring to your child during our appointments.
We strive to keep our fees as affordable as possible while maintaining the high quality standards that we expect of our service.
You can expect:
- A personalised Client Management Plan that highlights short and long term goals for therapy which have been devised in tandem with you and your child
- Therapy founded on the latest evidence using quality resources
- Printed resources to take home to amplify goals
- Time to answer questions, troubleshoot and coach you through home practice activities
Find more information, including our Schedule of Fees, here.
Our dedicated therapists have the relevant tertiary qualifications and extensive experience working with children from 18 months of age through to 18 years and their families.
The services we provide are founded on the best available research evidence, techniques and methods. All of our team receives regular clinical mentoring and attends workshops and conferences to be kept up-to-date with the latest in speech pathology practice. Life-long learning is not just a goal for many of our clients but for our team as well!
Read more about each of our therapist’s backgrounds and experience.
FAQs about our telehealth consultations
Yes. There is a small but growing body of evidence supporting the use of telehealth sessions for speech therapy and indicating that these services are at least as effective as face-to-face therapy for assessment and treatment of the following conditions: Autism, Hearing Loss, Speech Sound Disorders, Language Disorders, Fluency and Voice Disorders.
Telehealth is a valuable way to connect with us and can also:
- Save time, expense and stress travelling to appointments
- Ensure continuity of care (i.e., in the event of illness or during a pandemic)
- Enable access to a service not otherwise available to you (i.e., in regional or remote areas)
For children under 3, sessions will be geared towards parent education, and providing targeted strategies, resources and coaching to parents on how best to develop your child’s speech and language skills at home. For pre-school aged children, a variety of techniques can be implemented to keep your child engaged including scheduling two shorter sessions each week.
Let us know! We may be able to share information or change procedures to address their concerns. One helpful strategy may be to schedule a 15 minute test call so that your child can experience the technology (including testing out various features) first hand. If they still do not feel comfortable after this trial, they can decide not to participate.
Active Speech Pathology uses the online videoconferencing service, Zoom, to deliver sessions via the internet. Zoom allows users to see, hear and interact with each other in a virtual ‘meeting’ and private ‘meeting room’.
You will need:
- A computer, laptop or tablet (Windows or Mac)
- A webcam (usually built in to most laptop and desktop computers and tablets)
- A microphone and speakers (usually built in)
- A set of headphones with microphone (especially important for children who a quiet or are working on speech sounds)
- A reasonable and reliable Internet connection (test your speed here: speedtest.net)
- Your child should be in a location that is quiet, well-lit, and free from distractions
- We encourage parents to assume a ‘support person’ role during telehealth sessions. Parents can work with us to:
- Resolve technical issues
- Manage materials
- Position equipment or your child
- Help your child to interact with the technology
- Manage the environment
- Support our observations
- Click on the link in the email sent to you.
- Enter the meeting code and password.
- Enter the ‘waiting room’ for an online meeting hosted by your therapist.
The first time that you click on the link, you will be prompted to download the Zoom Launcher (on desktop) or Zoom App (on portable devices). This is required for you to be able to access Zoom. Whilst downloading the software is necessary, you do not need to create a Zoom account to attend sessions.
Your therapist will share a unique meeting ID and password with you before each session, via your designated email address. Keep this safe and do not share the meeting details with anyone else.
- Only use Zoom applications (e.g. the Zoom app for computer or mobile device) to join your sessions.
- Do not record the session.
- Consider the use of anti-virus and anti-malware on your computer or device.
- Read the Zoom Privacy Policy and other information available to learn more about the platform yourself, so that you are best informed.
- Initial Assessment & Telehealth Consultation (60 – 90 minutes) – $205
- Standard Telehealth Therapy Session (45 minutes) – $115
- Short Telehealth Therapy Session (30 minutes) – $95
An invoice will be sent to you via email following each session. This can be finalised through bank transfer (EFT) and a receipt will be forwarded in due course.
An increasing number of Private Health Funds do permit customers who have the appropriate extras cover to claim for speech pathology services delivered through Telepractice. Check with your provider to ask about coverage.
Yes. NDIS clients have no restrictions on using their funding to access telehealth services.
