An assessment by a speech language pathologist may be appropriate if you have concerns about your child’s ability to speak clearly, learn new vocabulary, speak in sentences, understand instructions, read and/or write. A comprehensive evaluation can help identify any underlying speech, language and/or literacy difficulties.

Within our speech and language services, we provide two packages to support your child.

1. Early Years Assessment and Therapy Service: for 2-year-olds to Prep.
2. School-Aged Assessment Service: for children in Year 1 to Year 12.

Find out more about our two services by clicking on the tabs on the side.

Our Speech Pathologists can provide assessment in the following areas:

Speech Assessment

If you have noticed that your child is having difficulty being understood or seems to struggle with producing certain sounds, it may be appropriate to consider a speech assessment. This type of evaluation involves a variety of tasks designed to assess your child’s speech abilities. During the assessment, the speech language pathologist will focus on the following areas:

• Sound production: identifying which sounds your child can produce correctly and which ones they might have difficulty with.
• Oral motor skills: evaluating how your child uses their lips, jaw, and tongue to produce specific sounds.
 

Language Assessment

A comprehensive language assessment is crucial for identifying and addressing potential language difficulties in children. Our team of experienced speech language pathologists offer thorough evaluations to determine whether your child is experiencing language difficulties, a language disorder or Developmental Language Disorder (DLD).

During the assessment, the speech language pathologist will assess the following core language skills:

• Receptive Language The ability to understand spoken language, including following directions, understanding vocabulary, and interpreting sentences. This includes:
  1. Understanding words and phrases
  2. Comprehending questions or instructions
  3. Following directions of increasing complexity
   
• Expressive language The ability to use language to communicate thoughts, ideas, and feelings effectively. This includes:
  1. Vocabulary usage (e.g., naming objects, describing actions)
  2. Sentence formation and grammar (e.g., using appropriate tenses, word order)
  3. Ability to convey information clearly and effectively
 
• Narrative Skills The ability to tell stories or describe events in a logical, organised way. This includes:
  1. Recalling and retelling stories
  2. Sequencing events (e.g., knowing the order of events)
  3. Creating a coherent narrative with appropriate details
   

Literacy assessment

Only available for children over the age of 7 years

A literacy assessment is designed to evaluate your child’s reading and writing skills, identifying any challenges they may be facing in these areas. During the assessment, a speech language pathologist will assess key skills such as letter recognition, phonemic awareness, decoding, reading comprehension and written expression. Early identification of literacy difficulties is crucial for providing the right support to help you child build strong literacy skills and thrive academically.

At Speld Qld, our Early Years Assessment and Therapy Service is designed to provide comprehensive speech and language services to help young children build a strong foundation for communication.

Our Early Years Assessment and Therapy Service Package includes the following:

1. Case History Call: A call with the speech language pathologist and parent/s to gather important background information to understand your child’s specific needs and to guide their assessment plan. After the case history call, the speech language pathologist will create an assessment plan with the appropriate range of practice areas requiring assessment (e.g., speech, language and/or literacy). This will include a personalised quote for the assessment and therapy services.
 
2. Comprehensive Assessment: A detailed evaluation of your child’s speech and/or language skills to identify areas of strength and potential challenges.
 
3. Comprehensive Report: Following your child’s assessment, we provide a comprehensive report that offers a detailed overview of the assessment findings, including recommendations.
 
4. Consultation Session: Designed to provide you with a clear, detailed understanding of your child’s assessment results. During this session, we’ll walk you through the comprehensive report step-by-step, ensuring you fully understand the findings and recommendations. Together, we’ll discuss the best plan moving forward for your child.
 
5. Therapy Block: A structured series of speech and language therapy sessions designed to target specific goals and areas of need for your child. Sessions may include of individual activities with your child as well as strategies and support for you as a parent or caregiver to continue reinforcing progress at home. The therapy block will consist of 5 x 45-minute sessions.
 
6. Summary Feedback: At the conclusion of the therapy block, we will provide a summary feedback that outlines the supports and strategies provided. We’ll also provide you with clear recommendations for the next steps.

To register your interest, please complete the below form:

At Speld Qld, our School-Aged Assessment Service is designed to provide a comprehensive assessment that focuses on your child’s speech, language and/or literacy skills. Based on this assessment, we will provide a detailed comprehensive report with targeted recommendations. This report is designed to guide you and your child’s school in implementing the necessary supports to ensure your child’s success in both academic and social settings.

With early identification and tailored strategies, we can help create a pathway for your child to thrive in the classroom and beyond.

Our School-Aged Assessment Service Package includes the following:

1. Case History Call: A call with the parent/s to gather important background information to understand your child’s specific needs and to guide their assessment plan. After the case history call, the speech language pathologist will create an assessment plan with the appropriate range of practice areas requiring assessment (e.g., speech, language and/or literacy). This will include a personalised quote for the assessment and therapy services.
 
2. Comprehensive Assessment: A detailed evaluation of your child’s speech, language and/or literacy skills to identify areas of strength and potential challenges.
 
3. Comprehensive Report: Following your child’s assessment, we provide a comprehensive report that offers a detailed overview of the findings.
 
4. Consultation Session: Designed to provide you with a clear, detailed understanding of your child’s assessment results. During this session, we’ll walk you through the comprehensive report step-by-step, ensuring you fully understand the findings and recommendations. Together, we’ll discuss the best plan moving forward for your child. This session may also be conducted with your child’s education team.