Speech pathology can transform lives

I started my speech pathology journey in 2019 where I worked at a private practice in Western Sydney. It was at this clinic that I developed my interest in working with children who have a disability. Overtime this turned into a passion and has led me to seek, develop and expand my knowledge so that I could continue to better support my clients in their areas of need.

As part of my role at Path to Speech, I have the opportunity to make a difference to the lives of children with communication, language, literacy, social and speech disorders. My innate curiosity and interest in helping my clients with their speech and language development stemmed from my belief that all children deserve to realise their true capabilities and reach their full potential.

Watching my clients improve is an extremely satisfying aspect of my role and why I decided to start Path to Speech in 2022. I could see that there was a real need for speech therapy services in the Bayside and St George LGAs. Upon moving into the Bexley area in South Sydney, I met many parents who had children in need of speech, language and intervention but were not able to find speech therapists close by. Understandably, they were travelling out their LGAs to seek treatment for their children.

Effective speech and language extends to home and social settings and a large part of what I do on a daily basis is equipping parents with knowledge about their child’s needs as well as providing activities and exercises to develop their skills. Additionally, I provide guidance on best practice for managing a child with communication, language, literacy, social and speech difficulties. This in itself isn’t easy and I empathise with parents but I love working with them to make their lives easier and to help their children become better communicators.

Speech, language, communication, literacy and speech disorders are just as diverse as the children we treat and we use a tailored approach to assess and treat every child who comes through our doors. I have worked with complex disability, culturally and linguistically diverse populations as well as families with trauma.

Outside of my immediate role of treating my clients, I also enjoy presenting workshops for schools, libraries, preschool and playgroups as well as consulting with teachers and early childhood educators to develop whole-class strategies in the classroom.

Behind Path to Speech are real people who are passionate about servicing and contributing to the community in person, at schools, homes, play groups and extending our reach even further to people around Australia via telehealth. We are local people working in the community, like you, making an ongoing effort to contribute to better outcomes for local children, all the while building a more vibrant and thriving society.