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    Word of Mouth Therapy

    Early Years Speech Pathology

    Providing home, kinder, and school assessment and therapy services through early childhood

  • What We Do

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    At Word of Mouth Therapy, our Mobile Speech Pathologists and Allied Health Assistants are passionate about supporting children from 18 months of age up through the first few years of primary school. We work with children who are displaying communication difficulties in order to determine which therapies, treatments, and techniques can be used to improve their skills.

     

    Some children have learning difficulties that can cause problems for them at childcare, kinder, school and later in life. A speech pathologist can help determine the nature of the problem and provide strategies to help improve their development.

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    If your child:

     

    - is difficult to understand or unclear when speaking

    - does not connect speech in phrases or sentences as expected

    - has difficulty being understood by others

    - often asks for repetition or does not respond to his or her name

    - regularly gets stuck on sounds or words

    - experiences difficulty engaging or playing

    - becomes frustrated or upset when struggling to communicate

    - has difficulty reading and writing compared to their peers

    - only uses single words, or has a limited vocabulary (under 50 words at 2 years old)

    - experiences difficulties finding the ‘right’ word

    - has problems putting words together to express a thought or idea

    - experiences difficulties understanding and following instructions

    - requires repetition and additional support (i.e. pointing, showing) to complete a task

    - has difficulties listening and responding

     

    If you believe that your child is displaying any of these behaviours, we recommend that an initial assessment be booked with us. We will then provide you with a full report along with our recommendations for treatment and therapy:

     

    To ensure that we can get a complete picture of your child's situation, it is important that you have your child’s hearing tested before attending an initial session, to ensure that his or her hearing is adequate for speech and language development.

     

    If you would like to book an initial consultation, complete the contact form below and we will phone you to set up an appointment. Alternatively, give Mikaela a call on 0455 575 777 for an obligation free, confidential discussion.

  • About Us

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    Tom is an enthusiastic and motivated early career Speech Pathologist working at Word of Mouth Therapy. He has completed a Masters in Speech Pathology and has experience working in the role of an Allied Health Assistant.

     

    Tom is passionate about supporting clients in reaching their desired goals and making therapy fun and exciting for everyone involved.

     

    In his spare time, Tom loves collecting and listening to records, as well as catching up with his friends.

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    Kristy is an enthusiastic and motivated Allied Health Assistant working at Word of Mouth Therapy. She is completing her final year of the Master of Speech Pathology program at the University of Melbourne, and has a broad range of experience working with children and families across the service industry.

     

    Kristy loves working directly with families to help clients achieve their goals. She believes in delivering therapy based around a child’s interest to create a fun, positive environment that fosters communication skills and helps clients reach their full potential.

     

    In her spare time, Kristy enjoys reading, seeing live music with friends, and going for hikes outside Melbourne.

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    Mikaela is the director and Clinical Supervisor at Word of Mouth Therapy. She is a child and family-centred Speech Pathologist and mentor. Mikaela believes in using a child’s interests to motivate them to communicate and interact effectively with their environment and the people around them.

     

    Mikaela is a firm believer in the positive outcomes of early intervention and commends parents and caregivers on connecting with services when their child first appears to be falling behind in comparison to his or her peers. She is particularly passionate about working with children with autism spectrum disorders and developmental delays, and also has experience working with children with speech and language disorders, fluency disorders, hearing impairment, learning difficulties, and other disabilities.

     

    Mikaela works with families to maximise the benefits of Speech Pathology Intervention, supporting and empowering families to help children as they acquire what may be the most important life-skill of all: effective communication.

     

    Mikaela is Certified to Provide Learning Language and Loving It™-The Hanen Program® for Early Childhood Educators/Teachers

     

    Mikaela has also been trained in the following courses and programs:

     

    Hanen 'More Than Words': an early language program for parents of children with autism or other social communication difficulties.

     

    Teaching Social Thinking to Early Learners: an evidence-based and award winning program for supporting social learning in preschool and early primary aged children.

     

    The Lidcombe Program: a behavioural treatment program for children under 6 years of age who stutter.

     

    Sounds-Write Phonics Program: an evidence-based literacy program for supporting at risk-readers and children with specific learning disability in reading (often referred to as dyslexia). Sounds-Write is a highly structured, cumulative, sequential, explicit and code-oriented instructional program for teaching all children to read and spell.

     

    AUSLAN (Australian Sign Language) Level 2

     

    She also has experience using Key Word Sign, PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) and supports the development of language and pragmatic skills through the use of visual aids and Augmentative and Alternate Communication (AAC).

     

    Mikaela is a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist and is registered with Speech Pathology Australia.

     

     

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  • Our Services

    Speech Pathology and Speech Therapy Assistant Services

     

    You are probably here on our site because:

     

    - You’re concerned about your child’s speech and language development and would like intervention to help them as much as possible before it gets more difficult.

     

    - You’re feeling frustrated because your child has difficulties with following your instructions or responding to their name.

     

    - Your child appears to have difficulty communicating and interacting with other people or making friends.

     

    - Your child is stuttering.

     

    - Reading and spelling are causing your child frustration and you would like to get them some help so they can catch up at school.

     

     

    We would love to get this relationship off to a great start by giving you the opportunity to receive a free 20-minute phone consultation with one of our friendly Speech Pathologists. We will help you to determine whether your child is ready to begin therapy.

     

    Why a mobile clinic?

     

    We have chosen to run a mobile clinic because we believe that children feel more comfortable and communicate most naturally in their own environments. Your child’s most comfortable place is at home with mum or dad and supporting them at childcare, kinder or school with their fellow peers supports development of their independent and functional communication skills.

    We travel to a number of suburbs in Melbourne and telehealth (online) sessions are always an option to provide your child with access to therapy no matter where you live! *Travel fees apply.

     

    We currently service the catchment area of Ivanhoe (most Northern point) to Carnegie (most Southern point), and also have a clinic space occasionally available as required in Murrumbeena.
     

    Our therapists not only work in your home, we also work in your child’s kindergarten, childcare centre or school so that there is often no need to rearrange your schedule. Most schools, kindergartens and childcare centres provide a space to work in if needed and we advocate integrating therapy into your child's daily routine. Teachers and support staff often like to be involved so they can participate and learn techniques to help your child progress faster.

     

    We also work closely with other professionals such as Paediatricians, Occupational Therapists and Educators to provide a holistic approach to your child’s speech therapy. Child-centred therapy forms part of our treatment philosophy. Our therapists often aim to follow each child’s lead during therapy sessions, nurturing the child’s potential, encouraging development and building your child’s confidence.

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    We like to empower and educate parents and encourage you to participate in the sessions so that you can continue working with your child at home. Play is a child’s natural language and they tend to use toys to mimic words. We focus on and use play to make change happen. We are experienced with all communication needs and create programmes individually tailored to meet each child's abilities. Weekly sessions usually achieve rapid results.

     

    Our Paediatric Speech Pathologists and Allied Health Assistants can assist your child in the following areas:

     

    - The production of speech sounds (Articulation)

     

    - The use of words and sentences (Expressive Language)

     

    - The understanding of spoken language (Receptive Language)

     

    - Fluency/stuttering (for children under 8 years of age)

     

    - Social skills and the social use of language (Pragmatic Language)

     

    - Attention and listening

     

    - Literacy and learning difficulties including reading, writing & spelling

     

    - Progress/Summary Reports: These can be issued on request and are usually used to develop plans with an intervention team or to evaluate progress from intervention.

     

    - Assessments: An assessment is conducted to gather information about your child’s current level of communication skills. This includes a comprehensive case history looking at your child’s present difficulties and past medical history. Assessments are typically 60-90 minutes long and include a comprehensive report.

     

    - Progress meetings: Can be conducted on request, and are usually held at your home, childcare centres, kindergartens or schools.

     

    - School, childcare and kindergarten visits: Can be undertaken pending approval from the centre and based on the Speech Pathologist’s availability.

     

  • Fees

    We work hard to meet the financial and logistical needs of your family and we will assist you to find the the most suitable funding options available.

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    Free Assessment

    Free over the phone assessment to establish the suitability of your child. If your child is suitable we will organise an initial consultation at your home.

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    Initial Consultation

    This one hour session is usually done at your home. This includes a full assessment and a report including treatment plan. At this session we will advise you of funding options available and assist with the application process.

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    Therapy Sessions

    We will organise regular sessions for your child which are $200 per session (partially rebatable). Working with your child along side you and their educators/teachers. You will receive regular updates and be actively involved in the treatment plan.

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    Funding Options

     

    We work hard to meet the financial and logistical needs of your family. Mikaela is a compassionate business owner and an experienced speech pathologist whose dedication and wide range of skills will provide tools to help your child achieve their potential. Should you have financial concerns, Mikaela will endeavour to assist you with finding the appropriate funding avenues, this will be discussed and clarified during the initial consultation.

     

    As a priority, we always spend time with parents to inform you about the rebates applicable to our services, including Medicare and private health insurance rebates. We want our service to be easily affordable so that we can move forward working with your child to get the best results possible.

     

    The easiest way to get started is to have a free over the phone consultation.This enables us to advise whether your child is ready to begin therapy now and we can help set up your first appointment. Call Mikaela for an obligation free phone consultation on 0455 575 777.

     

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    Referrals and Funding

    You do not require a referral to see a speech pathologist.

     

    Medicare

     

    We are registered Medicare providers and can provide therapy under two programs:

     

    A Chronic Disease Management Plan - this is organised by your GP and provides rebates for up to 5 sessions per calendar year.

     

    Helping Children with Autism package - this is provided by Allied Health Medicare Services and is a plan provided by your Paediatrician which provides funding towards a total of 4 sessions for assessment and up to 20 sessions of therapy until your child turns 13 years of age.

     

    Other funding

     

    NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme)

     

    The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is an Australian Government healthcare scheme designed to provide funding to people with developmental delay or a permanent disability.

     

    Our therapists are not registered providers with NDIS, however, we are able to assist with self-managed or plan-managed (third-party) NDIS clients.

     

     

  • Contact Us

    Thank you for your interest in our Speech Pathology services.

    We are currently running a waitlist with availabilites next expected in mid-January 2025.

    For our team to assess your child's suitability for our services and waitlist, please send us your details in the form below, including your child's current age and the suburb of Melbourne that you live in, as we come to you!

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    admin@wordofmouththerapy.com.au

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    0455 575 777

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    https://www.facebook.com/wordofmouththerapy/

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    https://www.instagram/wordofmouththerapysp/

  • Resources

    Currently being updated