Language for Learning Assessments
About the assessments:
There isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” approach to speech pathology assessments. The goal is to:
- Understand your concerns and start identifying what might be causing them
- Explore support, management, or treatment options to help you reach your goals
- Review how well any current support is working
Assessments are customised to fit your child’s age and specific needs. For example, assessing a kindergartener who uses single words is different from assessing a 9-year-old struggling with reading comprehension.
Before the assessment:
Here’s what you need to do before your assessment:
- Identify Concerns: Why are you seeking an assessment? For example, are you worried your child has trouble learning new words, or dislikes reading and is falling behind at school?
- Set Goals: What do you hope to achieve? Are you looking for an explanation, diagnosis, treatment options, or support with funding?
- Funding and Documentation: If you’re using or applying for funding (like Medicare, health insurance, or NDIS), let us know. We need to meet specific requirements.
Complete these steps before your appointment:
- Service Agreement: Complete Here
- Case History Form: Complete Here
- Provide any relevant reports from other professionals (like speech pathologists, audiologists, etc.)
The more information you provide, the better we can tailor the assessment to your needs. It’s okay if you don’t have all the answers; sharing what you know helps us understand your concerns and goals better.
During the assessment:
Assessments are tailored to your child’s needs and may include:
- Discussion: Talking with you about your concerns and goals
- Observation: Watching your child communicate during play or while talking about their favourite things
- Activities: Using picture books, structured play, or formal tasks based on your child’s age and needs
- Tasks: These might include listening to speech, recording and analysing voice, or checking mouth movements
Assessments can be completed in one session or may require multiple appointments, depending on what needs to be investigated. Contact us if you’d like an estimate of how long an assessment might take.
How to access the service:
- Hearing Screening: All children need a recent hearing screening to access this service. ACT residents can get this at no cost through the Children’s Hearing Service.
- NDIS: We accept NDIS participants as well as children not using NDIS.
- Booking: Schedule appointments online.