Speech Pathology Sydney

Speech therapy assesses communication issues and speech disorders and utilises speech therapy techniques to improve communication. It is performed by speech-language pathologists (SLPs), who are often called speech therapists. 

The approaches used by speech therapists include articulation therapy, language intervention activities and other techniques depending on the type of speech disorder. Speech therapy is used for children’s speech disorders, or adult speech impairments that are caused by an injury or illness, such as a stroke. 

Our Support services are highly flexible

• Aphasia—Stroke is the most common cause of this disorder, but other brain disorders may cause it. It affects an individual’s ability to speak and understand others. 

• Articulation disorders—This is an inability to form some word sounds, such as saying “thith” instead of “this”. 

• Dysarthria—Most commonly caused by nervous system conditions, such as multiple sclerosis and stroke that cause facial paralysis or weakness in the tongue and throat, the inability to control the muscles required for speech causes slurred or slowed speech. 

• Expressive disorders—Associated with Down syndrome and hearing loss, an expressive disorder may also result from a head injury. It causes difficulty in expressing information, such as struggling to form accurate sentences. 

• Fluency disorders—These affect the rhythm, flow and speed of speech and include stuttering and cluttering

• Resonance disorders—A blockage or obstruction of airflow in the oral or nasal cavities affects the vibrations that are responsible for voice quality. These disorders are often associated with neurological disorders, swollen tonsils and cleft palate. 

• Receptive disorders —People with this disorder have trouble processing and understanding what other people say. It is associated with head injuries, hearing loss and autism. 

At Direct Focus Solutions, we want you or your child to feel comfortable and relaxed throughout your appointment for speech therapy. Sydney is home to several branches of our clinic around the city, offering convenient locations for you to travel to. Alternatively, you can always schedule a telehealth appointment so that you can speak to us from your home, office or elsewhere. Or, if you can’t get to us, we will do our best to accommodate an appointment at, for example, your child’s school, the local park, in your home or another location. Whatever we can do to make your speech therapy appointment happen, we will try to do it.

The first step is an assessment by a speech therapist to identify the type of communication disorder causing the problem, and then establish a program to improve it. 

Depending on the nature of the disorder, speech therapy for children may take place on a one-to-one basis, in small groups or in a classroom. Activities and exercises vary according to your child’s needs, age and specific disorder but may include using books, pictures and other activities to stimulate language development through playing and talking. 

For adults, therapy may include retraining of different functions, such as, the swallowing function if this has been impaired by a medical condition or injury. Exercises are used for a variety of situations to help with cognitive communication, language and speech, to strengthen oral muscles and for resonance. 

There are plenty of resources available to continue with your speech therapy at home, including apps and workbooks, which your speech therapist will discuss with you.