The National Reading Panel identified 5 critical components for the successful development of literacy skills: Phonemic awareness — the ability to focus on and manipulate the smallest units of sound in spoken language.
Phonics — the relationship between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language
Vocabulary development — the stored information about …Continue reading

After I was asked this question by a parent again earlier this week it prompted this post. As some background speech pathologists work with children as young as premature infants with feeding difficulties through to adults who are in their nineties and beyond! Eating and communication are two of the most basic skills we need …Continue reading

My sister Anastasia is returning to work part-time after her recent maternity leave and has appointments available from the start of August. Her areas of special interest include school-aged speech and language as well as late talkers. She has already met a few of our little people when she did some observation sessions in the …Continue reading

What a fabulous day. I enjoyed listening to some amazingly knowledgable people at the inaugural RISA conference at the Brisbane Convention Centre. The conference entitled, “Infant Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease and its Complications” was a wealth of information regarding this disease that is surprisingly common in children. As many as 8% of children are affected and …Continue reading

I had a discussion with a parent today that highlighted the need for this post. The topic of Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) also referred to as Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) has been a source of controversy and warm discussions amongst academics, audiologists, speech pathologists and parents of children with listening difficulties for many years. I …Continue reading

Today I spent the day learning more about health economics and cost-effectiveness analysis of health services. Sounds boring? Not at all. As a society we appear to have developed an endless appetite for health services. We all want ourselves and our families to have the best health possible but are we willing to pay for …Continue reading

I have just finished an article about why I love my job so much. Click here to see the article.  

Lots of discussions, information and resources for parents will be available soon so watch this space! Feel free to join the conversation at any time. Speech pathologists, parents, teachers and anyone else trying to help children with communication or feeding difficulties are welcome. Looking forward to feedback from our visitors.