Our Services
Speech Pathology
Our Speech Pathologists work with children and adolescents to diagnose and treat difficulties with:
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Receptive language: Understanding language, e.g. understanding concepts and following instructions, understanding questions and different sentence structures and genres.
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Expressive language: Use of language, vocabulary and sentence structure - including written expression
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Production of speech sounds: Articulation, phonology, motor coordination for speech
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Phonological Awareness and Literacy: Pre-literacy sound knowledge, reading fluency, reading comprehension, spelling support and Dyslexia assessment and support
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Social skills: Using non-verbal skills such as turn taking and eye contact and verbal communication for social situations
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Fluency: Producing smooth and fluent speech without stuttering
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Memory for learning: Strategies to aid in storage and retrieval of information.
Orofacial Myology
Orofacial Myology is the treatment of the orofacial muscles to improve muscle function and tone.
Our Speech Pathologists who have undertaken specific training in Orofacial Myology work with children and adolescents to diagnose and treat Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders. These disorders include patterns involving the muscles of the face and mouth that interfere with normal growth and development, such as:
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Incorrect tongue posture at rest and in speech production
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Mouth breathing
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Incorrect chewing and swallowing patterns
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Oral habits (e.g. thumb sucking)
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy may include treatment to:
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Establish the correct tongue rest posture
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Establish or restore nasal breathing with lip seal
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Eliminate non-nutritive sucking and chewing habits (e.g. thumb sucking)
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Eliminate compensatory muscle patterns and improve jaw stability
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Establish correct swallow patterns
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Improve the strength and coordination of the oral and facial muscles
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Dyslexia Assessment
Speech Pathologists possess the expertise to recognize and comprehend the foundational challenges children face in learning to read and write.
At Leap, all of our therapists have undergone additional literacy training so they can effectively assess and support children with dyslexia.
Our thorough approach to diagnosing dyslexia includes gathering extensive information from parents and schools to confirm that criteria, such as six months of targeted intervention, have been met.
Assessments conducted by our speech pathologists also highlight a child's strengths and recommend suitable accommodations and interventions to provide a clear and helpful understanding of the child. Diagnosis assessments may occur after six months of literacy-focused therapy or as an initial evaluation if the six-month intervention requirement has already been fulfilled.
Therapy
Assessment
Initial assessment is vital in understanding and planning programs tailored to suit the child and their specific areas of need. All of the assessments at Leap Therapy Group are conducted in collaboration with the child's parent/guardian and other relevant health professionals to gain a greater insight into the child. Leap Therapy Group offer a range of customised Speech Pathology assessment services to assess language, speech, fluency, voice, orofacial myology, social and literacy development.
Individual Assessment
An individual evaluation is comprehensive and customised, and dependant on the child's age, presenting concerns and interests of the child. These assessments usually take 1.5-2 hours and all the therapists at Leap endeavour to provide the parent with as much feedback on the day of the assessment. A comprehensive report will be prepared following the assessment.
Therapy
The Therapists at Leap Therapy Group tailor all therapy to cater for the child's and families needs. Goals are determined for each child and a therapy program recommended with the family in mind.
Our team is always striving to make therapy a fun and positive experience for the child.
Individual Therapy
Clients are seen for 30-60 minute session with a Therapist. The regularity of sessions will depend on the child's needs and the families requests. Most sessions begin as weekly to ensure a strong start with goals with consistency providing the greatest improvement.
Group Therapy
Leap Therapy Group also offer group therapy sessions targeting:
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School Readiness
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Social skills
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Language skills
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Parent training language and speech stimulation techniques.
These groups run at the clinic depending on client interest and time of year. Clients are chosen to take part in the groups if their goals are relevant to the group.
Groups are also run in Early Childhood Education Centres where all children at the centre are included with Educators able to upskill by watching and being involved in sessions.
Therapy Assistants
We have a warm and enthusiastic team of therapy assistants at Leap. The therapy assistants work under the supervision of our experienced Therapists on a client's current therapy goals. Their sessions are in addition to their normal therapy sessions and provide the client's further practise and support in achieving their goals. The therapy assistants work with children in their home, school or early childhood setting which promotes further carry-over and success.
Goals are set in collaborative manner with the therapists, client's family and therapy assistant. Regular meetings and feedback are undertaken by the therapy assistants and therapists to ensure best practice for the clients.
Click on the flyer below for further information and pricing.
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Workshops
Our Team at Leap Therapy Group are experienced in running parent workshops, childcare, preschool and school in-services and professional development for other Health Professionals.
We feel education and professional development for all people involved in a child's life is important for prevention, identification and successful support of children.
We have workshop packages for early childhood educators available, or we can tailor workshops and consultation sessions to suit the audience and desired area of interest. Feel free to contact our staff to discuss how we could provide a workshop for your communication, education or health setting.
