ASSESSMENT

During our assessment phase we

• Gather information from you about your child’s birth, health & development, family history, and your concerns.
• Gain your permission to talk to other professionals, carers and teachers involved with your child to ensure that we have a complete picture of your child.
• Carry out scientifically researched assessments (psychometric assessments) and clinical observations of your child to gather information in either one or a combination of the following areas:
  1. articulation ( the clarity of your child’s speech)
  2. receptive language (what your child understands of spoken language)
  3. expressive language (your child’s use of sentences and grammar)
  4. pragmatic language (how your child uses language in a social context to interact with others)
  5. play skills
  6. literacy and phonological skills (the developmental of reading, writing and spelling skills)
  7. fluency of speech
• You may also be provided with easy to complete questionnaires

Understanding your child at this detailed level means that we can set specific, measurable, achievable and realistic goals; make appropriate recommendations for ways you can help your child at home; and how your child can be helped at childcare, pre-school or school.

Getting to know your child in this way can take between one to three sessions with the Speech Pathologist depending on the complexity of the information that needs to be gathered.

The first session usually occurs in the clinic and subsequent sessions may be in the clinic, at home, at childcare or at school. Once we have collected information about your child from this range of perspectives, we then collate the information into a comprehensive written report.