Speech Therapy

More Than Hearing offers an individualised therapy program to suit your communication needs and issues with swallowing. 

Flexible programs

All programs are specifically tailored to you or your child’s needs. Goals are established through evaluating areas of strength and weakness, and programs are created to incorporate individual learning styles and interests.

Active learning

We use a range of programs and resources to deliver therapy, including computer programs and goal-targeted games and activities. We place great emphasis on making therapy enjoyable and motivating as we believe people learn most effectively when they are actively engaged in the learning process. 

At school and in the home

After each session, a 10-15 minute home practice activity or written worksheet is given to ensure that you child is progressing steadily and consistently. Our speech pathologists can liaise with teachers to set shared goals, suggest practical classroom strategies, and check on the child’s progress in their everyday environment.

Initial consultation 

The initial consultation involves one of our speech pathologists taking background information, administering screening assessments, and then deciding whether a formal assessment is required. If you (or your child) have had other relevant assessments done, please bring the reports with you to your initial consultation. If a formal assessment has been recommended, all children under 18 years of age must have a hearing test first. This is to ensure that their speech difficulties are not related to poor hearing, which is common among school-age children due to the high incidence of ear infections.

How do I recognise a speech difficulty?

Everyone’s speech is different and children develop at different rates, so comparing someone’s speech to those around them is never an accurate gauge of what is ‘normal’.

You may benefit from speaking to a speech pathologist if you or your child suffers from one or more of the following issues: 

• Difficulty with the pronunciation of certain sounds, therefore affecting your ability to communicate effectively
• Difficulties with stuttering/stammering and overall fluency of speech
• Getting words ‘muddled up’
• Poor confidence as a result of speech
• Difficulty interacting with family, peers and colleagues because of speech difficulties .

Speech pathologists can also assist you if you’d like to improve your communication skills for public speaking or to work on your accent if English is your second language.

• Language therapy
• Language development is a highly complex process and involves a number of different factors. Language difficulties can be divided into two categories:
• Receptive language difficulties – problems with comprehension 
• Expressive language difficulties – problems with expression 

Our speech pathologists liaise closely with teachers and other health professionals to provide better overall support and management. Generally, the younger the child and the more regular the therapy, the better the long term outcome will be. 

How do I know if my child has a language delay?

It is worth consulting a speech pathologist if you (or your child) have difficulties with one or more of the following:

• Child not saying many words yet (or not talking at all)
• Difficulty following conversations
• Can’t clearly express what he/she wants to say
• Takes longer to process information
• Disorganised or jumbled up sentences
• Difficulty comprehending verbal information/instructions
• Problems understanding what has been read
• Easily forgets what has been said

Auditory training

More Than Hearing is one of the few practices in Melbourne who offer Auditory Training Therapy.

Like our speech and language therapy, our Auditory Training Therapy is individualised and tailored to you or your child’s needs. Read more about our LACE [link] program, which is available for use at home. 

Voice therapy

A voice disorder is a condition which affects the health of the vocal chords. This compromises the quality, strength, endurance and use of the voice.There are many different causes of voice disorders but they generally fall into one of three categories:

• Medical condition 
• Neurological condition
• Overuse/misuse

How do I know if I have/ or my child has a voice disorder? 

It may be worth speaking to a speech pathologist if you or your child has difficulty with one or more of the following: 

• Husky or hoarse voice
• A voice that tires quickly and easily
• Recent throat/vocal fold surgery
• You use your voice in a professional context (e.g. actor, teacher, singer)
• Pervasive cough (despite previous attempts to remedy with medication)
• Soft/weak voiceAphonia (no voice/lost voice)