Frequently Asked Questions - Kellie O'Carroll Speech Therapy

What age should children start speech language therapy?

Most children who see a speech therapist are likely to be between 3-6 years of age when first seen. This is usually because of the broad range of development with younger children and people waiting to see how the child is developing before they refer.
Some Speech Language Therapists also work with swallowing and feeding difficulties - so may see babies.
Any age is fine - if you are concerned and want ideas and advice then contact us.

Does my child need to be able to sit and listen to do speech language therapy?

Not at all! The children we see are all ages, have different interests and different personalities. We design therapy sessions to be fun and keep the child's attention. Sometimes we may be sitting at a table or on the floor, sometimes we may be taking giant steps around the room to practice some words. It needs to be fun.

Is there a free (public-funded) Speech Language Therapy service in New Zealand?

Yes - Te Mahau, the Ministry of Education's Learning Support team, provide free speech language therapy services for preschool and school-aged students. Click here for more information: Ministry of Education Speech Language Therapy

Can my child have public and private Speech Therapy at the same time?

Yes.
Sometimes parents choose to do just Ministry funded Speech Language Therapy.
Sometimes parents choose to do just Private Speech Language Therapy.
Sometimes parents choose to do private speech therapy while they are on the public wait list, then stop the private therapy once they are picked up.

Sometimes parents want their child to have public funded and private Speech Language Therapy at the same time.
If this is the case, it's important for the parent and the Speech Language Therapists to discuss the best way for this to work.
e.g. the public therapist may focus on supporting the teacher to adapt the curriculum for the child's language skills, while the private therapist works directly with the child on speech skills.

As a parent / carer, will I be given things to do?

Yes. Children make the most progress if things are practiced throughout the week. Family life is busy - I'll work with you to plan how this can be carried out in the easiest and most successful manner.
e.g. if working on a particular speech sound, we could work out a 3-5 minute game that you could play together 4 times a week.
e.g. if working on language skills we might choose a particular part of your daily routine to work on the focus skill (e.g. practice using 3 word phrases during breakfast time).
Everything will be tailored to your child, your family life and the specific goals and skills we are working on.

Does my child need to see a Speech Language Therapist?

All children develop differently from each other - even siblings!
If you are worried whether you should get help for your child, consider:
* are you noticing progress? (e.g. are they learning new words, or getting longer sentences?).
* is your child frustrated they're not being understood?
* if your child attends an early childhood centre or school - what do the teacher's think?

A good resource you can look at is: Much More Than Words

In the end remember - if you don't feel things are improving and /or your child is getting frustrated - think about requesting Speech Language Therapy support.
If you're unsure, give me a call or email and we can chat about it.

What is the difference between a Speech Language Pathologist and a Speech Language Therapist?

Nothing. Traditionally in NZ we have been called Speech Language Therapists, overseas often we are called Speech Language Pathologists. It means the same thing.