Assessment and Therapy Services 

 

Initial Assessments

For new clients, without a speech and language therapist report in the last 12 months, our assessment package includes two 2 face to face assessment sessions, parent case history and professional questionnaire (requiring your consent to contact school at the beginning of the process). 

​

For school aged children, the assessment covers speech, language, social skills and literacy assessment (a mixture of standardised and non-standardised) and a questionnaire for your child’s teacher will be required to be completed to provide a full profile of your child's strengths and the challenges they may face.

​

For younger children, the assessment covers a mixture of informal and formal assessment looking at speech, language, social skills and play, as well as a questionnaire for a daycare or preschool professional if appropriate, dependent on your child’s needs.

Following your assessment and return of parent and professional questionnaires, a full and comprehensive report with recommendations and strategies as well as therapy plan will be provided. 

​

1. My child only has difficulties with one of those areas, why do we need a full assessment?

While it may seem that your child’s difficulties are primarily in one area, it's important to understand that speech, language, literacy and social skills are interconnected. A comprehensive assessment allows us to:

• Identify underlying causes: Sometimes, difficulties with one of these areas can be linked to underlying language, speech or cognitive challenges. By assessing all areas, we can pinpoint the root cause and tailor a more effective treatment plan. 

• Detect early signs of other difficulties: Early identification of potential issues in language and literacy can help us intervene early and prevent future challenges. There is a strong link between all these areas and sometimes difficulties can go undetected until a child is much older and it has an impact on their school work.  

• Provide a holistic view: A full assessment gives us a complete picture of your child’s communication abilities. This helps us understand how their difficulties may impact other areas of their development, such as social interactions and academic performance.

By taking a comprehensive approach, we can ensure that your child receives the most appropriate and effective therapy to address their specific needs.

 

 

2. Why do I need to bring them for two assessment sessions, can’t we just get on with therapy?

We understand your eagerness to start therapy, but a thorough assessment is crucial to ensure that your child receives the most effective treatment. Here’s why:

• Comprehensive Evaluation: Two sessions allow us to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of your child’s speech, language, and literacy skills. This includes assessing their articulation, phonological awareness, sentence structure, comprehension of questions, sequencing abilities, and reading and writing abilities.

• Assessing over two sessions allow us to observe your child's performance over multiple settings and tasks. This helps us identify any inconsistencies in their skills and determine if their difficulties are due to specific factors, such as fatigue or anxiety.

 

3. I’m worried my child won’t engage in the activities

It’s completely normal to worry about your child’s engagement during the assessment. Our speech pathologists are highly skilled at building rapport with children and creating a fun and engaging environment. They use a variety of play-based activities and games to make the assessment enjoyable and informative for our assessments.

If your child is feeling anxious or overwhelmed, our speech pathologists will adapt the assessment to their individual needs in a more informal way. The goal is to create a positive experience that helps us gain valuable insights into your child’s communication skills.

 

4. What is the benefit of having a report?

• Effective Treatment Planning: By analysing the assessment findings, our speech pathologist can develop a tailored treatment plan that targets your child's specific needs.

• Progress Monitoring: The initial assessment report serves as a baseline for tracking your child's progress over time. Future assessments can be compared to the initial report to measure improvement.

• Collaboration with Other Professionals: The report can be shared with other professionals, such as teachers and paediatricians, to facilitate a collaborative approach to your child's therapy. Given the close link between speech and language and educational achievement, this information can be useful for your (pre)school setting. 

• Insurance and Funding: In many cases, a detailed report is required to obtain insurance coverage or funding for therapy services.

 

5. What will happen in the assessment?

• For school aged children this would look like a speech and literacy assessment in one session and a language assessment in the other. 

• For younger children this may look much more like a play session, where a variety of activities are available for your child to explore and the therapist will be assessing your child, structurally using checklists but informally. It may be that some elements of standardised assessment might be used 

 

6. What will happen after the assessment?

Assessment Report:

• A comprehensive therapy report will be provided to you. This report will include:

  • Your child's assessment results.

  • Treatment goals and objectives, varied to suit your young person’s needs within your family situation. 

  • Recommendations for continued support at home and school.

 

Therapy: 

• Therapy sessions are individually planned and tailored to help your child achieve their communication and learning goals. Therapy sessions are engaging and fun to allow your child to reach their full potential. Parents are encouraged to participate in therapy session and to evaluate progress. 

• Practicing techniques at home is crucial and materials, activities or strategies are often provided after a session. We encourage collaboration with schools, preschools and other professionals, so your child can achieve and generalise their goals in a range of environments and maintain progress. 

 

Session Frequency and Duration:

• Typical Schedule: Therapy sessions are typically scheduled weekly or fortnightly.

• Session Length: 25-minute weekly sessions are accessible for younger children and those focusing primarily on speech sounds, otherwise sessions are 45-50 minutes weekly or fortnightly depending on your child’s difficulties and therapists recommendations.  

 

7. Why do you need a questionnaire from another professional/teacher?

We understand that you may have questions about why your child's speech-language pathologist (SLP) needs reports from other professionals, such as teachers, psychologists, and occupational therapists.

Here's why:

• Comprehensive Understanding: Speech and language difficulties often overlap with other areas of development and by gathering information from various professionals, we gain a more complete picture of your child's strengths and challenges. For example, a teacher can provide valuable insights into your child's communication skills in the classroom setting, such as:

  • How well they participate in group discussions.

  • Whether they have difficulty understanding or following instructions.

  • If they have any social communication challenges.

• Identifying Underlying Causes: Sometimes, speech and language difficulties are linked to other conditions, such as:

  • Sensory processing issues: An occupational therapist can assess sensory sensitivities that may impact communication.

  • Social-emotional challenges: A psychologist can evaluate for anxiety, social anxiety, or other conditions that may affect communication.

• Developing a Holistic Treatment Plan: By understanding your child's overall development, we can create a more effective and individualised treatment plan. This may involve collaborating with other professionals to address related concerns and maximise your child's progress.

• Looking at the Child in Different Environments: Observing your child in various settings (school, home, therapy) provides valuable information about how their communication skills vary across contexts. This helps us understand the impact of different environments on your child's communication and identify potential areas for support.

 

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in gathering information from other professionals. This collaborative approach is crucial for ensuring the most effective and comprehensive support for your child's communication development.

 

8. I already have a report from a speech therapist. 

If you have a comprehensive assessment report (typically involves the use of standardised/non-standardised assessment) from a registered Speech Pathologist within the last 12 months and can provide this prior to a session. It will be reviewed by our senior clinicians and a decision made whether you require a full initial assessment or a screen/review at your first therapy session. 

We are looking for a report that covers assessment of all areas of speech and language development as well as information on previous input and goals. In cases where we are using a previous report, it may be recommended that a parent session be conducted prior to starting therapy. 

 

9. When will I receive my report?

We try to work to a 2-week report turn around following the assessment and we’ve received professional reports and questionnaires. However, there are situations where there is a need for additional time which may include scheduling, therapist leave or sickness. The therapist or the wider team will be in close contact to inform you of any changes. 

 

10. Do you offer school or preschool visits?

At Kids Inspired we have therapists who can provide preschool/school-based therapy sessions however not all of our therapists offer regular offsite visits. If you require sessions to be held offsite, please let us know as there is often an additional waitlist for mobile sessions. Currently we have limited availability for school year 2025. Please note, our senior clinicians do not offer on-going therapy sessions in schools.