Our Services
Supporting Every Child's Unique Journey: Specialised Speech and Feeding Therapy for Children with Diverse Needs
At SPARK Speech and Feeding we welcome children with varying needs and have experience in assessing and managing children with conditions including:
Tongue tie
Cleft palate
Autism
Developmental delay
Chromosome differences e.g. Pitt-Hopkins syndrome, DiGeorge syndrome
Visual impairment
Hearing impairment/loss
Severe speech impairment
Complex medical conditions
Premature infants and children
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Articulation & Phonology
This refers to difficulties with the production of speech sounds, either by mispronouncing them (articulation errors) or patterns of sound errors (phonological processes) that affect clarity and intelligibility (i.e how easily understood they are to others). Examples include substituting sounds, omitting sounds, or distorting sounds.
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Expressive language
This involves the ability to convey thoughts, ideas, and feelings. Difficulties may include using incorrect grammar, limited vocabulary, or having trouble forming complete sentences.
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Receptive language
This refers to the ability to understand language, including understanding words, sentences, questions and more complex concepts. Difficulties may manifest as trouble following directions, understanding questions, or grasping the meaning of spoken language.
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Early language development
This encompasses the foundational skills in both understanding (receptive) and producing (expressive) language that develops in infancy and toddlerhood. Delays may be seen in areas like babbling, first words, or combining words into sentences.
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Social communication skills
This refers to the abilities to use language effectively in social situations, such as taking turns in conversation, maintaining eye contact, and understanding nonverbal cues. Challenges may include difficulties with greetings, making conversation, or understanding sarcasm and humor.
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Fluency (stuttering)
This relates to the smoothness of speech. Stuttering, or disfluency, involves interruptions in speech, such as repetitions, prolongations, or blocks, which can impact communication in both one to one and group settings.
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Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)
This refers to a motor speech disorder where children have difficulty planning and coordinating the movements needed for speech. This results in inconsistent speech errors, difficulty pronouncing sounds, and trouble with the rhythm and flow of speech.
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Feeding and swallowing difficulties
These difficulties can include coughing or gagging on fluids or food, trouble chewing and swallowing food, progressing from pureed to solid foods, avoiding certain textures of foods, or having a limited range of accepted foods in their diet. This can impact nutrition, growth, and positive mealtime experiences.
