Assisting Wollondilly Children Through Paediatric Speech Pathology
At South West Kids Clinic, we specialise in providing high-quality paediatric speech therapy for children aged 0-18, supporting a wide range of communication and language challenges.
Conveniently located on the corner of Margaret & Colden Street in Picton, our dedicated team works closely with families in Wollondilly to develop personalised therapy plans that meet each child’s unique needs and goals.
Our mission is to help children overcome communication barriers, build confidence, and reach their fullest potential through evidence-based therapy techniques.
If you’re looking for professional and compassionate speech therapy in the Wollondilly area, give us a call on (02) 4640 5090 or via our online contact form today to discover how we can empower your child to communicate with confidence and thrive.
How Our Speech Pathologists Can Help Your Child
South West Kids Clinic provides a comprehensive range of speech pathology services for children. Our goal is to address communication, speech sound, and feeding challenges through innovative and effective therapies. We work closely with families, as well as the child’s therapy and medical team, to ensure strategies are practical and empower families to take an active role in their child’s progress.
Here’s how we can help:
Accelerate Understanding and Use of Language
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
Speech Sound Development
Individualised Goals
Stuttering and Fluency Intervention
Dysphagia Intervention
Our Feeding Speech Pathologists work with children with Paediatric Dysphagia to learn vital eating and drinking skills so that they can participate with the most independence possible to eat with their friends and family while maintaining safety. Speech Pathologists at South West Kids Clinic work on this in the following ways:
- Our Speech Pathologists work closely with a child’s medical team to ensure that crucial referrals are made or that further investigations, such as Videofluoroscopic Swallow Studies or nasendoscopy, are conducted to explore airway safety.
- Oral Motor Examination: At a child’s first appointment or assessment, our Speech Pathologists examine oral motor skills and difficulties to identify causes of difficulty eating, drinking, and swallowing. Once our team understands oral motor skills, it tailors therapy to build strength, reduce risks, and support independent skills during meals and snacks.
- Optimising Mealtimes: We tailor food textures and types to suit each child’s developmental stage and swallowing capabilities, ensuring that mealtimes support their overall health and therapy goals. Our team also works with families to ensure foods work within their typical diet and schedule and to promote family participation during meals.
- Prescribing Equipment and Foods: We prescribe adaptive equipment and special foods where necessary to facilitate safer and more effective eating practices. This can include thickened liquids, special cutlery to support self-feeding, or cups that allow safe water drinking. Our team works alongside other therapy disciplines (Occupational Therapy or Dietetics) to ensure that strategies work with the child’s underlying skills or nutritional needs.
- Create Positive Mealtime Experiences: Our Speech Pathologists work to create enjoyable and stress-free mealtime routines, assisting families in managing and improving the dining experience and focusing on fun and connection during mealtimes. Our therapists support families in following Responsive Feeding Practices to enable children’s curiosity and interest in foods and mealtimes and take the stress out of the family’s routine.
Our Children’s Speech Pathology Treatment Techniques
We implement evidence-based and innovative therapies to address a wide range of speech and language challenges. Our techniques are designed to meet the unique needs of each child, ensuring therapy is both effective and engaging.
Our advanced approaches include:
HANEN
Learn To Play/Play-based Therapy
Augmentative and Alternative Communication AAC
Switch Access Methods
DTTC - Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing
ReST - Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment
Phonological Awareness
PROMPT
Lidcombe Program
Fluency Intervention
Responsive Feeding Practices (RFP)
Developmental Food Continuum
STEPS+ Program
Pacing Methods
Division of Responsibility Method
Our Picton Clinic – Accessible and Purpose-Built for Your Child's Care
Our clinic offers easy access without the stress of navigating the busy city centre.
With ample onsite parking, including dedicated disability parking right at our doorstep, we ensure a smooth and convenient experience for you and your child.
Our clinic also features accessible amenities designed to accommodate children and carers using mobility aids, ensuring comfort and ease during your visit.
A Space Designed for Comprehensive Care
Currently under construction, our purpose-built Picton clinic is designed to provide the highest level of care for children with diverse needs. Key features include:
- 23 Individual Treatment Rooms: Designed for different types of therapy to suit your child’s needs.
- Therapy Kitchen: Our kitchen, designed with lower bench heights, allows children using wheelchairs to fully participate in therapy sessions.
- Scales and Height Measuring Equipment
- Accessible and Modern Facilities: From bathroom amenities to our child-friendly atmosphere, we ensure a clean, comfortable, and welcoming environment.
This purpose-built space prioritises accessibility, innovation, and comfort to ensure therapy is effective and enjoyable for every child and their family.
When is the best time to start therapy?
The best time to start therapy is when you notice any developmental delays or concerns in your child. Early intervention is crucial as it can significantly improve the effectiveness of the treatment, helping your child achieve the best possible outcomes.
How often will I come to therapy?
The frequency of therapy sessions typically depends on your child’s specific needs and goals during the initial assessment. Most children benefit from weekly sessions, but we may suggest more or fewer visits based on your child’s progress.
Why is it important to be active in my child's therapy?
Put simply, the greater your involvement is in therapy, the quicker your child will gain results. For this reason, we only work with families actively involved in their child’s therapy. This includes collaborating to establish goals, participating in therapy sessions, completing practice between sessions and providing feedback to your therapist about progress between sessions.
Will you help me know what therapy I need?
Our team conducts comprehensive assessments to understand each child’s strengths and challenges. Based on these assessments, we develop individualised therapy plans that are continually adapted to reflect progress and changing needs.
How do I book an appointment?
You can contact our clinic directly or via email to discuss your child’s needs. Our reception team will ask quick questions about your child to determine the next steps required.
Will you help my child at school or child care?
Therapy sessions are primarily completed in our clinic; however, we occasionally recommend contacting the school or child care to observe your child and consult with the teachers regarding valuable strategies to promote success in the classroom or playground. Occasionally, ongoing sessions are suggested; however, this is based on clinical need rather than convenience.
