Assisting Children Through Paediatric Speech Pathology
At South West Kids Clinic, we are proud to provide compassionate and personalised speech therapy services for children in the Campbelltown region, including those with complex needs requiring home or school visits.
Conveniently located in Prestons and Picton, our qualified and experienced therapists work closely with families to create tailored treatment plans, empowering children to overcome communication challenges and achieve their goals.
We offer case-by-case consideration for home or school visits within the Campbeltown region to ensure children with complex needs receive therapy in the most supportive environment.
Reach out today on (02) 9602 3377 or via our online contact form to discover how we can support your child’s communication journey.
Ways Our Paediatric Speech Pathologists Support Your Child
Our speech therapy services are designed to help children overcome challenges with speech, language, and feeding. By understanding each child’s unique needs and collaborating with families, we develop customised therapy plans that prioritise meaningful progress. Whether improving speech clarity, building language skills, or addressing feeding difficulties, we are committed to helping your child grow in confidence and communication.
Accelerate Understanding and Use of Language
Our therapists focus on strengthening your child’s ability to understand and use language effectively. Through targeted activities and strategies, we enhance vocabulary development, sentence building, and overall communication. By tailoring our approach to each child’s needs, we help them build the skills they need for confident and independent daily interactions.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
For children with significant verbal communication challenges, we provide expert AAC support. From communication boards to advanced speech-generating devices, our therapists assess and recommend solutions tailored to your child’s needs. We work closely with families to integrate these tools at home and school, empowering children to express themselves confidently in every setting.
Speech Sound Development
Clear speech is vital for effective communication. Our speech sound development services address specific articulation challenges by identifying and targeting sound errors or delays. Using evidence-based techniques, we guide children through exercises that improve sound production and clarity. Early intervention in this area boosts communication skills, enhancing social interactions and academic success.
Tailored Therapy with Individualised Goals
Our speech pathologists work closely with families, educators, medical professionals, and therapy teams to create specific, measurable goals for each child. These goals, whether focused on speech clarity, language comprehension, or social communication, guide every therapy session. By tailoring our approach to your child’s unique needs, we ensure they receive focused support that leads to meaningful progress and the skills needed to thrive in daily life.
Stuttering and Fluency Intervention
Stuttering can impact a child’s confidence and communication. Our personalised approach helps children achieve smoother, more fluent speech using targeted strategies and exercises. We involve families and educators to reinforce techniques in everyday settings, providing a strong support system for your child. This comprehensive approach not only improves fluency but also boosts confidence, enhancing interactions at home, school, and in social situations.
Dysphagia Intervention
Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, can affect a child’s health and daily life. Our tailored therapy plans focus on improving safe swallowing and oral function, addressing each child’s specific needs. By working to enhance their ability to eat and drink safely and comfortably, we aim to improve their overall well-being and participation in daily activities, fostering a better quality of life for both the child and their family.
Advanced Speech Pathology Treatments We Implement
HANEN
The HANEN program is designed to empower parents to become key facilitators of their child’s language development. Through coaching and practical strategies, parents learn how to recognise and respond to their child’s communication efforts. By embedding language-building activities into everyday routines and encouraging child-led interactions, this program helps families create a fun and nurturing environment that supports their child’s language growth.
Learn To Play/Play-based Therapy
Play is a powerful tool for building language and social skills. Our play-based therapy uses engaging, meaningful play activities to encourage communication, foster social connections, and support developmental growth. Guided by neuroscience, we create joyful, natural opportunities for children to build these skills while having fun. Play isn’t just a method—it’s a meaningful experience that makes therapy enjoyable and effective for children of all ages.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
For children with significant communication challenges, we offer expert assessment and implementation of AAC systems tailored to their abilities and needs. From communication boards to advanced devices like eye-gaze technology, we collaborate with families, educators, and technical specialists to integrate these tools seamlessly into the child’s daily life. By ensuring the AAC system is used consistently across all environments, we empower children to express themselves confidently and connect with the world around them.
Switch Access Methods
Switch access AAC enables children with significant physical challenges to communicate by activating buttons using a body part they can easily control. These switches can connect to communication devices, toys, or even household appliances, allowing children to communicate, play, and gain independence. Our team collaborates with the child’s therapy team to customise these systems, ensuring they align with the child’s abilities and personal communication goals.
DTTC - Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing
DTTC is a specialised approach for children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech, focusing on planning and coordinating the mouth movements needed for speech. This method uses individualised cues and carefully chosen words to target specific speech patterns the child finds challenging. By providing consistent guidance, DTTC helps children improve their ability to produce clear and accurate speech.
ReST - Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment
ReST is designed for children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech, dysarthria, or severe phonological disorders. It focuses on teaching children to coordinate and practise new speech movements rapidly, improving accuracy and fluency. Each ReST program is customised to the child’s needs, ensuring progress and building confidence in their speech abilities.
Phonological Awareness
Phonological awareness involves recognising and understanding speech sounds, a critical part of typical development. Our Speech Pathologists assess and address delays or difficulties in this area, using targeted techniques to support sound awareness, discrimination, blending, and manipulation. These skills strengthen a child’s phonological system, laying the groundwork for improved social interaction, communication, and literacy development at school.
PROMPT
PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets) therapy uses physical guidance to teach children the correct movements for producing speech sounds. By gently manipulating the jaw, lips, and tongue, this method helps children with motor speech disorders learn how to articulate words clearly. PROMPT focuses on teaching words that hold significance for the child and their family, building meaningful communication skills.
Lidcombe Program
The Lidcombe Program is a structured behavioural therapy designed to help young children who stutter. Parents are trained to provide positive and supportive feedback on fluent speech, creating a nurturing environment to reduce stuttering. Our therapists guide families through this program, combining at-home practice with therapy sessions, working towards achieving fluent, stutter-free speech.
Fluency Intervention
Beyond the Lidcombe Program, our therapists use a variety of approaches to improve speech fluency. We assess the child’s stuttering patterns, their attitudes toward communication, and how stuttering affects their daily life. Collaborating with psychologists, we create personalised programs that build confidence, reduce stuttering, and help children use their voices freely and without hesitation.
Responsive Feeding Practices (RFP)
Mealtimes can be stressful for families of children with dysphagia or restricted eating habits. Our therapists use Responsive Feeding Practices to support positive mealtime experiences, helping families foster interest in foods while reducing anxiety around eating. By creating a calm and supportive environment, we aim to make mealtimes more enjoyable for both children and their families.
Vital Stim
VitalStim is a specialised therapy designed to improve swallowing function in children with dysphagia. This innovative treatment uses neuromuscular electrical stimulation to strengthen the muscles involved in swallowing while children engage in specific exercises. Our therapists are trained in VitalStim to ensure its safe and effective use, helping children develop improved swallowing abilities and greater comfort during meals.
Developmental Food Continuum
Food refusal or restricted eating often stems from more than behavioural challenges. Our Speech Pathologists assess your child’s oral motor skills and development to identify safe and appropriate foods that support biting, chewing, and swallowing. By progressively introducing new textures and food types, we help children build strength, coordination, and confidence, allowing them to explore and enjoy a wider variety of foods as their skills improve.
STEPS+ Program
The STEPS+ (Supportive Treatment of Eating in PreschoolerS) Program offers a trauma-informed approach to feeding intervention for children with dysphagia and food refusal or ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder). This structured program supports parents by reducing stress, building enjoyable mealtime routines, and developing their child’s oral motor skills. STEPS+ is designed to create positive, stress-free mealtimes that benefit the entire family.
Division of Responsibility Method
This method focuses on reducing mealtime stress while fostering healthy eating habits and skills. Caregivers are encouraged to decide what and when food is offered, while children are supported in recognising their own hunger and fullness cues. By clearly defining these roles, families can enjoy more harmonious mealtimes, helping children develop age-appropriate eating skills and a positive relationship with food.
Speech Therapy FAQs
Where are your clinics located, and how far are they from Campbelltown?
We have two clinic locations:
- Prestons Clinic: Just 15-20 minutes from Campbelltown, located conveniently off Hoxton Park Road.
- Picton Clinic: Only 30 minutes from Campbelltown, providing easy access for families in the area.
We also offer home visits, school visits and telehealth consultations where appropriate. Contact us today so we can discuss if this will be the right fit for you.
Travelling to the clinic will be challenging for my family and child due to their disability. Can you come to us?
Yes, we provide services tailored to children with complex needs, including:
- Home Visits: Therapy in the comfort of your home for children who benefit from familiar surroundings and have limited transportation options due to mobility difficulties.
- School Visits: Onsite support at schools for collaborative therapy.
- Telehealth Sessions: Convenient online therapy for clients who are suitable for remote support.
Do you work with local schools in Campbelltown?
Yes, we collaborate with schools in the Campbelltown region to provide onsite therapy and support teachers and staff in implementing strategies for your child’s development, where appropriate.
How do you determine eligibility for home or school visits?
Eligibility for home or school visits is determined on a case-by-case basis, focusing on the child’s specific needs. We prioritise visits for children with complex medical conditions, such as those who are medically fragile or have significant mobility challenges, as therapy in their familiar environment can reduce health risks, ease participation, and enhance outcomes. Our team also considers factors like therapy goals, location, and family circumstances to ensure the best support for each child.
Can I book telehealth sessions if I’m in Campbelltown?
Absolutely! Telehealth is a great option for families in Campbelltown who prefer therapy from the convenience of their own home or cannot attend in-person sessions regularly.
