Frequently Asked Questions
Fees and Private Health Fund Rebates
Please phone Reception on (03) 9499 8911 to enquire about our fees.
We have HICAPS for private health claiming on the day of your appointment.
Payments can be made by EFTPOS, direct transfer and Medipass.
SPA Code of Ethics
Our Speech Pathologists adhere to the Speech Pathology Australia Code of Ethics. We are committed to high standards of ethical practice and professional conduct at all times.
Privacy
Click here to read our full Privacy Policy.
Feedback
We strive to provide a high-quality Speech Pathology service at all times. If you have concerns about any aspect of our service, please discuss this directly with the Practice Manager. Your feedback is always appreciated and helps us to continually improve and maintain our high quality service.
Covid (2023)
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Our therapists are providing both in-clinic and Telehealth services. Telehealth is often convenient when family members are unwell or life is too busy to travel!
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All of our staff members are fully vaccinated.
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Our waiting room is open for short stays only. Please arrive for your appointment at the scheduled time and you will be taken directly into the clinic room. If you are not attending the therapy session with your child please wait in your car or one of our local cafes, and come back to the collect your child at the time advised by your therapist.
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Please call us to reschedule your appointment or change to Telehealth if you or your child has Covid or any signs of illness. If you or your child is a close contact they may attend if they have a negative RAT on the day of the session.
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We have air purifiers in all therapy rooms.
Cancellation Policy
Please read this policy carefully. Booking an appointment at Speech Results means that you accept the terms of this policy.
If you have any questions about our cancellation policy, please chat to us. We are appreciative that most of our clients attend their scheduled appointments and adhere to this policy without any issues.
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If for some reason you need to cancel or reschedule your child’s appointment, we require at least 2 business days’ notice for private clients and 7 days’ notice for NDIS clients, or you will incur a fee (listed below).. We prefer a phone call within business hours, but you may also contact us by SMS and email. We do not have reception staff on the weekend, so any messages on the weekend are received on the Monday morning.
With short notice, it is unlikely that your therapist will re-fill your cancelled appointment. We do appreciate as much notice as possible, as this might allow your therapist to offer the appointment to another client on the waiting list. -
Most of our clients hold a regular appointment time slot, either weekly or fortnightly. For this reason, we also have a policy around the number of appointments you can reasonably ask to cancel or reschedule without incurring a fee.
If you cancel frequently, (that is, you attend less than 80% of your scheduled appointments, even though you have provided notice) you may incur a fee.
Alternatively, we may advise that we unable to hold the regular / preferred appointment time for your child and offer this time slot to another family.
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We do understand that all children get sick sometimes, and that this might occur on the day of your appointment. We ask that you don’t bring sick or infectious children into the clinic to protect our staff and other children from illness. If your child has a runny nose but is otherwise well, we may be able to offer a Telehealth session instead. Our therapists generally need some notice in order to plan an online session; we will let you know if this is possible.
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We send text message and email reminders, but these should not be relied upon. We ask you to keep track of any appointments you have made and to cross-check these with your child’s other activities such as school excursions.
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Our late cancellation / non-attendance fees are as follows:
‣ Late notice (or frequent) cancellation fee: Full session fee
‣ Non-attendance fee: Full session fee
‣ NDIS Clients: Full session fee
Please note:
‣ Medicare and Private Health funds cannot be used to cover cancellation fees.
‣ The NDIS scheme does cover late notice cancellation fees.
Parent FAQs
Please phone Reception on (03) 9499 8911 if your question is not answered here.
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Stuttering is a common issue in young children. Many children experience a brief period of stuttering, which then resolves on its own. The onset of stuttering is usually between age 2 and 4 years. If your child has been stuttering for just a few weeks don’t worry. It is safe to wait for a few months to see if the stuttering resolves naturally.
You should make an appointment for a Speech Pathology assessment if:
‣ There is a family history of stuttering
‣ The stuttering seems to be severe
‣ The child is distressed by the stuttering, or avoiding speaking situations
‣ One or both parents feel concerned about the stuttering
‣ The child has been stuttering for six months or longer
‣ The child is stuttering and will soon be going to school
Young children (up to the age of 6 years) respond well to a stuttering treatment program known as the Lidcombe Program. The staff at Speech Results are highly experienced in the assessment and treatment of stuttering. First we assess the child by taking a detailed case history and taking a number of measurements of the child’s level of stuttering. The parents are also trained to measure the severity of stuttering. The first phase of the treatment program normally involves 3-4 months of weekly appointments in the clinic, with daily home practice provided by the parents. The second phase involves less frequent visits to the clinic to ensure that a high level of fluency is maintained.
If you have more questions about your child stuttering, please contact us. -
At Speech Results we frequently assess and provide advice for children who have problems articulating the consonant sounds /s/ and /z/. There are two common problems with /s/ sounds: Inter-dental /s/ and Lateral /s/.
Interdental /s/
Speech Pathologists refer to this pattern as inter-dental /s/ because it involves placement of the tongue between the teeth. The effect is a distorted sound which can be similar to the /th/ sound. The problem can be acoustic (inaccurate sound), cosmetic (the child’s tongue is very prominent during speech) or both. Usually only the /s/ and /z/ sounds are affected, but some children may also have inter-dental productions of the sounds /t, d, n, sh, ch, and j/.
This pattern is quite common in young children, and may resolve without therapy by about 5 years of age. Use of a dummy, or finger / thumb sucking tend to promote a forward tongue pattern, and we recommend that these issues are addressed as soon as possible. Any medical issues such as large tonsils or adenoids also need to be investigated, so that the child is able to breathe through the nose and keep the lips and jaw closed.
If the inter-dental /s/ does not resolve naturally, therapy will be required. Treatment is very effective in children aged 8 to 10 years, when at least the first 8 adult teeth have appeared. These children often have an associated problem, known as a tongue thrust swallow, or forward swallow which also needs to be treated.
Lateral /s/
The lateral /s/ has a different quality to the inter-dental /s/. It is a slushy and distorted sound which gives the child’s speech an unusual quality. The lateral /s/ is produced when the child directs air down the sides of the mouth instead of centrally along the tongue. Some children respond quickly and easily to treatment, while others may find it more difficult to change this pattern. -
How should my child be communicating at 12 months?
‣ 12 Month Milestones
How many gestures should my child be making at 16 months?
‣ 16 Gestures by 16 Months
My child is 18 months. What should I expect?
‣ 18 Month Milestones
How many words should my child have at 2 years?
‣ 2 Year Milestones
I'm not sure if I should be worried about my 3 year old or not.
‣ 3 Year Milestones
What should my 4 year old be able to say and understand?
‣ 4 Year Milestones
My child is 5 years old. Should I be worried about his/her speech?
‣ 5 Year Milestones -