Every child is different, so knowing if your child’s speech and language development is on track can be really tricky! That’s why our speech pathologists offer free speech and language screeners for parents who are concerned about their child’s progress reaching speech and language milestones.
Screeners are most suitable for preschool-aged children around 4-6 years old, as by this age, children should be able to make most speech sounds and use language effectively. In some cases, our speech pathologists may offer screeners to children aged from 2 years.
A screener only takes around 30 minutes and aims to identify whether your child’s communication development is on track or if they need additional support in some areas.
During the screener, your child will complete a few different activities to demonstrate their skills in the identified concern areas. This may include:
See our video below with Learning Links’ Therapy Manager, Liz Bell, for more information about what a screener tells you.
After completing a speech and language screener, the speech pathologist will provide immediate feedback about your child’s progress. If your child needs additional support, you will be referred for further assessment or a block of speech therapy sessions. You will also receive a one-page report with specific feedback and recommendations.
Free speech and language screeners are offered at Learning Links centres, subject to availability.
Our speech pathologists can also visit early childhood education settings to complete screeners with groups of children.
Our speech pathologists offer individual face-to-face support sessions in our learning centres across Sydney. Find out more about how we use fun, engaging and evidence-based strategies to empower your child to build their speech and language skills and reach their communication goals.
We run fun and interactive one-on-one telehealth video therapy sessions via Zoom. This can be a great option for families who are unable to travel to one of our centres and for children who may be more comfortable engaging with one of our speech pathologists in the familiar home environment.
If your child needs additional support, they may require a standard or extended communication assessment to help us understand exactly what their speech and/or language difficulties are and the specific interventions needed to support their goals.
