Speech Pathology

Speech Language Pathologist, Kate O’Callaghan, has over 35 years’ experience assessing and treating a wide range of communication difficulties. Kate has a special interest in language-based literacy problems, including reading, writing and spelling. She has completed additional training in the highly effective, thoroughly researched ‘Multilit Literacy Programme’ developed at Macquarie University.

Referrals and Rebates

Doctor referrals are not necessary unless your child is eligible for Medicare rebates (up to 5 sessions per 12 months). These are available through your GP if your child is also being seen by another health professional. Otherwise, you can claim directly through your private health fund using the HICAPS system. Additional Medicare rebates (for a maximum of 20 sessions) are available for children with an ASD or PDD with referral through your Paediatrician.

Where can my child be seen?

Children can be seen at the clinic, their preschool or school. A strong emphasis is placed on working as a team which includes you and your child’s teachers, therapists, doctors and tutors.

Kate works with children ranging in age from 2 to 15 years who are experiencing difficulty in the following areas:

The brain is biologically-wired only for oral language (speaking, listening, and understanding) not for written language (reading and writing). There are no genes specific to reading and writing nor are there neurological or biological structures specific to reading and writing.

The Human Brain – Re-wired for written language

In order to successfully read, write and spell, the human brain must ‘re-purpose’ regions of the brain biologically designed for other purposes, develop specialisation of neurons, create new circuits and connections attuned to written language, and develop efficiency written these newly formed neural connections to achieve functional connectivity. Learning to read and write is not just about acquiring knowledge, it’s about establishing functional connectivity. For most students, this re-writing of the brain required multi-linguistic and multi-modality structured literacy instruction using Connectionist Word Study instructional methods.

Explicit instruction in phonics involves systematic and sequential teaching of the letter-sound relationships in written English that allow readers to decode words. Explicit teaching of phonics is a cornerstone of effective early reading instruction. Around one third of children will have difficulty learning to read without systematic teaching of how to ‘crack the code’ of written English, and another third will not learn to read at all without it.

Phonics instruction is most effective when integrated into a comprehensive literacy program that includes practice with decodable text as well as exposure to literature with a rich vocabulary. Decades of evidence shows that all children benefit from explicit and early teaching of the correspondences between letters and speech sounds.