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	<title>Latest News</title>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/is-there-more-to-speech-pathology-than-what-meets-the-eye_105s97</link>
<title><![CDATA[Is there more to Speech Pathology than what meets the eye?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[&ldquo;I had people in my life who didn&rsquo;t give up on me. My mother, my support worker, my teacher. I had one-on-one Speech Pathology. I had a nanny who spent all day playing turn-taking games with me.&rdquo; - Temple Grandin.

Dr Grandin did not talk until she was three-and-a-half years old. She was fortunate enough to have early Speech Pathology intervention.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[&ldquo;I had people in my life who didn&rsquo;t give up on me. My mother, my support worker, my teacher. I had one-on-one Speech Pathology. I had a nanny who spent all day playing turn-taking games with me.&rdquo; - Temple Grandin. 

Dr Grandin did not talk until she was three-and-a-half years old. She was fortunate enough to have early Speech Pathology intervention. Her teachers also taught her how to wait and take turns when playing board games. Temple Grandin is autistic. Temple Grandin is also a prominent author and speaker on both autism and on animal behaviour. 

We, as Speech Pathologists, have high expectations for your child, no matter how severe their impairments. We have high expectations because we believe everybody deserves the best chance. 

Speaking of Learning not only looks at the impairments of the clients we see. We look at the individual, their personality, their likes and dislikes, and we work together with them, to give them the best chance at using their gifts and abilities in the society and world they live in. 

From addressing speech clarity and smooth speech, working on grammar and sounding out of phonemes, learning to engage with people by abiding by the rules of conversation, to understanding emotions and other peoples perspectives, we meet your child at every angle of their communication. 

Using eye-contact and body language to get a message across can be profoundly ground-breaking for some of our clients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). 

Understanding how to generate a syntactical and grammatically correct sentence both orally and in written form can greatly benefit a child&rsquo;s progress in class. 

Understanding how to regulate emotions, weigh up the size of a problem and adjust reactions accordingly, can help our clients develop a stronger and deeper connection with their siblings and friends. 

Teaching our clients to make requests verbally and understand instructions will act as a catalyst for them engaging in their kindergarten activities and learning. 

As Speech Pathologists, one session at a time, we have the deepest desire to inspire and enlighten our clients with their potential and incredible ability, beyond how they appear to the common eye. Our greatest motivation is to encourage each of our clients to see beyond their impairments and be all that they were created to be. 
]]></content>
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<pubDate>12 Aug 2020 23:43:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/i-like-to-move-it-move-it_105s96</link>
<title><![CDATA[I like to move it, move it!]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Are you a parent who gets stressed-out home-schooling your children and juggling other responsibilities (work, cooking, house chores, the list goes on&hellip;) during this stay-at-home period? Here are some tips on how we can get moving within the current constraints, be it the colder weather or the lockdown restrictions. Hope you&rsquo;ll find them useful!
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Eve Tan is an experienced Speech Pathologist who works part-time at Speaking of Learning. In her other job, she works in a Key Worker role, utilising her Speech Pathology skills and also collaborating with other professionals (including OT and Psychologist) in providing early intervention to children with additional needs. 

Are you a parent who gets stressed-out home-schooling your children and juggling other responsibilities (work, cooking, house chores, the list goes on&hellip;) during this stay-at-home period?

Does it sometimes feel like there are so many things to tick off the to-do-list that it is almost impossible to get some exercise done, or to just&hellip;take a break?

As a therapist running online therapy sessions throughout the day, I can relate to this to a certain extent. I often have to set reminders on my phone to take a break from looking at the screen and get some movement breaks in between seeing clients. Movement breaks make such a huge difference to our headspace, and while it&rsquo;s tempting to power through the school-supervising/work hours so that we can &lsquo;get this over and done with&rsquo;, we need to allocate frequent breaks throughout the day to keep our physical and mental health in check. These breaks are so important to us and our children to help regulate our bodies. Here are some tips on how we can get moving within the current constraints, be it the colder weather or the lockdown restrictions. Hope you&rsquo;ll find them useful!

When you&rsquo;re stuck indoors, consider pairing one of the fun movement break ideas below with a learning task your child does not usually enjoy doing, as an incentive given after: &lsquo;Alright, how about you finish your narrative writing task, then we&rsquo;ll do a quick, fun break!&rsquo;.  Quick is the key word because we know you&rsquo;re busy!

1. Red Light, Green Light

Find an open area in your house. When you say, &ldquo;Green light,&rdquo; your child has to walk fast, then the child stops when you say, &ldquo;Red light.&rdquo; Allow your child to say &ldquo;red light, green light&rdquo; for you to stop and move, too! This is a fun activity which you can target following instructions and turn-taking skills. Win-win!

2. Dance Party

Play a song and do some silly dance moves. Pause the song every once in a while to get the child to &lsquo;stop&rsquo;/&rsquo;freeze&rsquo;, and play the song to start again. This is a great movement break for little children who are still learning basic concepts such as &lsquo;Stop&rsquo; &lsquo;Go&rsquo; and &lsquo;Wait&rsquo; &ndash; Similar to the &lsquo;Red Light, green light&rsquo; game, this dance party idea targets important words for road safety too, so it is good to practise these concepts in a fun setting.

3. Animal Walk

Give instructions to your child to do animal walks around the room, such as &lsquo;hop like a bunny&rsquo;, &lsquo;crawl like a lion&rsquo;, &lsquo;stomp like an elephant&rsquo;, &lsquo;leap like a frog&rsquo;. Not only do you get to help your child burn off some energy, you are also targeting language concepts such verbs (action words: hop, crawl, stomp) and pairing them with actions to help them remember the verbs more easily.

4. Wall Push-Ups

This is my personal favourite and one I learned from my colleague who is an Occupational Therapist &ndash; sometimes it helps to push on those walls a bit to help us feel like we have enough breathing room. Get your children to lean against the wall with their hands and do some upright push ups or pretend to push the wall outward.

5. I Spy/Scavenger Hunt

Write down a few adjectives (describing words) on pieces of paper, fold them up and put them in a bowl. Get your child to pick a piece of paper from the bowl and find an object around the house that matches the description. &lsquo;Find something that is&hellip;round,&rsquo; &lsquo;Find something that is&hellip; alive,&rsquo; &lsquo;Find something that is&hellip; shiny.&rsquo; This is a great activity to target adjectives, and you can absolutely put in trickier adjectives for the older children, e.g. &lsquo;Find something that is...pliable,&rsquo; &lsquo;Find something that is&hellip;concealed,&rsquo; to help them expand their vocabulary as well.

That&rsquo;s all for now. I shall stop typing because it&rsquo;s time for you to get moving!
]]></content>
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<pubDate>12 May 2020 04:31:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/telehealth-all-the-time-in-the-world-lets-use-it_105s95</link>
<title><![CDATA[Telehealth- All the time in the world? Let&#39;s use it!]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s tough as an adult to occupy our time when required to be at home for weeks on end. A walk or two might get the jitters out, along with numerous cups of tea to sip on to pass the day away. But, we manage, right?
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<content><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s tough as an adult to occupy our time when required to be at home for weeks on end. A walk or two might get the jitters out, along with numerous cups of tea to sip on to pass the day away. But, we manage, right?

With winter fast approaching, the looming thought hanging over the heads of many parents today is&hellip; What do we do with our kids to keep them occupied? How do we continue Speech Pathology whilst at home? How do we help our kids engage in therapy tasks?

At Speaking of Learning


	we &lsquo;do&rsquo; respect.
	We &lsquo;do&rsquo; praise.
	We &lsquo;do&rsquo; fluency.
	We &lsquo;do&rsquo; mistakes.
	We &lsquo;do&rsquo; working hard.
	We &lsquo;do&rsquo; language.
	We &lsquo;do&rsquo; LOTS of practice.
	We &lsquo;do&rsquo; questions.
	We &lsquo;do&rsquo; laughter.
	We &lsquo;do&rsquo; social skills.
	We &lsquo;do&rsquo; risk taking. We &lsquo;do&rsquo; friendships.
	We &lsquo;do&rsquo; articulation.
	We &lsquo;do&rsquo; listening.
	We &lsquo;do&rsquo; learning.


And guess what? We, along with you, can do all of that, and so much more, in the comfort of our own homes!

Therapy looks vastly different to many of us currently. Instead of the usual routine of coming to clinic for face-to-face sessions, we are being asked to engage with our clients and Speech Pathologists, via webcam&hellip;Crazy times!

Let&rsquo;s take the opportunity to embrace what life has thrown at us. Join us on this exciting new journey and become the Speech Pathologist in your own home! Let US help YOU, to occupy your child&rsquo;s time, with meaningful activities that target therapy goals to benefit your child and help progress continue to be a reality.

So here are three practical tips for you to engage with Speech Pathology via telehealth:


	Ask your Speech Pathologist lots of questions - There is no such thing as a silly question! Ask for extra homework tasks, ask for more explicit instructions, ask for extra resources that you can use at home. Let US help YOU to work with your child.
	 
	Utilise every aspect of your day - Speech Pathology work does not always have to be a sit-down activity. Do it whilst riding your bikes. Do it whilst going for a walk. Do it during &lsquo;tv time&rsquo;. Do it over the dinner table. Do it whilst making your numerous cups of tea (or hot choccy)! For more ideas on how you can incorporate speech and language skills into your daily routine, you can check out this blog post.
	 
	Encourage your child to engage in activities with incentives. And get creative! Save your cookie baking until after you have talked about emotions in characters from the movie. Save the lollipops until the whole book has been read. Use a &lsquo;walk in the park&rsquo; as an exciting incentive to help your child complete their list of spelling words. Move &lsquo;TV time&rsquo; to the end of the day, after you have worked on your joint attention and turn-taking.   


Our thoughts are with parents worldwide, who desperately want their child to remain engaged in Speech Pathology, and feel like they can&rsquo;t. Rest assured&hellip; You can, and you will! Together, we will.
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/telehealth-all-the-time-in-the-world-lets-use-it_105s95</guid>
<pubDate>08 May 2020 00:51:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/encouraging-meaningful-communication-with-your-children-during-this-stay-home-period_105s94</link>
<title><![CDATA[Encouraging Meaningful Communication With Your Children During This Stay-Home Period]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[This can be a stressful, challenging time for parents with children with additional needs as well. However, I would like to reassure you that there are many things that you can be doing to help your children develop their communication skills at home. Yes, that&rsquo;s right, you don&rsquo;t have to have a degree in Speech Pathology to be your child&rsquo;s best therapist during this trying time!
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[During this period of isolation, it can be difficult to juggle different things at one go &ndash; from working, getting essential supplies (oh, the joys of finding that 24-pack toilet rolls at Woolworths!) to keeping children occupied (hands up if you&rsquo;re feeling overwhelmed looking through endless parenting blogs and Facebook posts to find &lsquo;stay-at-home activities&rsquo; and &lsquo;home-schooling ideas&rsquo;!)...if you are a parent reading this post, I just want to start off by saying you deserve a pat on the back!

This can be a stressful, challenging time for parents with children with additional needs as well. However, I would like to reassure you that there are many things that you can be doing to help your children develop their communication skills at home. Yes, that&rsquo;s right, you don&rsquo;t have to have a degree in Speech Pathology to be your child&rsquo;s best therapist during this trying time! In fact, the increased time spent at home means you can assist your children in transferring the skills they have learnt in their Speech Pathology sessions to their daily routines.

Did you know that different parts of your daily routines can be used to target various speech and language skills? It doesn&rsquo;t always have to be &ldquo;fun and games&rdquo;! Here are some ideas below:

1. Planning your day:

Writing or drawing a daily schedule, and placing it somewhere where your child can see it, can help create some predictability and structure in your child&rsquo;s routines. It can also build excitement for all the fun activities ahead. For older children, you can also create your plan together.

You may find that short spurts of learning (e.g. half an hour of writing activity followed by a quick snack or movement break), may be more productive than dedicating 2 hours for English.

2. Mealtime:

For younger children, mealtime is a great way to encourage basic oral language development. Get them involved in meal preparation and talk about what you&rsquo;re doing &ldquo;Crack the eggs into the large, red bowl&rdquo; &ndash; you are providing the children the opportunities to learn various language concepts such as verbs (crack), prepositions (into), and adjectives (large, red).

Getting the children to help with simple tasks is also a great way for them to follow simple, 2-steps instructions &ndash; &lsquo;Get the plates from the cabinet and put them on the table.&rsquo;

During meals, you can get your child to comment on the colour, taste, and texture of the food, e.g. &lsquo;The snow peas are green and crunchy.&rsquo;  For older children, you can get them to practise conversation skills. Some ideas include: talking about one thing they are thankful for, one thing that didn&rsquo;t go so well today, and one person they helped today (I got this idea from this blog post by Fun Cheap or Free). Get the conversations flowing, but also do remind them to wait for their turns!

3. Putting away grocery items:

This activity may seem mundane but it contains many great opportunities to target language concepts, such as irregular past tense &ndash; &ldquo;Dad went to the shops and he bought ________ ,&rdquo; as well as prepositions, &ldquo;Put the apples on the bench, put the ice cream in the freezer.&rdquo; If you bought 20 items from the shops, that&rsquo;s 20 repetitions the child gets to practise his past tense verbs and prepositions!

4. Book Sharing:

It&rsquo;s NOT about getting a specific book, but it&rsquo;s about how you can share the book to make it a language-rich (and fun!) experience for the child. There are so many new and different things children could learn while listening to a story, so don&rsquo;t be afraid to read the same story book a few times, focusing on different elements each times. Perhaps today you want to focus on labelling the objects on the pictures. The next time you want to focus on getting the child to describe what the story characters are doing, and after that you may want to get the child to practise his /f/ sound by finding all the words that contain the /f/ sound throughout the story book.

For younger children who are more hands-on, you can get those Touch-and-Feel and Lift-the-Flap books and model some verbs as the child carries out the action (&lsquo;pull&rsquo;, &lsquo;push&rsquo;, &lsquo;open&rsquo;, &lsquo;close&rsquo;).

For children who are learning about emotions, you can get them to talk about how a character is feeling, and why they might feel that way.

For children who are working on their narrative skills, you can prompt them to retell the story in their own words, encouraging them to use &ldquo;first&rdquo;, &ldquo;next&rdquo;, &ldquo;then&rdquo; and &ldquo;last&rdquo;.

There are no hard or fast rules when it comes to reading a book to your children. The sky is your limit!

 

I always remember this quote from Stanley Greenspan - &ldquo;Always look for the gleam in the child&rsquo;s eye. Look for the affect. The biggest mistake to make is not looking for the light in the eye.&rdquo; When you see the gleam in a child&rsquo;s eyes, you know the interaction is going to be meaningful and functional. Even with seemingly mundane daily tasks, you can still engage in meaningful communication with your children.

Here are some other fun children websites which you can visit:


	Zoos Victoria Live
	Cooking with Jamie and his kids
	30 day Lego challenge
	Playdoh Ideas

]]></content>
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<pubDate>14 Apr 2020 05:25:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/trugs-at-home-selling-online-now_105s93</link>
<title><![CDATA[Trugs at Home - Selling Online Now]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[TRUGS at home

Teaching Reading Using Games at home provides students with a structured phonics experience which reinforces and consolidates letter-sound correspondences.  
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[TRUGS at home

Teaching Reading Using Games at home provides students with a structured phonics experience which reinforces and consolidates letter-sound correspondences.  

The game format engages, whilst the cards provide the reading drill required for the development of step-by-step phonics-based reading skills. All the words on the cards are decodable &ndash; i.e the letter-sound correspondences are &lsquo;regular&rsquo;.

In TRUGS at home, each stage provides three games &ndash; Get It (2 players), Match It, Take It.

Shop our Online Store Now
]]></content>
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<pubDate>31 Oct 2018 06:50:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/how-should-students-revise-a-brief-guide_105s92</link>
<title><![CDATA[How should students revise? A brief guide]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[ 

A revision guide for secondary students, explaining a range of useful techniques.

https://chronotopeblog.com/2018/05/05/how-should-students-revise-a-brief-guide/
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[ 

A revision guide for secondary students, explaining a range of useful techniques.

https://chronotopeblog.com/2018/05/05/how-should-students-revise-a-brief-guide/
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/how-should-students-revise-a-brief-guide_105s92</guid>
<pubDate>24 May 2018 01:12:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/specific-language-impairment-sli-versus-speech-sound-disorders-ssd_105s91</link>
<title><![CDATA[Specific Language Impairment (SLI) versus Speech Sound Disorders (SSD)]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[ 

This article discusses the differences between a specific language impairment (SLI) and a sppech sound disorder, and the importance of identifying an SLI in order to provide appropriate treatment.

https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/specific-language-impairment-sli-versus-speech-sound-disorders-ssd/44789/
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[ 

This article discusses the differences between a specific language impairment (SLI) and a sppech sound disorder, and the importance of identifying an SLI in order to provide appropriate treatment.

https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/specific-language-impairment-sli-versus-speech-sound-disorders-ssd/44789/
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/specific-language-impairment-sli-versus-speech-sound-disorders-ssd_105s91</guid>
<pubDate>24 May 2018 01:07:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/specific-language-impairment-sli-versus-speech-sound-disorders-ssd_105s90</link>
<title><![CDATA[Specific Language Impairment (SLI) versus Speech Sound Disorders (SSD)]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[This article discusses the differences between a specific language impairment (SLI) and a sppech sound disorder, and the importance of identifying an SLI in order to provide appropriate treatment.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[ 

 

 

 

 

https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/specific-language-impairment-sli-versus-speech-sound-disorders-ssd/44789/
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/specific-language-impairment-sli-versus-speech-sound-disorders-ssd_105s90</guid>
<pubDate>24 May 2018 01:03:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/speech-pathology-in-schools_105s89</link>
<title><![CDATA[Speech Pathology in schools]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[This article discusses the importance of including speech pathology within the school environment to support a range of student difficulties

 

http://www.edureporter.com.au/latest/?utm_source=The+Australian+Education+Reporter&amp;utm_campaign=301e9564df-The_Australian_Mining_Review_Online_May-2017&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_46181ca185-301e9564df-72130805#page=48
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[This article discusses the importance of including speech pathology within the school environment to support a range of student difficulties

 

http://www.edureporter.com.au/latest/?utm_source=The+Australian+Education+Reporter&amp;utm_campaign=301e9564df-The_Australian_Mining_Review_Online_May-2017&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_46181ca185-301e9564df-72130805#page=48
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/speech-pathology-in-schools_105s89</guid>
<pubDate>06 Mar 2018 06:28:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/the-importance-of-decodable-texts-for-children-learning-to-read_105s88</link>
<title><![CDATA[The Importance of Decodable Texts for Children Learning to Read]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[ 

 
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Decodable text enables children to read at the level of letter-sound combinations that they have been taught, without the confusion having to rely on context to guess unknown words.

 

https://johnkennyweb.wordpress.com/2018/02/08/what-are-decodable-texts-and-why-are-they-important/
]]></content>
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<pubDate>06 Mar 2018 05:42:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/australian-declaration-for-young-children_105s87</link>
<title><![CDATA[Australian Declaration for Young Children]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[ 

 
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[ 

This article highlights the importance of using evidence-based practice in the recording of childhood development, and subsequent treatment.

 

https://colab.telethonkids.org.au/areas-of-research-focus/australian-declaration-for-young-children
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/australian-declaration-for-young-children_105s87</guid>
<pubDate>20 Feb 2018 01:15:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/reading-to-your-child-is-important-don39t-forget-to-talk-with-them-too_105s86</link>
<title><![CDATA[Reading to your child is important - don&#39;t forget to talk with them too!]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[A study from Macquarie University shows the importance of talking with your child to support their literacy skills
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[A study from Macquarie University shows the importance of talking with your child to support their literacy skills

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-18/childrens-literacy-study-links-hearing-words-to-reading-ability/8697138
]]></content>
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<pubDate>04 Aug 2017 01:43:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/why-a-speech-pathologist-for-a-student-at-school_105s84</link>
<title><![CDATA[Why a Speech Pathologist for a student at school? ]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Louise Griffths, an educational consultant, gives her perspective on the merits of speech pathology.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[In the last eighteen years working in the teaching profession, I have seen significant changes in the classroom environment. As a graduate teacher in the year 2000, I was given a year one and two class. My colleagues were shocked to discover that I had been allocated two students diagnosed with ADHD. In addition to that, I had a boy who had come from a non-English speaking background. I was sent off to a 10-session professional development course to help me learn how to support him! In that educational era, a teacher would have a natural variety of academic abilities represented within the classroom. We had graduated from our teaching degrees with an understanding of how to modify a worksheet to cater for two or three ability groups. We were even tutored in the various ways by which you could keep your class &lsquo;under control&rsquo;. It was called &lsquo;Behaviour Management&rsquo;. Basically, if I just praised my students for the good and tried to ignore the bad, I should be okay. There was also the detention system if my students&rsquo; behaviour needed further intervention. Somehow or other, I managed to get through that year. One of the students with ADHD went on medication and the other one was drawn to my sense of humour, so the year wasn&rsquo;t all that bad. My student from the non-English speaking background&hellip; Well I did my best. However, unbeknown to my colleagues and I, the landscape of mainstream education was changing more rapidly than we could have ever imagined. In the next few years, more and more parents came to us to share the news that their child had been &lsquo;given a diagnosis&rsquo;. Some children came with sensory processing issues. Others, developmental delays, auditory processing delays, autism spectrum disorder, physical disabilities, the list went on and on. It was no longer a case of just a couple of children in my class needing a little extra care. Now, up to a third of my students had needs that ought to be taken into consideration in my weekly planning. I dearly wanted to carefully address the needs of every student in my class, but I was one woman in a sea of 25 students. I was one woman with four years of university training that didn&rsquo;t equip me with the skills to address the very individual, specific needs of all my children. The fact of the matter is, a teacher is trained to provide education in the areas of literacy, numeracy, humanities, sciences, the arts and sport. We were never trained to provide ongoing remediation for a child with who has sensory processing issues. We were never equipped to help a child learn how to read social cues and respond appropriately. We were never taken through a course on how to help a child with a poor working memory to compensate for his memory gaps. Sadly, we weren&rsquo;t taught how to help a child deal with the constant barrage of sensory overload that occurs every day in the school environment. Actually, there is a whole lot of things that we weren&rsquo;t trained to do. Even now, returning to university to complete my Masters of Special Education, there is still a whole pool of knowledge that I will never truly understand. This area pertains to how we use minute elements of speech and language to draw meaning from the words and actions of others, and how we use our own speech, language and emotions to communicate our intentions. Sure, I can teach a child how to write a persuasive essay, comprehend a basic text, structure and present a class talk&hellip; but if a child is struggling to communicate at the same general level as their peers for whatever reason, there is only so much I can do in the classroom. It is for this reason, that the role of the Speech Pathologist is becoming increasingly important in our schools. Speech Pathologists bring a whole area of expertise that even the most seasoned teacher does not have access to. They have been trained in the nuances of communication and have the time and knowledge to pin-point seemingly small yet significant factors that may be impeding a child&rsquo;s communication skills. When a Speech Pathologist spends time with a child, their attention is solely on that child for 30 minutes straight. There are no other students vying for their attention; all the therapist is thinking about is that one child in that therapy session at that moment. When I am a classroom teacher in a busy school, there is no way I can give a student 30 minutes uninterrupted time, let alone provide intervention for their communication development. Whilst teachers continue to try and keep abreast of developments in multiple disciplines, particularly with regard to technology, Speech Pathologists continue to focus on their one specific domain. Communication. A Speech Pathologist is required to continue perfecting their discipline, and their membership of their association (Speech Pathology Australia) is dependent upon their continual professional development. When a child is struggling to communicate at an age-appropriate level, either by word or written text, or they are unable to keep up with the messages and signals being communicated to them, then it is time to call a Speech Pathologist. The educational landscape has quickly changed in the past 15 years, and we need to realise that classroom teachers are no longer the solution to every struggle our child faces. If your child is struggling in the classroom, perhaps it is time to enlist some additional help. Why not ask the Special Education Teacher in your school to recommend a well-respected Speech Pathologist to assist your child in their educational journey?

Louise Griffiths Educational Consultant Exploring All Options louise.c.griffiths@icloud.com

 

 
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/why-a-speech-pathologist-for-a-student-at-school_105s84</guid>
<pubDate>25 Jul 2017 02:13:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/holiday-programme-winter-2017_105s83</link>
<title><![CDATA[Holiday Programme - Winter 2017]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Speaking of Learning are offering group and individual sessions in the second week of the school holidays.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Speaking of Learning are offering group and individual sessions in the second week of the school holidays.

Groups on offer include:

Social thinking: Prep, Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4

Sibling support: Sessions aimed at your child and their siblings to support their understanding of each other

Language analysis: Providing techniques for senior school students

Individual intensives: Literacy and/or language support for students 

Call or email us for further information. Bookings and payment are due by the 23rd of June.
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/holiday-programme-winter-2017_105s83</guid>
<pubDate>30 May 2017 06:43:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/autistic-character-introduced-on-sesame-street_105s82</link>
<title><![CDATA[Autistic character Introduced on Sesame Street]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[There&#39;s a new character on Sesame Street. Follow the link below to read about Julia!

http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/sesame-street-to-introduce-julia-a-muppet-with-autism-20170320-gv2izp.html
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/autistic-character-introduced-on-sesame-street_105s82</guid>
<pubDate>22 Mar 2017 02:35:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/do-your-children-read-from-books-or-screens_105s81</link>
<title><![CDATA[Do your children read from books or screens?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Check out this article, posted on The Conversation website.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[ 

 

Check out this article, posted on The Conversation website.

https://theconversation.com/children-prefer-to-read-books-on-paper-rather-than-screens-74171
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/do-your-children-read-from-books-or-screens_105s81</guid>
<pubDate>09 Mar 2017 14:02:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/what-is-phonics-and-how-is-it-important_105s79</link>
<title><![CDATA[What is phonics and how is it important?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[This article, reproduced from The Conversation website, gives some insight into what phonics is, and why it is an effective method for teaching children how to read.

http://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-phonics-and-why-is-it-important-70522
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[This article, reproduced from The Conversation website, gives some insight into what phonics is, and why it is an effective method for teaching children how to read.

http://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-phonics-and-why-is-it-important-70522
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/what-is-phonics-and-how-is-it-important_105s79</guid>
<pubDate>13 Feb 2017 16:36:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/school-holiday-plans-at-speaking-of-learning_105s78</link>
<title><![CDATA[School Holiday Plans at Speaking of Learning]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Come join us in January. Our holiday groups and individual intensives are great value, and a great start to the New Year.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Come join us in January. Our holiday groups and individual intensives are great value, and a great start to the New Year.
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/school-holiday-plans-at-speaking-of-learning_105s78</guid>
<pubDate>22 Nov 2016 14:55:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/why-does-speech-pathology-matter_105s77</link>
<title><![CDATA[Why does Speech Pathology Matter?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Around 2% of all Australian children have a severe or profound limitation in regard to communication - almost 25,000 children.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Around 2% of all Australian children have a severe or profound limitation in regard to communication - almost 25,000 children.

A large group of children also show problems with one or more areas of communication:


	Speech
	Language
	Pragmatic Language
	Voice
	Fluency


Children with a communication disorder:


	are six times more likely to have difficulty with reading
	are likely to have reduced skills in other areas such as memory, vocabulary and comprehension.
	may also have compromised social communication skills
	show a greater tendency towards disengagement from school


August 7th-13th is Speech Pathology Week.

Speech Pathologists are specialists trained to assess, advise, treat and advocate for people with a communication impairment. 

 

References: Submission to the Inquiry into the prevalence of different types of speech, language, and communication disorders and speech pathology services in Australia.

Communication impairment in Australia - Speech Pathology Australia fact sheet.

 

 
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/why-does-speech-pathology-matter_105s77</guid>
<pubDate>05 Aug 2016 00:21:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/speaking-of-learning-shop_105s76</link>
<title><![CDATA[Speaking of Learning Shop]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Speaking of Learning offers Dandelion Readers for sale.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[A structured phonics-based approach is the &lsquo;best evidence&rsquo; approach to teaching reading, and, in my opinion, the only way to help students struggling to learn to read as quickly as possible.

We are excited to be able to offer Dandelion Readers for sale at Speaking of Learning. 

These short &lsquo;synthetic phonics&rsquo; books are designed to provide practice reading &lsquo;decodable&rsquo; text using a limited number of letters.  Each unit uses newly introduced letters, gradually helping students to build their repertoire of letter-sound associations. 

When used in concert with a structured programme that supports the child&rsquo;s recall of the letter-sound relationships, and a supportive adult, these books provide an excellent environment for beginning readers, and those for whom learning to read has already proved challenging. 

To receive a catalogue, please email us your postal details. 

We look forward to sharing these valuable resources with you!  
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/speaking-of-learning-shop_105s76</guid>
<pubDate>11 May 2016 20:19:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/speech-pathology-is-not-tutoring_105s72</link>
<title><![CDATA[Speech Pathology is not tutoring]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[First language skills continue to develop over our primary and secondary school life, through tertiary education and hopefully, on into our adulthood.  
In our practice we work with upper primary and secondary students (as well as younger students).  I find parents of these older students seem to confuse Speech Pathology with English tutoring.  They are not the same.  
A Speech Pathologist&#39;s &#145;brief&#39; is therapy.  Remediation.  Supporting teachers, but not teaching content (though we may well be involved &#150; should be involved with pre-teaching &#150; for another blog!).  Rather, we teach students with a language disorder how to learn language, and &#145;back fill&#39; gaps in a student&#39;s language-learning in a logical and evidence-based way, to support their continued language-learning.  
A Speech Pathologist is trained to identify where a student is &#145;at&#39; in their language development and to move them on to the next developmental stage/items.  We also know the struggles a student with a language disorder has in learning language, so can empathise with them, and work with them to find a way to learn difficult language concepts, vocabulary and sentence structures.   We can also teach them how they need to tackle the difficult task of remembering a huge amount of curriculum content (= language) for tests and exams.   
Therefore, Speech Pathology intervention is not a &#145;quick fix&#39; of revision before exams, but a long-term prospect that needs to be conducted over each school year, in close consultation with class teachers (to support learning of the curriculum content).  
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[First language skills continue to develop over our primary and secondary school life, through tertiary education and hopefully, on into our adulthood.  
In our practice we work with upper primary and secondary students (as well as younger students).  I find parents of these older students seem to confuse Speech Pathology with English tutoring.  They are not the same.  
A Speech Pathologist&#39;s &#145;brief&#39; is therapy.  Remediation.  Supporting teachers, but not teaching content (though we may well be involved &#150; should be involved with pre-teaching &#150; for another blog!).  Rather, we teach students with a language disorder how to learn language, and &#145;back fill&#39; gaps in a student&#39;s language-learning in a logical and evidence-based way, to support their continued language-learning.  
A Speech Pathologist is trained to identify where a student is &#145;at&#39; in their language development and to move them on to the next developmental stage/items.  We also know the struggles a student with a language disorder has in learning language, so can empathise with them, and work with them to find a way to learn difficult language concepts, vocabulary and sentence structures.   We can also teach them how they need to tackle the difficult task of remembering a huge amount of curriculum content (= language) for tests and exams.   
Therefore, Speech Pathology intervention is not a &#145;quick fix&#39; of revision before exams, but a long-term prospect that needs to be conducted over each school year, in close consultation with class teachers (to support learning of the curriculum content).  
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/speech-pathology-is-not-tutoring_105s72</guid>
<pubDate>17 Nov 2015 18:12:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/five-reasons-why-you-should-read-aloud-to-your-kids_105s71</link>
<title><![CDATA[Five reasons why you should read aloud to your kids]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Reading aloud to your children has many benefits - check out this article for more information.

http://theconversation.com/five-reasons-why-you-should-read-aloud-to-your-kids-and-pick-their-favourite-book-49740
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Reading aloud to your children has many benefits - check out this article for more information.

http://theconversation.com/five-reasons-why-you-should-read-aloud-to-your-kids-and-pick-their-favourite-book-49740
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/five-reasons-why-you-should-read-aloud-to-your-kids_105s71</guid>
<pubDate>16 Nov 2015 16:42:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/exploring-asd-a-facilitated-workshop-for-parents-and-carers_105s70</link>
<title><![CDATA[Exploring ASD - A facilitated workshop for parents and carers]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Louise Rowland &ndash; our Senior Speech Pathologist at Speaking of Learning&hellip; &ndash; has 28 years&rsquo; experience as a practising Speech Pathologist. At Speaking of Learning&hellip;, she has had the opportunity to provide intervention to children and adults on the autism spectrum and their families.  In addition, Louise has first-hand experience of living with those on the Spectrum. 

 

Over the course of two hours, Louise will offer her perspective on interpreting a range of behaviours seen by children on the spectrum.  Participants will be invited to share specific anecdotes.  

See the attached file for further details
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Louise Rowland &ndash; our Senior Speech Pathologist at Speaking of Learning&hellip; &ndash; has 28 years&rsquo; experience as a practising Speech Pathologist. At Speaking of Learning&hellip;, she has had the opportunity to provide intervention to children and adults on the autism spectrum and their families.  In addition, Louise has first-hand experience of living with those on the Spectrum. 

 

Over the course of two hours, Louise will offer her perspective on interpreting a range of behaviours seen by children on the spectrum.  Participants will be invited to share specific anecdotes.  

See the attached file for further details
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/exploring-asd-a-facilitated-workshop-for-parents-and-carers_105s70</guid>
<pubDate>15 Sep 2015 20:20:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/how-should-you-choose-a-program-that-will-best-support-your-child39s-learning-difficulty_105s69</link>
<title><![CDATA[How should you choose a program that will best support your child&#39;s learning difficulty?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Speech pathologist Alison Clarke provides adivce to parents seeking to assist children with learning difficulties

Alison is also a member of the Learning Difficulties Australia Council.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/education/children-with-learning-difficulties-need-programs-based-on-science-not-anecdote-and-neurobabble-20150902-gjdhp6.html
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Speech pathologist Alison Clarke provides adivce to parents seeking to assist children with learning difficulties

Alison is also a member of the Learning Difficulties Australia Council.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/education/children-with-learning-difficulties-need-programs-based-on-science-not-anecdote-and-neurobabble-20150902-gjdhp6.html
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/how-should-you-choose-a-program-that-will-best-support-your-child39s-learning-difficulty_105s69</guid>
<pubDate>10 Sep 2015 17:47:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/adults-with-an-autism-spectrum-disorder.how-can-a-speech-pathologist-help_105s66</link>
<title><![CDATA[Adults With An Autism Spectrum Disorder&#133;.How Can A Speech Pathologist Help?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Much is said in the media about the services available for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but what is out there for adolescents and adults who also struggle with learning, literacy or social communication skills?
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Much is said in the media about the services available for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but what is out there for adolescents and adults who also struggle with learning, literacy or social communication skills?

Transitions in educational settings or the prospect of seeking or maintaining employment can be anxiety-inducing situations for anyone, but possibly especially so for people on the Autism Spectrum. How do you understand the course material at University or TAFE? How do you learn to write in different styles, such as essays, reports, cover letters or resumes? How do you learn to communicate with others in different situations, such as a group assignment, a job interview or with customers or coworkers? The communication demands of everyday life can place an exceptionally heavy load on those who find learning or interacting with others challenging.

Speech Pathologists are trained to help children, teenagers and adults communicate in everyday life. The skills taught by a Speech Pathologist can include:


	Language comprehension &ndash; spoken and written
	Language expression &ndash; spoken and written
	Reading &ndash; reading accuracy and reading comprehension
	Writing &ndash; spelling and writing styles
	Social / interpersonal skills &ndash; seeing another person&rsquo;s perspective, conversational skills, understanding and using verbal and nonverbal cues, humour, following &lsquo;social scripts&rsquo; (acting appropriately for the situation), disagreeing or interrupting appropriately


These skills are essential for a young person or adult to engage with others and contribute their skills to the outside world.

If you would like more information about how a Speech Pathologist may be able to assist you or someone you know, please contact one of our friendly Speech Pathologists at Speaking of Learning on (03) 9873 7043 or email us using this link: http://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/contact-us
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/adults-with-an-autism-spectrum-disorder.how-can-a-speech-pathologist-help_105s66</guid>
<pubDate>21 Jun 2015 15:25:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/what-does-a-speech-pathologist-do_105s65</link>
<title><![CDATA[What does a Speech Pathologist Do?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[ 

What does a Speech Pathologist do??? So many people think that we only work with speech sound difficulties. How different is the truth! Let me tell you about one of my days. First, a team meeting at school for a Year 3 client with language processing difficulties. This shows in her difficulty always understanding what is said to her and in comprehending what she is reading. She also struggles to contribute to conversations with extended responses and rarely initiates interactions except with very familiar people. At the team meeting, all those working with her (parents, class teacher, special education teacher, and speech pathologist) shared their view of her progress, their concerns and suggestions for &lsquo;the way ahead&rsquo;, finishing with decisions made regarding management. Next, a session with a Year 1 student with phonological processing disorder (the key component of dyslexia). We are providing him a programme with minute steps and many, many practice opportunities to increase his letter-sound knowledge, his reading and spelling. He is so motivated! Year 1 student with an interdental /s/ (=lisp) &ndash; a special request to work on this (often we would not do so until after the child turns 8 as it will often resolve spontaneously up until that time). At this age, she has limited self-monitoring ability and we are having to move her slowly in order to ensure the /s/ is strongly established. Then a change: over to secondary for a Year 10 student. He asked to work on his surfing assignment (truly!). So, there I was learning a lot about wave mechanics and the geography necessary to produce &lsquo;the perfect wave&rsquo;, as I helped him to understand the task requirements and then supported his research (most of the language used on the net is not accessible to students with a language disorder and needs an adult to &lsquo;translate&rsquo; the meaning so they have any hope of learning the new vocabulary). Next, Year 7. And working on reading comprehension, especially focussing on the ability to infer information from a short paragraph. He is improving! (with lots of supported practice). And work on producing oral and written sentences that contain more than one clause (more than one verb, often joined with a conjunction). Struggling with this, even with a conjunction list provided. So adjust task for next session. Back to do a session with our Year 3. Meeting with the Principal. Meeting with the Preschool teacher (3 year old group), talking about a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder she would like assessed. Back to the clinic. Meeting with Admin staff. Final session of the day &ndash; Year 8 student, with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, working on his ability to stay on task (this frequently requires the use of our high level language skills to organise our thinking and actions). We are also working on increasing his vocabulary knowledge which is limited, primarily because he has read little, but also, up until recently, not engaged in much conversation with others. He&rsquo;s now discovering the enjoyment in finding, learning and using interesting vocabulary items. I love my work! There is an incredible variety of goals that are worked on during any one day. And I have the privilege of meeting a vast array of interesting people. My passion for working with students and adults with language-learning disabilities has not diminished over the years!
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[ 

What does a Speech Pathologist do??? So many people think that we only work with speech sound difficulties. How different is the truth! Let me tell you about one of my days. First, a team meeting at school for a Year 3 client with language processing difficulties. This shows in her difficulty always understanding what is said to her and in comprehending what she is reading. She also struggles to contribute to conversations with extended responses and rarely initiates interactions except with very familiar people. At the team meeting, all those working with her (parents, class teacher, special education teacher, and speech pathologist) shared their view of her progress, their concerns and suggestions for &lsquo;the way ahead&rsquo;, finishing with decisions made regarding management. Next, a session with a Year 1 student with phonological processing disorder (the key component of dyslexia). We are providing him a programme with minute steps and many, many practice opportunities to increase his letter-sound knowledge, his reading and spelling. He is so motivated! Year 1 student with an interdental /s/ (=lisp) &ndash; a special request to work on this (often we would not do so until after the child turns 8 as it will often resolve spontaneously up until that time). At this age, she has limited self-monitoring ability and we are having to move her slowly in order to ensure the /s/ is strongly established. Then a change: over to secondary for a Year 10 student. He asked to work on his surfing assignment (truly!). So, there I was learning a lot about wave mechanics and the geography necessary to produce &lsquo;the perfect wave&rsquo;, as I helped him to understand the task requirements and then supported his research (most of the language used on the net is not accessible to students with a language disorder and needs an adult to &lsquo;translate&rsquo; the meaning so they have any hope of learning the new vocabulary). Next, Year 7. And working on reading comprehension, especially focussing on the ability to infer information from a short paragraph. He is improving! (with lots of supported practice). And work on producing oral and written sentences that contain more than one clause (more than one verb, often joined with a conjunction). Struggling with this, even with a conjunction list provided. So adjust task for next session. Back to do a session with our Year 3. Meeting with the Principal. Meeting with the Preschool teacher (3 year old group), talking about a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder she would like assessed. Back to the clinic. Meeting with Admin staff. Final session of the day &ndash; Year 8 student, with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, working on his ability to stay on task (this frequently requires the use of our high level language skills to organise our thinking and actions). We are also working on increasing his vocabulary knowledge which is limited, primarily because he has read little, but also, up until recently, not engaged in much conversation with others. He&rsquo;s now discovering the enjoyment in finding, learning and using interesting vocabulary items. I love my work! There is an incredible variety of goals that are worked on during any one day. And I have the privilege of meeting a vast array of interesting people. My passion for working with students and adults with language-learning disabilities has not diminished over the years!
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/what-does-a-speech-pathologist-do_105s65</guid>
<pubDate>25 May 2015 20:22:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/common-myths-about-speech-problems-in-children_105s64</link>
<title><![CDATA[Common Myths about speech problems in children]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[https://theconversation.com/common-myths-about-speech-problems-in-children-38599?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+13+March+2015+-+2533&amp;utm_content=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+13+March+2015+-+2533+CID_1c32cbb7489e7d4af0f3ad0a6c13dd2f&amp;utm_source=campaign_monitor&amp;utm_term=Commonmythsaboutspeechproblemsinchildren

 

The above link will take you to an article debunking common myths about speech problems in children. If you think there may be an issue with your child&#39;s speech or language, please consider seeking professional advice without delay.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[https://theconversation.com/common-myths-about-speech-problems-in-children-38599?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+13+March+2015+-+2533&amp;utm_content=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+13+March+2015+-+2533+CID_1c32cbb7489e7d4af0f3ad0a6c13dd2f&amp;utm_source=campaign_monitor&amp;utm_term=Commonmythsaboutspeechproblemsinchildren

 

The above link will take you to an article debunking common myths about speech problems in children. If you think there may be an issue with your child&#39;s speech or language, please consider seeking professional advice without delay.
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/common-myths-about-speech-problems-in-children_105s64</guid>
<pubDate>25 May 2015 17:33:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/this-is-a-great-article-about-dealing-with-asperger39s-from-a-female-perspective_105s62</link>
<title><![CDATA[This is a great article about dealing with Asperger&#39;s, from a female perspective ]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[http://www.dailylife.com.au/life-and-love/real-life/aspergers-isnt-just-a-male-condition-20150401-1mbxs7.html
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[http://www.dailylife.com.au/life-and-love/real-life/aspergers-isnt-just-a-male-condition-20150401-1mbxs7.html
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/this-is-a-great-article-about-dealing-with-asperger39s-from-a-female-perspective_105s62</guid>
<pubDate>13 Apr 2015 20:04:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/if-you-have-concerns-about-your-childs-language-development-this-is-a-great-article_105s61</link>
<title><![CDATA[If you have concerns about your child&#39;s language development, this is a great article  ]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[http://theconversation.com/does-my-child-have-a-learning-disability-36550
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[http://theconversation.com/does-my-child-have-a-learning-disability-36550
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/if-you-have-concerns-about-your-childs-language-development-this-is-a-great-article_105s61</guid>
<pubDate>26 Feb 2015 16:37:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/social-skills-workshop_105s60</link>
<title><![CDATA[Social Skills Workshop]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Speaking of Learning are thinking of running a social skills group for year 7-8 students during the first week of the school holidays. If you would be interested in attending, it would be great to hear from you. Just send us an email at info@speakingoflearning.com.au, or give us a call on 9873 7043 (afternoons are best to catch us at the clinic)
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Speaking of Learning are thinking of running a social skills group for year 7-8 students during the first week of the school holidays. If you would be interested in attending, it would be great to hear from you. Just send us an email at info@speakingoflearning.com.au, or give us a call on 9873 7043 (afternoons are best to catch us at the clinic)
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/social-skills-workshop_105s60</guid>
<pubDate>26 Feb 2015 16:32:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/a-more-positive-spin-on-dyslexia_105s58</link>
<title><![CDATA[A more positive spin on dyslexia]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Follow the link to an article detailing some positive characteristics that are often shown by dyslexic children.

http://www.essentialkids.com.au/older-kids/education-for-older-kids/the-upsides-of-dyslexia-20150223-13m0l5.html
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[ 

Follow the link to an article detailing some positive characteristics that are often shown by dyslexic children.

http://www.essentialkids.com.au/older-kids/education-for-older-kids/the-upsides-of-dyslexia-20150223-13m0l5.html

 
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/a-more-positive-spin-on-dyslexia_105s58</guid>
<pubDate>26 Feb 2015 16:20:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/the-ages-and-stages-of-childrens-speech-development_105s57</link>
<title><![CDATA[The ages and stages of children&#39;s speech development]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[An information sheet for parents from Speech Pathology Australia, detailing what most pre-school and school age children can do in terms of their speech and language development

http://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/library/2013Factsheets/Factsheet_Sound_of_Speech_PreschoolSchool-aged_children.pdf
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[An information sheet for parents from Speech Pathology Australia, detailing what most pre-school and school age children can do in terms of their speech and language development

http://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/library/2013Factsheets/Factsheet_Sound_of_Speech_PreschoolSchool-aged_children.pdf
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/the-ages-and-stages-of-childrens-speech-development_105s57</guid>
<pubDate>16 Feb 2015 20:08:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/what-does-a-speech-pathologist-do_105s56</link>
<title><![CDATA[What does a speech pathologist do?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Click on the link below to see a fact sheet from Speech Pathology Australia about the role of a speech pathologist

http://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/library/EasyEnglishFactSheets/whatisaspeechpathologist_web.pdf
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Click on the link below to see a fact sheet from Speech Pathology Australia about the role of a speech pathologist

http://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/library/EasyEnglishFactSheets/whatisaspeechpathologist_web.pdf
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/what-does-a-speech-pathologist-do_105s56</guid>
<pubDate>16 Feb 2015 20:03:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/students-struggle-to-hear-teacher-in-new-fad-open-plan-classrooms_105s55</link>
<title><![CDATA[Students struggle to hear teacher in new fad open-plan classrooms]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Research suggests that open plan classrooms have a significant negative impact on children&#39;s speech perception.

http://theconversation.com/students-struggle-to-hear-teacher-in-new-fad-open-plan-classrooms-37102
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Research suggests that open plan classrooms have a significant negative impact on children&#39;s speech perception.

http://theconversation.com/students-struggle-to-hear-teacher-in-new-fad-open-plan-classrooms-37102
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/students-struggle-to-hear-teacher-in-new-fad-open-plan-classrooms_105s55</guid>
<pubDate>16 Feb 2015 14:25:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/how-should-we-be-teaching-our-children-to-read_105s53</link>
<title><![CDATA[How should we be teaching our children to read?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Take a look at this article by Alison Clarke, reposted from The Conversation.

http://theconversation.com/the-way-we-teach-most-children-to-read-sets-them-up-to-fail-36946
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Take a look at this article by Alison Clarke, reposted from The Conversation.

http://theconversation.com/the-way-we-teach-most-children-to-read-sets-them-up-to-fail-36946
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/how-should-we-be-teaching-our-children-to-read_105s53</guid>
<pubDate>12 Feb 2015 12:28:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/new-service-homework-club_105s52</link>
<title><![CDATA[New Service - Homework Club]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[This program is suited to both primary and secondary students. While being assisted with homework tasks, students have access to speech pathologists and allied health assistants in a group setting. See the attached document for more information. 
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[This program is suited to both primary and secondary students. While being assisted with homework tasks, students have access to speech pathologists and allied health assistants in a group setting. See the attached document for more information. 
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/new-service-homework-club_105s52</guid>
<pubDate>04 Feb 2015 18:18:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/language-a-focus-in-2015-australians-of-the-year_105s51</link>
<title><![CDATA[Language a focus in 2015 Australians of the Year]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[The following links relate to two Australian women, passionate about language and literacy. Jackie French is passionate about literacy and giving children a love of books. Drisana Levitske-Gray is an advocate for providing access to Auslan.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[The following links relate to two Australian women, passionate about language and literacy. Jackie French is passionate about literacy and giving children a love of books. Drisana Levitske-Gray is an advocate for providing access to Auslan.

https://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/honour-roll/?view=fullView&amp;recipientID=1265

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-02/drisana-levitzke-gray-gives-deaf-australia-a-voice/6063320
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/language-a-focus-in-2015-australians-of-the-year_105s51</guid>
<pubDate>04 Feb 2015 15:06:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/literacy-development_105s50</link>
<title><![CDATA[Literacy Development]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/literacy-development_105s50</guid>
<pubDate>22 Jan 2015 13:01:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/speech-pathology-services-in-schools_105s49</link>
<title><![CDATA[Speech Pathology Services in Schools]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[A Position Statment from Speech Pathology Australia
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/speech-pathology-services-in-schools_105s49</guid>
<pubDate>22 Jan 2015 12:59:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/speech-pathology-services-in-schools_105s48</link>
<title><![CDATA[Speech Pathology Services in Schools]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[A Position Statment from Speech Pathology Australia
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/speech-pathology-services-in-schools_105s48</guid>
<pubDate>22 Jan 2015 12:52:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/childrens-oral-language-can-be-a-good-predictor-of-future-writing-difficulties_105s47</link>
<title><![CDATA[Children&#39;s oral language can be a good predictor of future writing difficulties]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Take some time to read this interesting article.

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20141006/Childrens-oral-language-can-be-a-good-predictor-of-future-writing-difficulties.aspx
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Take some time to read this interesting article.

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20141006/Childrens-oral-language-can-be-a-good-predictor-of-future-writing-difficulties.aspx
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/childrens-oral-language-can-be-a-good-predictor-of-future-writing-difficulties_105s47</guid>
<pubDate>08 Oct 2014 13:39:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/term-4-news_105s44</link>
<title><![CDATA[Term 4 News]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[So it&#39;s back to school this week for our school-aged families, and back to work for Speaking of Learning...! We&#39;re looking forward to getting into the busy-ness that Term 4 always brings.
 

During the first week of the holidays we ran a successful three-day programme for grades 1 and 2 students, learning about social skills and how to use a four-zone system to recognise and control our feelings and reactions to situations. This is designed to enable students with social skill difficulties to better manage interactions with peers and adults at school and at home.


This term we are excited to be offering a fortnightly support group for parents whose children struggle with ASD, language or learning disorders or literacy difficulties. One of our mums, Britt, has offered to run such a programme; experiencing the need herself for support, she has taken the step to offer the same to parents undergoing similar stresses. Thanks Britt!

Sessions will run on every second Wednesday night, beginning 15th October. There will be a $10 per family cost on the night, and supper is provided. For more information, contact Speaking of Learning... on 9873 7043 or at info@speakingoflearning.com.au.


 
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[So it&#39;s back to school this week for our school-aged families, and back to work for Speaking of Learning...! We&#39;re looking forward to getting into the busy-ness that Term 4 always brings.
 

During the first week of the holidays we ran a successful three-day programme for grades 1 and 2 students, learning about social skills and how to use a four-zone system to recognise and control our feelings and reactions to situations. This is designed to enable students with social skill difficulties to better manage interactions with peers and adults at school and at home.


This term we are excited to be offering a fortnightly support group for parents whose children struggle with ASD, language or learning disorders or literacy difficulties. One of our mums, Britt, has offered to run such a programme; experiencing the need herself for support, she has taken the step to offer the same to parents undergoing similar stresses. Thanks Britt!

Sessions will run on every second Wednesday night, beginning 15th October. There will be a $10 per family cost on the night, and supper is provided. For more information, contact Speaking of Learning... on 9873 7043 or at info@speakingoflearning.com.au.


 
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/term-4-news_105s44</guid>
<pubDate>05 Oct 2014 14:11:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/how-to-tell-if-your-child-has-a-speech-or-language-impairment_105s43</link>
<title><![CDATA[How to tell if your child has a speech or language impairment]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Please check this article out!

https://theconversation.com/how-to-tell-if-your-child-has-a-speech-or-language-impairment-31768

 
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Please check this article out!

https://theconversation.com/how-to-tell-if-your-child-has-a-speech-or-language-impairment-31768

 
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/how-to-tell-if-your-child-has-a-speech-or-language-impairment_105s43</guid>
<pubDate>23 Sep 2014 21:15:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/girls-year-7-9-social-skills-group_105s42</link>
<title><![CDATA[Girls&#39; Year 7-9 Social Skills Group]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Social skills can be challenging for students with language and learning disorders and/or autism spectrum disorders. Teenage girls particularly can find troubles with friendships difficult to negotiate, and this may cause them significant discomfort or trauma. Loneliness, depression and fear resulting in avoidance behaviours are all warning signs that not all is well in their world.

If you are concerned about your daughter&#39;s social interactions, consider equipping her with explicit social skills training that will allow her to alter her reactions in different situations to defuse the emotional tension.

Speaking of Learning... will be running a year 7-9 girls&#39; social skills group during the first week of the September school holidays (22nd-25th Sept., 2-4pm). Discussion and role play in a safe, group setting will focus around understanding emotions - our own and each others&#39; - general conversational rules, making friends and responses to negative emotions caused by words or actions of others.

If your teenage daughter could benefit from such a program, we encourage you to contact us on 9873 7043 or at info@speakingoflearning.com.au to book her a place, or to get more information.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Social skills can be challenging for students with language and learning disorders and/or autism spectrum disorders. Teenage girls particularly can find troubles with friendships difficult to negotiate, and this may cause them significant discomfort or trauma. Loneliness, depression and fear resulting in avoidance behaviours are all warning signs that not all is well in their world.

If you are concerned about your daughter&#39;s social interactions, consider equipping her with explicit social skills training that will allow her to alter her reactions in different situations to defuse the emotional tension.

Speaking of Learning... will be running a year 7-9 girls&#39; social skills group during the first week of the September school holidays (22nd-25th Sept., 2-4pm). Discussion and role play in a safe, group setting will focus around understanding emotions - our own and each others&#39; - general conversational rules, making friends and responses to negative emotions caused by words or actions of others.

If your teenage daughter could benefit from such a program, we encourage you to contact us on 9873 7043 or at info@speakingoflearning.com.au to book her a place, or to get more information.
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/girls-year-7-9-social-skills-group_105s42</guid>
<pubDate>08 Sep 2014 19:45:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/speech-pathology-senate-enquiry-findings_105s41</link>
<title><![CDATA[Speech Pathology Senate Enquiry Findings]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Video of presentation to Senate on the findings regarding the prevalence of language disorders and literacy difficulties, and the need for speech pathologists in Victoria.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Please take the time to check this out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a5xkOI9NeE&amp;feature=youtu.be
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/speech-pathology-senate-enquiry-findings_105s41</guid>
<pubDate>08 Sep 2014 17:01:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/grade-1/2-literacy-group_105s39</link>
<title><![CDATA[Grade 1/2 Literacy Group]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Early primary school-aged children may have difficulty learning to read and write because of poor processing of speech sounds. Poor phonological processing can cause difficulty when learning what sounds letters say. This might be displayed as:

- difficulty remembering what letters go with which sound when spelling

- difficulty sounding out unfamiliar words when reading

- difficulty remembering the &lsquo;sound shape&rsquo; of a word read on a previous page, leading to having to sound it out again. 

Speech pathologists are specially trained to help cement these associations for children. During the first week of the September school holidays, Speaking of Learning&hellip; will be running a literacy group for grade 1 and 2 students at our clinic on Rooks Rd.

Sessions will run from 10-11.30am on Monday 22nd - Thursday 25th September, and will involve fun activities in a group setting that can help improve your child&#39;s emerging literacy skills.

For more information or to reserve a place in this group for your child, please contact the clinic on 9873 7043 or info@speakingoflearning.com.au.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Early primary school-aged children may have difficulty learning to read and write because of poor processing of speech sounds. Poor phonological processing can cause difficulty when learning what sounds letters say. This might be displayed as:

- difficulty remembering what letters go with which sound when spelling

- difficulty sounding out unfamiliar words when reading

- difficulty remembering the &lsquo;sound shape&rsquo; of a word read on a previous page, leading to having to sound it out again. 

Speech pathologists are specially trained to help cement these associations for children. During the first week of the September school holidays, Speaking of Learning&hellip; will be running a literacy group for grade 1 and 2 students at our clinic on Rooks Rd.

Sessions will run from 10-11.30am on Monday 22nd - Thursday 25th September, and will involve fun activities in a group setting that can help improve your child&#39;s emerging literacy skills.

For more information or to reserve a place in this group for your child, please contact the clinic on 9873 7043 or info@speakingoflearning.com.au.
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/grade-1/2-literacy-group_105s39</guid>
<pubDate>07 Sep 2014 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/social-skills-group-for-grade-1/2-students_105s38</link>
<title><![CDATA[Social Skills Group for Grade 1/2 Students]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Are you concerned because your son or daughter has difficulty making friends at school?
Do you often hear reports from their teacher about their disruptive behaviour in class?
Do they have a tendency to talk over their parents or siblings at the dinner table, or prefer only to talk about a small variety of topics that are interesting to them?

Your child may benefit from some targeted and explicit social skills instruction, including how to talk to people you have just met, how to keep a conversation going, how to play nicely with other people and even being more assertive and standing up to bullies.

Speaking of Learning is looking to run a group for grade 1 and 2 students that will explore some of these issues. This group would run from Monday 22nd - Thursday 25th September (first week of the school holidays) from 10-11.30am.

In a safe setting, children will be encouraged to interact with each other to practice their social skills, and will participate in activities related to teaching them some of the finer points of social interaction.

For more information, or if you would like to book your child a place in this group, please contact our office on 9873 7043 or info@speakingoflearning.com.au.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Are you concerned because your son or daughter has difficulty making friends at school?
Do you often hear reports from their teacher about their disruptive behaviour in class?
Do they have a tendency to talk over their parents or siblings at the dinner table, or prefer only to talk about a small variety of topics that are interesting to them?

Your child may benefit from some targeted and explicit social skills instruction, including how to talk to people you have just met, how to keep a conversation going, how to play nicely with other people and even being more assertive and standing up to bullies.

Speaking of Learning is looking to run a group for grade 1 and 2 students that will explore some of these issues. This group would run from Monday 22nd - Thursday 25th September (first week of the school holidays) from 10-11.30am.

In a safe setting, children will be encouraged to interact with each other to practice their social skills, and will participate in activities related to teaching them some of the finer points of social interaction.

For more information, or if you would like to book your child a place in this group, please contact our office on 9873 7043 or info@speakingoflearning.com.au.
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/social-skills-group-for-grade-1/2-students_105s38</guid>
<pubDate>04 Sep 2014 16:54:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/4-year-old-kinder-phonological-awareness-group-therapy_105s37</link>
<title><![CDATA[4-Year-Old Kinder Phonological Awareness Group Therapy]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[
	Difficulty saying speech sounds.
	Difficulty rhyming.
	Difficulty sorting pictures according to their initial sounds.
	Difficulty identifying letters and their corresponding sounds.


Does your 4-5 year old display any of these indicators? This might indicate a potential difficulty with reading and writing in early school years.

Evidence shows that intensive work is the most effective form of therapy, and children achieve goals rapidly in such a setting.

Speaking of Learning is offering intensive therapy for children in 4-year-old kinder who have the above difficulties. The program will run during the first week of the September school holidays (22nd-26th September) from 10.30am - 12pm.

Activities will focus on developing each child&#39;s phonological awareness (their ability to hear, distinguish and process sounds) and their emerging literacy skills.

For questions or to book your child a place in the programme, please contact the clinic on 9873 7043 or info@speakingoflearning.com.au

.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[
	Difficulty saying speech sounds.
	Difficulty rhyming.
	Difficulty sorting pictures according to their initial sounds.
	Difficulty identifying letters and their corresponding sounds.


Does your 4-5 year old display any of these indicators? This might indicate a potential difficulty with reading and writing in early school years.

Evidence shows that intensive work is the most effective form of therapy, and children achieve goals rapidly in such a setting.

Speaking of Learning is offering intensive therapy for children in 4-year-old kinder who have the above difficulties. The program will run during the first week of the September school holidays (22nd-26th September) from 10.30am - 12pm.

Activities will focus on developing each child&#39;s phonological awareness (their ability to hear, distinguish and process sounds) and their emerging literacy skills.

For questions or to book your child a place in the programme, please contact the clinic on 9873 7043 or info@speakingoflearning.com.au

.
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/4-year-old-kinder-phonological-awareness-group-therapy_105s37</guid>
<pubDate>02 Sep 2014 16:10:00 GMT</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/language-disorders-dyslexia-autism-spectrum-parent-support_105s36</link>
<title><![CDATA[Language Disorders, Dyslexia, Autism Spectrum:  Parent Support. ]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Stressed? Feeling alone and swamped? Needing support? Help is here.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Speaking of Learning is honoured to announce a joint project: a support group for parents with children who struggle with language disorders, autism spectrum disorders and literacy difficulties.

One of our mums came to us with the proposition, and offered her time and effort to coordinate such a group. As a mum of a primary boy with ADHD, mild ASD, dyslexia and oppositional defiant behaviour, Britt knows well how hard it can be for parents struggling to help their children, and get by from day to day.

&quot; I have found it a challenging job to be his parent and advocate. My husband and I have had to rethink how we parent.  We have had teachers, doctors, therapists tell us what to do, with varying (often minimal) success.

How do you negotiate all of this and still manage to look after yourself and other members of the family? It&rsquo;s a real struggle, for which I have no answers, just experiences, positive and negative.&quot;

Britt has a passion for other mums and dads in similar situations, who could benefit from knowing that they are not alone, that others have struggled as they do, and that others are willing to come alongside, offering support, sympathy and suggestions.

&quot;I am looking to create a supportive group environment in which we can learn from and care for each other.&quot;

Support group sessions would run fortnightly on a Wednesday from 7.30pm to 9pm, and be held at the Speaking of Learning premises at 1 Rooks Rd, Mitcham. We are seeking expressions of interest for such a group to begin at the start of Term 4. If you would welcome support, relish an evening to leave the kids behind or simply have questions about what a support group would involve, please feel free to contact the clinic on 9873 7043 or info@speakingoflearning.com.au.

Supper will be provided and a fee of $10 per evening will be charged to cover the use of the facility.  
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<pubDate>01 Sep 2014 18:14:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/speech-pathology-works-kids-know_105s35</link>
<title><![CDATA[Speech Pathology Works, Kids Know]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Kids who struggle with dylexia have a hard time with school, but when help in the form of Speaking of Learning comes along, they can see the difference!
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<content><![CDATA[A student with dyslexia (year 8) has found engaging with school tasks exceedingly difficult and has shown significant avoidance behaviours until last week. There was cause for a mini celebration at Speaking of Learning: after a Speech Pathology session was organised to assist him with an assessment essay, he requested two more sessions to complete the task.

But the best bit - following the end of the third session, he made a comment in the best way he can: see his drawing above!
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/speech-pathology-works-kids-know_105s35</guid>
<pubDate>27 Aug 2014 16:40:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/cooking-up-language_105s33</link>
<title><![CDATA[Cooking Up Language]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Language learning in the kitchen
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<content><![CDATA[Who would have thought a simple family activity could provide so much language stimulation! Cooking is regularly used in speech sessions at Speaking of Learning... as the primary activity to encourage language development. How can cooking enhance language, you ask?

A variety of skills are required to accomplish making your own delicious treats. You have to be able to read and understand the recipe, as well as follow the directions precisely. To encourage your child in practising using language, think and talk while you cook. Talk about the way the ingredients taste, feel, look and smell. Use &lsquo;measuring&rsquo; language &ndash; how much, a little more/less, a cupful, etc.  Use action words:  stir, fill, scrape, measure, cut, coat; so many ways of &lsquo;doing&rsquo; in the kitchen! 

Who knew learning language could be so tasty and fun!
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/cooking-up-language_105s33</guid>
<pubDate>03 Aug 2014 16:17:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/and-were-back_105s32</link>
<title><![CDATA[...And we&#39;re back!]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Let&#39;s get this term started!
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<content><![CDATA[School holidays are over, and our break here at Speaking of Learning... is done and dusted too. We&#39;re all back in to the office this week, bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and ready to get some stuff done!

We&#39;re looking forward to welcoming Brittany into our midst this week - if you see her around, make her feel welcome and introduce yourself!

We look forward to beginning work with everyone.

 

Bron
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/and-were-back_105s32</guid>
<pubDate>14 Jul 2014 13:23:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/young-adults-social-skills-group_105s31</link>
<title><![CDATA[Young Adults Social Skills Group]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Expressions of interest
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<content><![CDATA[Hey everybody -

Speaking of Learning... is looking into the possibility of running a social skills group aimed at young adults (18-25y.o.) -- and we want to know whether that is something that you guys would find useful / be interested in.

As yet, no dates are suggested. The group would probably run once a week / once a fortnight of an evening, for about an hour and a half.

So let us know what you think, yea or nay: use the Contact Us form on this website, email louise.rowland@speakingoflearning.com.au or call the office on 9873 7043. We look forward to hearing from you!

Bron
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/young-adults-social-skills-group_105s31</guid>
<pubDate>27 Jun 2014 01:30:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/whats-happening-at-speaking-of-learning_105s29</link>
<title><![CDATA[What&#39;s happening at Speaking of Learning]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[What a busy time we had over January!  People buzzing in and out of sessions!
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<content><![CDATA[What a busy time we had over January!  People buzzing in and out of sessions!

Four intensive groups ran:


	older teens/young adult social skills (8 hours over 4 days)
	yr 8 &lsquo;study camp&rsquo; working through the school text, &lsquo;The Giver&rsquo; (16 hours over 8 days)
	yr 3 social skills (8 hours over 4 days)
	yr 4 language group (8 hours over 4 days)


In addition, individual intensives ran for literacy development &ndash; an hour a day, four days a week, over four weeks.

It is remarkable how much change can be achieved when intervention occurs intensively.  And it is cost effective as we can provide the service for a reduced cost.

&ldquo;He has improved so much over the holidays.  Thank you! &ldquo;  (from a teacher&rsquo;s aide, who worked with the student last year and this year).

School holidays are an opportune time to do intensive language and literacy work:  students and clinicians have the time, the students are &lsquo;fresh&rsquo; and therefore learn better, skills can be built on with little revision needed from one session to the next, AND parents are quite glad for their kids to have a worthwhile activity to participate in!

I love the opportunity school holidays provide!

Louise
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.speakingoflearning.com.au/latest-news/whats-happening-at-speaking-of-learning_105s29</guid>
<pubDate>18 Feb 2014 06:09:00 GMT</pubDate>
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