Virtually Speaking

Speech Pathology Week 2024. A theme that we love as we get so much joy from helping our clients communicate in so many ways.

Concerned about your child's speech and language development??

Book an assessment with Virtually Speaking for the Easter 2024 School Holidays.

- Formal assessment compares abilities to same aged peers
- 2 to 3 hours of time in-clinic (over a few days)
- Detailed report highlights areas of ability and opportunity
- Only recommends treatment if it's truly needed
- Can help support access to other supports

The Virtually Speaking team has grown to 6 speech pathologists and we have appointments available now in our Springwood office.

For advice, assessment, or ongoing speech therapy, contact us via messenger, [email protected] or 0405 526 695.

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Book Week! We have enjoyed seeing our students dressed up at school this week. Here is Izzy in one of her costumes. There is no place like home.

Its Book Week 2022! We've been seeing so many great costumes on our travels. Who did you dress up as and what's your favourite book?

This August we are encouraging our clients and their families to read more as part of the MS Read-A-Thon. This is fantastic for reading fluency and general literacy.

Virtually Speaking will donate $5 to the MS Read-A-Thon for each of our clients who participates. Sign-on sheets and mini-libraries are available in our Springwood and Ormeau Hills offices for all our clients to try new authors, series and genres.

Speech Pathologists often help adults and children with written language and understanding verbal communication, not just speaking out loud.

Virtually Speaking have an online, self-paced learning program that targets areas including:
- Pre-reading skills
- Auditory sequencing
- Listening comprehension
- Memory
- Attention
- Spelling
and many more

This is open to any current or new clients aged 5-95.

Contact us to find out more

Back to school for us today with in-school mobile Speech Pathology services. We have over 30 appointments in schools this week alone. If you'd like this option in 2023, contact us to find out more.

Wishing all students a good start to Term 3 and that parents get to enjoy some "me-time"

Like so many of our clients, this week our team spent time with an OT. With the Occupational Therapists at Happy Learners Therapy Services, we learned more about the various supports that OTs and Speech Pathologists offer our clients.

The groups exchanged ideas on topics like communicating with non-verbal clients and regulation during therapy sessions. We had a great time and look forward to our next meet up soon.

Last week our team attended the Yellow Ladybugs, Autistic Girls & Women conference and learned so much. The recordings of the online conference are available via their website and we'd encourage parents, friends and support teams to register and absorb the presentations. Visit https://ylbconference.vfairs.com/ for details and watch the video below for a teaser.

Our team got a lot out of this conference and highly recommend it.
There is plenty here for the 'experienced' people as well as those starting out. Hearing people's lived experience is one of the most valuable aspects.

BONUS REEL Bonus bits from the 2022 ADHD and autistic minds conference.

Happy first official day back at school to our clients, especially those starting in Prep! We can't wait to hear all about your exciting new classes, teachers and friends.

The Virtually Speaking team are taking a well deserved break. We'll be back in our Springwood and Ormeau Hills clinics on Monday 10th January.

With the developing COVID-19 situation in Queensland we will be working hard this week to determine the safest way to provide services to our clients and will communicate this in the next day or two.

Communication is everyone's right and when done properly comes in many forms. 🗣➡️

Right now you reading electronic media, maybe even using a screen reader. You might smile and communicate with body language, verbally talk about this post with a friend or share it and continue the cycle. The person who saw this before you may not be able to speak, but they are able to exercise their right to communicate.

On the International Day of People with Disability, the Association encourages its members to share information about how people with disability can access information and self-advocate.

Australians living with disability, their families and carers identified accessing information about policies, programs and support as a key barrier to their independence and community participation.

The Department of Social Services has developed a way to improve access to this information by creating the Disability Gateway.

The Disability Gateway includes a website, a dedicated phone line (1800 643 787) and social media channels, to assist people with disability, their families and carers, to find and access trusted information and services.

The Disability Gateway is for all Australians with disability, regardless of whether they are a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participant or not.

https://www.disabilitygateway.gov.au/

This is very timely this week. There is no magic bullet. AAC needs to be modelled by everyone. Yes you need to take it out if the house, yes you need to model it throughout the day. You don't leave home without a wheelchair if someone needs it so why would you leave what they need to communicate at home? Being able to point and sign toilet is helpful but how would you feel if that is all you could say all day? My favourite quote is "Just because I can't talk it doesn't mean that I have nothing to say"

One of my all time favourites - let’s model, model and then model some more!

A great resource for simultaneous storytime tomorrow!

SORRY FOR THE LATE POST. PLEASE SHARE AND TAG PEOPLE TO GET THIS OUT BEFORE THE EVENT AT 11AM WEDNESDAY!

Every year in Australia, there is an event called National Simultaneous Storytime. https://www.alia.org.au/nss

We think it is important that those who use symbols to support their expressive and/or receptive communication are also able to participate.
This is just a simple resource to try and can be used by any and many. Using it is also a way to show that all forms of communication are valued and respected.

Remember if you have a person who uses a communication book or device to communicate, then it’s important to also have that available as well. We have included words that are predictable words for this story but we definitely don’t know what else someone may want to say about, during or after the story-time.
So here's what to do:
- download and print a copy for your whole group
- point to the symbols during the story-time
- be sure to have personal communication systems
available, and
- send it home or use it again afterwards to talk about
the story.
Then we’d love to hear your stories!!!!!
Download a pdf of this board here: https://twowaystreet.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Give-Me-Some-Space-Storytime-Board.pdf