Pediatric Speech-Language Pathology

Tertiary Speech-Language Pathology at ACH serves a range of specialties across the spectrum of care including acute, medical and rehabilitation services with a focus on diagnostic assessment, care planning and intervention in the context of patient and family centered care.

Tertiary Speech-Language Pathology at ACH serves a range of specialties across the spectrum of care including acute, medical and rehabilitation services with a focus on diagnostic assessment, care planning and intervention in the context of patient and family centered care.

We work in an interdisciplinary model supporting children with communication, feeding and swallowing disorders and work in close consultation with our community counterparts e.g. AHS community SLP and Allied Health teams and education services.

Provides:

• assessment, diagnosis, treatment, consultation and education targeting specific goals
• service can be provided in isolation of, or in collaboration with various multi-disciplinary clinics
• service delivery follows a response to intervention approach and may be offered in universal, targeted or individualized formats
• navigational supports to transition children to local services as required using Pediatric Rehabilitation Continuum to guide level and location of care needs

Service Streams:

• sensory: cleft palate, craniofacial disorders and velopharyngeal dysfunction; paediatric voice, hearing services for children with unilateral / bilateral permanent hearing loss
• eating, feeding and swallowing: instrumental and clinical swallowing assessment - videofluoroscopic swallow studies (VFSS / MBS) and fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES), clinical eating, feeding and swallowing assessment and intervention
• neurorehabilitation: pediatric rehabilitation and education program supports at Gordon Townsend School, inpatient and outpatient assessment, management and transition supports for children with acquired and nuerological communication disorders, somatic clinic supports
• ACETS: provision and support of augmentative communication strategies and devices
• ECR: feeding and communication supports for children with complex needs through multidisciplinary intervention for children under 5
• neonatal follow up clinic: Assessment, monitoring and navigational supports for children under the neonatal follow up clinic
• inpatient care: communication, feeding and swallowing assessment and intervention for children admitted to ACH with a new clinical query or change in presentation. Communication access suported