Talking Matters turns 10!

Posted by Talking Matters on 10 July 2016

As we celebrate our 10th birthday we wanted to share with you how Talking Matters has grown over the years.

In the beginning Talking Matters began with two speech pathologists and a part time receptionist/speech assistant. All were parents of children with special needs who understood how difficult it could be to find the type of support children need. In 2006 there was no funding for families to access private therapy. Private services in the northern suburbs were very limited and public services had long waiting lists and eligibility restrictions, so many children missed out or received only limited support. We wanted Talking Matters to offer quality, accessible services to children as often and for as long as was needed.

We began with a two room office space and visiting services to a small number of schools. Over the years our services has grown to include 15 speech pathologists, eight OTs, psychology and disability consultant services, visiting services to over thirty schools and preschool, training sessions, downloadable resources, group programs and a student clinic all based out of our new purpose built therapy space.

Visit our Facebook page to see how we have grown over the years.

Then read on to see why we think Talking Matters is a great place to come if you have a child with special needs!

We understand that your child is an individual! That‘s why each child who attends Talking Matters is assessed and an individual program is developed to meet their specific needs. Therapists take your child’s strengths, challenges, personality and interests into account when planning intervention and when running sessions. Kids think therapy is fun, while parents know their child is learning.

We understand that your child deserves the best! That’s why all our team members regularly update their skills, are members of their professional body and participate in that organization’s certification program. We also have weekly team meetings and fortnightly training sessions for team members to share information and support each other. We aim to provide therapy that is evidence based in order to offer the most effective treatment for your child’s needs. Our building has been developed with kids needs in mind and we have a huge range of resources to provide the service your child needs.

We know that as a parent you are the most important influence on your child’s learning and development. That’s why we provide resources for parents to use at home as a part of our therapy sessions. We also provide free downloadable resources on our website for parents to use at home and share with their child’s teachers and carers. We have a regular blog as well as Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook pages to share information on child development as well as the latest activities and resources with families.

We know that your child may have needs in a number of different areas. We are a multidisciplinary practice offering speech pathology,occupational therapy and psychology all in the one location. This means we can offer a coordinated service. Therapists are able to share knowledge and support each other to give the best possible service to children with complex needs. It also means that appointments can be coordinated to ease the load on parents.

We know that your child wants fun and you want results. Our new building provides calm spaces for focused learning. Engaging therapists and stimulating therapy activities hold your child’s attention as they have fun while learning.

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We believe that experience and freshness are both important. Our team has a mix of experienced therapists, who bring many years of expertise as well as newer graduates who bring a fresh enthusiasm and the latest training. Newer team members are paired with more experienced therapists for support and all team members are involved in regular training and skill updates.

We know kids don’t stop having needs because they have a birthday. We provide services for children from 18 months to 18 years, so we can provide ongoing support for as long as your child needs it. We can provide continuity of support as your child moves through child care, preschool and school for as long as you want us to. We also provide resources to help your child’s teachers and carers who support your child’s special needs in their educational setting.

We know that raising kids is expensive. That’s why we offer a range of options including varied lengths of appointments and group programs for suitable kids. We also help parents navigate through the complex maze of funding options. We are providers under the Medicare, FAHCSIA, Betterstart and NDIA programs as well as private health schemes.

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We know that parents are busy people! That’s why we offer a range of options for therapy sessions including school based services, weekend appointments, school holiday groups and intensives and coordinated appointments for kids who need therapy in more than one area. We have a friendly, efficient clerical team to take your calls and make booking an appointment easy.

We believe the best time to support your child is now! Waiting for appointments is stressful for parents and it means kids are losing valuable learning opportunities. Research shows that early intervention is very important. With a large team we can usually offer assessments within a couple of weeks and once the assessment is done therapy can start straight away.

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If you think Talking Matters is the best choice for your child, call us now!

Talking Matters turns 10!

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