How to Find the Best Speech Therapist for Kids in Your Area
Whether you have just been recommended to find a Speech Therapist for kids or you’re moving to a new area and need to find a Speech Therapist close by, this article is for you. We’ll help you to find Speech Therapists for kids in your area and from there, choose a Speech Therapy team that will be a good fit for your child and your family.
Keep on reading to find out how to find the best Speech Therapist for kids in your area.
How to Find the Best Speech Therapist for Kids in Your Area
Step 1: Use the Speech Therapist Registry
If you are in Australia, and you’re looking for a local Speech Therapist for your child, there is a really quick and easy way to find the therapist you are looking for! Simply visit the Speech Pathology Australia “Find a Speech Pathologist” online tool to quickly find all registered therapists and clinics in your area.
With this helpful tool you can search for a Speech Therapist for kids by selecting the age of the client. You can also include other important details like your preferred funding method for services and any languages spoken other than English.
Step 2: Your Needs and Preferences
The next important step in finding a Speech Therapist for kids in your family is to consider your needs and preferences for therapy. If you’ve been referred to speech therapy for the first time, your main goal right now might be to book an assessment to determine what your child may need to help them thrive in kindergarten or school.
If assessment is your main goal, you might want to see if any of the listed speech therapists working with kids have assessment packages listed on their website that you can book in once-off to get the information you need to move forward.
Alternatively, if you have been seeing a speech therapist for kids for a while now but are moving out to the country where services are limited, you might be interested in finding a speech therapist that can provide speech therapy for kids over telehealth. Consider what is important to you and your family and use this to inform your choice.
Step 3: Register for Waitlists
Across Australia you can expect to register for a waitlist for speech therapy services – meaning that you are unlikely to get an appointment the first time you call. It can be frustrating waiting for services, but unfortunately, it’s a reality in most areas that there simply aren’t enough Speech Pathologists available to meet the demand for services!
Because of this, it’s important that you register on a couple of waitlists with different service providers so that you can be informed when a suitable appointment time becomes available. When registering for a waitlist, give all the relevant information required including your preferred appointment dates and times to make sure you have every opportunity to be seen by a Speech Therapist.
Sometimes one-off appointment times become more readily available during school holiday periods when other families may be taking their children out of speech therapy for a trip away. This can be an opportunity to have your child seen for a one-off assessment session and get the report you need to determine your next steps as a family.
Did you find this helpful? We sure hope so. If you are a family looking for a speech therapist for kids in Mackay or Townsville, we can help! Our friendly team of Speech Pathologists support clients across the lifespan, including little ones from infancy all the way through to high school.
Find out more about our speech therapy services for kids and register for our services today.
