Accessing health services can be confusing for many caregivers, and navigating funding options only adds to the load! With waitlists for most health services becoming increasingly common, we’ve broken down the speech therapy services and funding options available.
Accessing speech therapy
You’ve found out that your child would benefit from speech therapy. Where to from here? There are several options, from private practices to the public health service.
Private practice
Private speech pathology practices work with different age groups, including early intervention (under five), school-aged children, adolescents and adults. Areas of practice may include:
- Speech sounds
- Language
- Stuttering
- Voice
- Alternative and augmentative communication (AAC)
- Literacy
- Written communication
- Swallowing
- And more
Some private practices are ‘generalist’ practices, like CommuniKids Speech Therapy! This means they will see clients for a range of reasons. Other practices focus on specific areas. This is particularly common for voice, AAC and swallowing/feeding clinics.
Private practices vary in the funding they accept. Many accept private funding and NDIS funding, and some also accept NDIA-managed funding, one of the ways an NDIS plan can be managed. We recommend calling the clinics you're interested in to see if they're the right fit.
Disability services
Some providers work in the disability sector. These are usually larger multidisciplinary practices offering a range of services including speech therapy, occupational therapy, psychology, physiotherapy and more. Some disability companies will also offer other NDIS services such as support work and plan management. NDIS funding is accepted for these services.
Public health sector
For families who may find it challenging to access other services, the public health sector offers multidisciplinary services for children through the Child Development Service (CDS). This service can only be accessed by children who do not have NDIS funding. A referral is needed, and waitlists are often long (over 12 months). Read more about CDS eligibility and referrals.
Language Development Centres
While not strictly a speech therapy service, Language Development Centres (LDC) are schools with onsite speech therapists who work collaboratively with teachers and education assistants (EAs), developing programs suitable for children with language delays and disorders. The LDCs are typically accessible from Kindy through to Year Two/Three for children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Children with other diagnoses such as autism are not eligible for the LDC. A referring speech therapist must complete the LDC application. A psychologist referral and teacher report are often required as well. LDCs are not speech therapy clinics and typically do not offer individual services.
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