Speech

If you or others are finding your child difficult to understand, then they might be having trouble making the oral movements necessary to produce sounds in words.

It is normal for some sounds to develop later than others, but of course it is natural as a parent to be worried, particularly if comparing to siblings or other children at playgroups or school.

At The Speech Nook we will look at the sounds your child can say, and if needed establish a therapy program to target ones that are missing or being spoken differently. Or give you the reassurance that your little one is on the right track!

Literacy

Some children need extra support to learn to read and write accurately and efficiently, beyond what can be taught in a large classroom setting. We will work with your child’s teacher to identify where the breakdown is occurring when your child reads, and provide a comfortable space to target these skills and help your child to enjoy reading.

Our synthetic systematic phonics approach will equip your child with the tools they need to read and write any word they come across.

Language

Our little ones are communicating with us well before their first word. If you are concerned that your baby or toddler is not babbling, talking or interacting as well as others their age, we can help you to help them.

Or perhaps your older child is having trouble expressing what they are thinking or what they need? Maybe they are having difficulty following directions in the classroom, or having challenges with written tasks. Then language therapy may help. Language includes both understanding and production of words and sentences.

Fluency

Sometimes the words don’t come out smoothly. Stuttering affects the flow of speech and it may sound like your child’s words are ‘stuck’, or they might frequently repeat a sound or word. It is important to treat stuttering early, so if you have concerns please get in touch.

We will work as a team to help your child speak smoothly.

Hi I’m Kate and I’m the owner and speech pathologist in Launceston at The Speech Nook. I started The Speech Nook while in Queensland in 2019, having previously graduated with a Masters from the University of Sydney. I have seen children across Sydney, Canberra and Ipswich in community, clinic and school settings. My family has recently relocated to Tasmania in 2022 where I grew up. I feel so fortunate to be back and to have brought my little family business with me, and am happy to be able provide much needed additional speech pathology services to the area.

I have three young children understand the worries we have as parents about whether our child’s development is on track, and motivation we have to do the very best for our little ones. I developed The Speech Nook to be a caring and supportive space for families where we can understand a child’s communication skills best, and work together to get results that have a lasting impact.

It makes my day when a child says something they haven’t been able to say before; whether that is babbling by a baby, ‘brmm brmmm’ by a toddler pushing a car, a clear ‘s’ sound from a student, or an entire smooth conversation with a child who stutters.

Outside of speechie life, you will often find me at a playground with my kids (preferably one with good coffee nearby!) I have always enjoyed traveling and languages fascinate me. I have two cats, and love that my eldest son’s first word was ‘cat’ while my daughter’s first word was ‘dog’. At least my youngest’s first word was ‘mama’.

Qualifications and Memberships

• Master of Speech Language Pathology - University of Sydney

• Certified Practising Member of Speech Pathology Australia

• Registered Sounds-Write Phonics Practitioner

• Registered User of the Derbyshire Language Scheme

• PROMPT Trained