Literacy Lane Speech Pathology

31/08/2025

DLD is really very common. Way more common than other well know conditions such as autism.

On average 2 children in every class of 30 have DLD (Developmental Language Disorder).

DLD is a difficulty with using and understanding words and sentences. It impacts on learning, reading, writing, relationships and mental well being. So it is a big deal.

And the biggest problem is that very few people have heard of it. So people with DLD get left unsupported.

You can be part of the solution and build a better future for those with DLD. By simply getting involved and raising awareness of DLD.

Join in our campaign on Friday October 17th 2025. The theme is 'you can't see DLD'. radld.org

18/10/2024

Great to see plans underway to support teachers and schools implement structured phonics in a uniform manner across the state.

This is excellent news for Victorian students and teachers.

18/10/2024

DLD Awareness Day 2024!
Great to see a growing understanding and support of people living with DLD.
💭 Understanding language
💬 Use of language
🟣 So many ways we can help develop skills and support children and adults with DLD and those around them 🙌

27/06/2024

📗 Children and adults with dyslexia often have difficulties with accurate and fluent word recognition, spelling, writing, and reading comprehension.

📕Dyslexia is the most common learning difficulty effecting between 5-10% of people.

📘Dyslexia does not impact on a person’s intelligence and is not caused by vision difficulties.

📙Dyslexia is also known as a specific learning disorder (SLD) in reading - a brain-based disorder or disability.

📗People with dyslexia have difficulty working with the sounds in
language and the written form of language.

📕Early identification and evidence-based intervention promotes the best outcomes.

⭐Louise has completed additional training in the area of dyslexia assessment and works with psychologists in the SLD space.

📞Contact Louise for a thorough assessment of language and/or literacy skills and evidence-based intervention to support your child's learning journey.

16/04/2024

What's Language got to do with it?

💬Language forms the basis for communication, learning and literacy development.

💬Language can be broken down into:
➡️Expressive Language:
The ability to put thoughts into understandable words and sentences via talking, writing or via nonverbal body language and gestures.

⬅️Receptive Language:
The ability to take in and understand spoken or written information or things that we see, follow instructions, and understand new concepts and vocabulary.

💬 Language forms the basis for early and continued literacy development, for understanding and applying what we learn and for social interactions.

⭐Language difficulties can often go unnoticed by others as children can learn how to compensate or cover up their challenges. Difficulties sometimes do not become obvious until later primary school onwards.

⭐Left unsupported, language difficulties can lead to reduced participation at school or group activities and sometimes poor self-esteem or confidence as a learner.

⭐There are many ways we can support language development for the classroom and life outside of school so that an individual can advocate for themselves, fully participate and thrive!

📞 Call Louise if you are interested in more information

04/04/2024

What is the Science of Reading you ask?

✅A broad body of research into reading issues relating to reading and writing carried out over the past 50 years.

✅Informs how we become strong readers and writers, why some people have difficulty, and how best to assess, teach and monitor skill development throughout the school years.

✅Promotes early identification and prevention of literacy difficulties, evidence-based classroom instruction and timely intervention.

The Reading League offers a free e-book explaining the Science of Reading:
https://www.thereadingleague.org/what-is-the-science-of-reading/

5️⃣ Keys to Reading Success:
⭐Phonological and phonemic awareness - knowledge of sounds in spoken words

⭐Phonics - knowledge of letter-sound relationships

⭐Fluency - reading accurately, efficiently and with expression

⭐Vocabulary - knowledge of word meanings and morphology - root words + prefixes/suffixes

⭐Comprehension - understanding the meaning and intent of text

Reading comprehension is the 'end game'

✅The Simple View of Reading model shows how reading comprehension is the product of decoding skills (word reading) AND language skills (word/text meaning).

Decoding x Language = Reading Comprehension

✅If decoding AND/OR language is difficult, reading comprehension is impacted.

📃A recent Grattan Institute report identified one third of Australian children can't read proficiently. The report urged for a national reform and called upon government and school sector leaders to commit to a 6-step 'Reading Guarantee' which includes the science of reading approach.
https://grattan.edu.au/australia-needs-a-reading-revolution/


📚The Reading Rope picture below shows all the elements which come together over time to develop strong readers through evidence based, explicit instruction and continuous development of background knowledge.

📞Contact Louise at Literacy Lane Speech Pathology if you have any concerns about your child's literacy or language development.

26/03/2024

Speech pathologists can support students with learning difficulties such as:
⭐Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)
⭐Specific Learning Disorders: Dyslexia & Dysgraphia
⭐Academic & Communication Skills
⭐Learning difficulties associated ADHD, ASD or mental health

We advocate for the needs of students with language and literacy difficulties and disorders so they may reach their full potential in school and life beyond.

Dyslexia - SPELD Foundation
https://dsf.net.au/professionals/allied-health-professionals

19/03/2024

Literacy Lane Speech Pathology can support your child's learning journey by working on speech, literacy and language skills to meet the needs of school and beyond.

Literacy skills (reading, spelling and writing) share a relationship with oral language skills in that we need literacy skills to lift the words off the page and we need language skills to make meaning and communicate about topics and texts in oral and written form. Contact Louise for more information.

06/03/2024

15/02/2024

All the ways Literacy Lane Speech Pathology can support your child's speech, language and literacy development!

⭐Speech and language skills are foundation to early literacy development.
⭐Being able to read, spell and write is fundamental to our learning, communication and participation in life.
⭐Literacy development is a core part of what speech pathologists can provide support with as it sits under the umbrella of language and communication.
⭐Speech sounds link with spellings and vice versa.
⭐Language skills are used to generate meaning, make inferences and express ideas through spoken and written language.
⭐Language intervention is most impactful when complimenting the areas of learning and texts read at school.
⭐Speech, literacy and language skills support social communication development.
⭐Partnership between therapy, school and home life is essential.

The early school years focus on learning to read while the middle to upper school years focus on reading to learn. If there are difficulties in learning to read and spell, it can be harder to access the curriculum in the upper years as content areas and vocabulary becomes more complex.

Literacy has always been a passion area of mine from my studies and work as a speech pathologist in Education. I am passionate about using the science of speech, language, learning and reading to deliver evidence-based speech, language and literacy intervention. I am also trained in systematic synthetic phonics approaches such as Sounds-Write and Read3.

Currently seeing primary school students in clinic on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Call Louise on 0494 058 433 or email louise@literacylanespeechpathology.com with enquiries.