Speak Listen Learn

04/10/2025

🗣️ October is AAC Awareness Month!

There are so many myths about Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), like “AAC stops kids from talking” or “they need certain skills before we start.”

The truth? There are no prerequisites for communication.
Just as we talk to babies before they can speak, we can model and build language through AAC long before a child uses it independently. AAC doesn’t replace speech; it supports it, helping kids connect, express, and thrive. 💬✨

We’ve shared a new blog post unpacking some of the biggest myths about AAC, and what the research really says.

Let’s spread the message that communication is for everyone 💛

https://speaklistenlearn.com.au/busting-the-myths-about-aac-what-every-family-should-know/

Busting the myths about AAC! Learn why there are no prerequisites for communication, how AAC supports speech, and why it’s not just for non-speaking kids. A family-friendly guide from Speak Listen Learn.

09/09/2025

🎈 Play · Connect · Communicate – Preschoolers (3–5 yrs) 🎈

Our preschool holiday group is all about fun, friendship, and imagination! Perfect for little ones who love play and would enjoy a small-group experience.

🌟 Messy sensory play
🌟 Obstacle courses
🌟 LEGO fun
🌟 Pretend cafés & dress-ups

Designed by our speech pathologists and run with our allied health assistants, these groups give preschoolers a safe, supportive space to play, grow, and connect.

📅 Week 1 & 2 of the school holidays
📍 Speak Listen Learn, Frenchs Forest
📧 admin@speaklistenlearn.com.au | ☎️ 9402 0894

✨ Limited places – get in touch today!

09/09/2025

🌸 Crafternoons – Primary Girls 🌸

✨ Looking for a holiday activity that’s creative and connection-focused?

Our Crafternoons group is designed for primary school girls who’d love a chance to create, connect, and make new friends.

🖌 Beading
📓 Journaling
🔑 Keyring making
🎨 Craft & creativity galore!

Guided by our speech pathologists and allied health assistants, sessions are structured yet relaxed, helping friendships grow naturally.

📅 Week 1 & 2 of the school holidays
📍 Speak Listen Learn, Frenchs Forest
📧 admin@speaklistenlearn.com.au | ☎️ 9402 0894

💫 Spots are limited – book now!

19/07/2025

Encouraging your child to talk doesn’t mean saying “Say…” all the time (in fact, it can actually have the opposite effect!)

There are so many natural, fun ways to support your child’s language development, just through how you play, talk, and interact.

💬 Model and pause
🧩 Use sentence completion
🤔 Offer choices
🎈 Sabotage (playfully!)
🗣 Narrate and comment
🔁 Repeat, expand and imitate
✋ Add gesture and sign

Swipe through for simple strategies you can start using today to help your child to communicate and learn language in an stress-free, engaging way.

If you ever have concerns about your child’s communication, don’t wait, reach out to a speech pathologist. We’re here to help ❤️

29/06/2025

NDIS changes are here, and they matter!

From the 1st of July, significant changes to the NDIS will come into effect. These impact how services are funded, how therapy is delivered, and what families can expect.

At Speak Listen Learn, we’ve taken time to unpack these changes (and to be honest, it’s still clear as mud!). We've written a blog to help families make sense of what’s happening, including the ongoing therapy rate freeze, funding period shifts, travel caps, and more.

The post also outlines practical steps you can take to advocate for fairer, more sustainable supports for your child and others.

Let’s make sure families and therapists are heard!

The last few weeks have been a time of uncertainty, frustration, and disappointment for many, including families, therapists, and business owners. Like many providers, we’ve taken time to carefully review the newly released documents, attend information sessions, and understand the implications th...

30/05/2025

✨A HUGE win this week that I just had to share… ✨

I’ve been working with this precious little one for years now, she’s sweet, determined, and such a joy to be around. But /k/ and /g/? They’ve been our absolute nemesis! We’ve tried everything, every trick, every context.

She could get the sounds with a physical prompt (like using a paddle pop stick to push her tongue back), but never independently.

We gave her space when it got frustrating. We circled back to it gently over time (there were plenty of other goals to target). But this year I was determined, because it was starting to impact her literacy.

Every week we spent some time on it, but it was a hard slog and the progress was seemingly non existent.

Then this week, right in the middle of a book, she randomly said “scratch”. I nearly fell off my chair! 🙃😲

Then it kept going… “scramble”.
“Squirrel”.
“Squabble”.

(And yep we’d definitely tried all the blends in the past and every facilative context out there!)

I almost couldn’t believe it!! With a very cautious probe for the sounds in isolation, I discovered she could suddenly produce a perfect /k/ and /g/ on her own. No prompts. No tools. Just her.

Within minutes she was flying through minimal pairs, 90% accuracy at word level, no paddle pop stick in sight.

And the pride on her face? Absolute magic 🥰

These are the moments that stay with you. 🥹

25/05/2025

Have you noticed your child struggling to tell a simple story or explain what happened in their day? Maybe the events come out in a jumbled order, or they just find it tricky to put their thoughts into words. It’s something we hear from many parents, and it can be worrying when your child can’t express themselves clearly.

The good news is, there’s so much you can do at home to help. In our latest blog post, we’re sharing simple, everyday ways to build your child’s storytelling and sequencing skills. No flashcards or fancy tools needed — just everyday routines, play, and a bit of imagination.

These are the kinds of things we talk about with families every week, and we hope they help take a bit of the pressure off and bring a little more confidence to you and your child.

Help your child organise ideas, retell events, and build expressive language with simple, practical tips for strong storytelling foundations.

24/05/2025

📚 Looking for picture books that build storytelling and sequencing skills?

At Speak Listen Learn, we’re always on the hunt for engaging stories that don’t just entertain but help children communicate, connect, and thrive.

We’ve put together a list of our top picture books to support kids in:
✨ Retelling stories
✨ Understanding beginning, middle and end
✨ Answering “who, what, where, when” questions
✨ Exploring characters, intentions, and consequences

These books are perfect for home, therapy, or classroom use, and we’ve included tips for making them interactive with props, drawings, or role play!

Which book would you add to the list? Let us know in the comments! 💬

Looking for the best books for narrative retell? Here are our top picture books to help kids build sequencing, story structure, and expressive language.

12/05/2025

💡Today we were working on building sentences using visual supports and beads.

This little one was learning how to put together who 🤷‍♀️, what doing 🚴, and where 🏠 in a sentence using picture strips and coloured threading beads to support their understanding.

The beads give a tactile way to track each part of the sentence, helping with focus, memory, and engagement. It’s such a simple, effective tool to support early language skills and make sentence-building more meaningful.

10/05/2025

“Does my child need a speech pathologist?”

It’s one of the most common questions we hear, and if you’ve found yourself wondering the same, you’re not alone.

Maybe your child isn’t talking as much as other kids their age, struggles to follow instructions, or finds it hard to be understood. Or maybe something just doesn’t feel quite right, and you’re not sure what to do next.

Our latest blog breaks down what speech pathologists do, common signs that might suggest a child needs support, and how to take the next step if you’re still unsure.

If you’re looking for clear, practical guidance, this article is for you!

Read it here:

If you have concerns about your child’s speech or language development and are wondering “Does my child need a speech pathologist?”, this blog post is for you! Many parents ask themselves at some point, “Is this normal?” when it comes to how their child communicates. It can be hard to know...

06/05/2025

We’ve been meaning to share some of the photos from the LEGO therapy workshop that ran in the holidays! Today is the day 🎉

28/04/2025

Today we practised /s/ blends using forward chaining!

Forward chaining helps kids who find blends tricky, especially if they can say the sounds by themselves, but leave out the second sound when trying to blend them together.

We start with the first sound (like /s/) and then add this to a known word which helps them build to the target word. For example: /s/ + “key” becomes “ski”!

It gives kids a clear stepping stone using a word they already know and helps them hear how the sounds fit together step-by-step.

Shout out to for the awesome card visuals and for my go to game of the month.