Flourish Allied Health Services

23/08/2023

Speech Pathology Week seeks to promote the speech pathology profession and the work done by speech pathologist with the more than 1.1 million Australians who have a communication or swallowing disorder that impacts on their daily life. Communication

01/04/2023

Today we remembered and celebrated the wonderful life of Amy Brown.

Amy inspired everyone she met. She brought so much joy, love, compassion and encouragement to the clinic. Her enthusiasm for life and love of her children was always on display. She supported other mothers in our Flourish community and rallied behind them when they needed a little lift. I feel honoured that she trusted me and my team with her children and we will continue to support them as needed. Amy was so immensely proud of her boys. We all miss you so much. You have left a lasting impression that I will carry proudly with me and I know I am a better clinician for having met you.

All our love to our friend, Amy her husband Anthony and their beautiful sons ###

03/03/2023

Medicare rebates are now available for children and young adults with FASD.

This is a very welcomed change!

Some wonderful news!

There have been recent changes to the Medicare Benefits Scheme, which as of 1st March, see FASD confirmed as an eligible disability.

Benefits are now available under multiple item numbers (including allied health) for a range of services and the eligible age has been increased from those under 13 years of age, to those under 25 years of age.

For more details about these most welcome changes see:
http://www.mbsonline.gov.au/internet/mbsonline/publishing.nsf/Content/Factsheet-CND+Eligible-disability-MBS-changes

27/02/2023

Thank you to Aliesha for cofacilitating a wonderful workshop about how we can simplify the use of visuals to make them more accessible and easier to implement across the day.

And also a BIG thank you to our first group of participants. You were a great audience.

The team at Flourish Allied Health Services look forward to presenting more information nights in the future.

Following on from a topic suggestion received tonight our March topic will be on neurodiversity. We will consider how brains may process information differently and discuss ways we can support all children by changing the way we (as adults) act and how different environments can facilitate or inhibit participation.

Neurodiversity is another way to look at the abilities of autistic people, as well as other neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD, ODD, Dyslexia, and Dyspraxia. Helping to build a society that is accessible for neurodiverse people is not only beneficial for everyone, but fair.

I anticipate the workshop will run one evening during the last week in March (date to be confirmed). Please register your interest with Jaz by emailing admin@flourishahs.com.au.

Liz 🌸

15/02/2023

Would you like to learn more about visual supports and how they can be used to support language development and participation at home and in educational environments?

Aleisha and Liz will be facilitating an 1 hour information session in our Maclean clinic on Monday the 27th of February. The session will start at 5:30pm with light snacks provided (because Liz loves a cheese plate).

Parents and Educators are welcome to attend the information session.

If there is enough interest, we will hold an additional session to provide a space to make visuals (picture: gathering around a table to make visuals while sharing stories and ideas).

As a practice we would like to host regular information nights covering a variety of topics. Some future topics may include: Establishing routines, mealtimes and supporting children to develop emotional regulation skills.

If you are interested in attending this information session, or would like to receive information about future sessions, please email Jaz at admin@flourishahs.com.au

We are looking forward to FLOURISHING together in 2023

23/11/2022

Supporting teenagers requires a new parenting skill set!

Supporting teenagers as they navigate major life transitions might feel daunting at times.

Here is a link to some free support, mentoring and training.

20/08/2022

Using our hearts and minds to navigate ‘difficult moments’ with kids. A masterclass with Maggie Dent and Dr Mona Delahooke

22/04/2022

Erica, our amazing & thoughtful speechie, has created a fabulous resource for children affected by floods. I'll let her tell you about it:

"I was born and bred in the Northern Rivers, and am a Speechie practicing across the Clarence Valley.

I spend a lot of my time trying to help kids understand the world around them. During the floods, I kept thinking about the impact this disaster was having, and would continue to have, on the kids in our communities. So I did some research, reached out to some mates, and together we compiled a resource to help us support our children through this traumatic experience.

These images are a condensed version of the full resource. Please see link below for access to our downloadable PDF.

This learning resource is designed for parents, guardians, teachers, siblings, baby-sitters - basically anyone who interacts with kids - that should help facilitate constructive, healthy conversations about the floods. There are also some contacts, links to helpful resources and even a community story-telling project.

Please feel free to share this downloadable PDF resource far and wide. Print it off and hang it in your staffroom, forward it to friends and colleagues, reference it when talking to your own children - use it in anyway that is helpful to you.

And don't hesitate to reach out!"

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-S83UwCO5g9tNCszChGGNGzHnT9yRXv3/view

27/11/2021

Online toilet training support group facilitated by an OT in Brisbane- starts Monday 29/11/21

4-week, online support group for parents as they guide their child towards using the toilet independently.

14/08/2021

10/08/2021

Decodable readers are a great way to help children learn to read.

I would encourage anyone with young children to download these readers from the App Store.

If you would like to know more about learning to read, phonics or spelling- don’t hesitate to ask one of the clinicians from Flourish Allied Heath Services.

Liz 🌸

⭐️Update⭐️ FREE for Android 1 Week only

🔔🔔 August 23 - 30 [Google Play] 🔔🔔

More information in the FAQ at the link below

https://www.littlelearnersloveliteracy.com.au/blogs/decodable-books/apps

Huge thanks to Little Learners Love Literacy
The app version of ALL of their Decodable readers is currently FREE in the 🍏 Apple App 🍎 Store until September 13 2021.

https://apps.apple.com/au/developer/learning-logic/id828398073 -all/i-phonei-pad-apps

10/08/2021

THE SIMPLE THINGS!

Our Speechie Erica and her wonderful therapy kids out at Lawrence PS have busted down the doors (figuratively speaking…) and spent time in the outdoors! What a lovely reminder to consider simple changes in our day-to-day routines that can facilitate fresh, creative thinking – like doing therapy sessions outside!

With the current and impending challenges and uncertainties facing our day-to-day lives, it is increasingly important to remember to find pleasure in the simple things. Here are some fun, simple activities to do outside that can facilitate language and learning development:

• Read a book outside! Simply changing our scenery can be a new and exciting way to engage our children in activities that they know and love.
• Do a scavenger hunt in the yard! Make a list of things to find (something green, something smooth, something little) and reconvene to compare and contrast your treasures.
• Have a picnic! Practice organising and planning skills by figuring out what you will need, then collecting and preparing everything before enjoying a snack or a meal together outside.
Stay safe and stay creative!

The team at Flourish Allied Health Services

04/08/2021

Our Website is live!

Many thanks to Adam Woodleigh for getting our landing page up and running. The team are excited to develop content. Watch this space.

Please check it out ⭐️

https://www.flourishalliedhealthservices.com.au

Flourish Allied Health Services is a multidisciplinary, person-centred allied health practice which employs Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Early Childhood Teachers and Allied Health Assistants to support adults and children who live in the Clarence Valley.

22/07/2021

Hello, my name is Mia and I’m the new Speech Pathologist at Flourish Allied Health Services. I love to travel (here is a photo of me in outback Australia!) and be curious about the world around me. Recently at Flourish, we have been very exploring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. I was curious about the stories from the Yaegl people and have learned about the Dirragan, a dreaming story of the Clarence river. My clients and I have loved this story and exploring our unique local history.

18/07/2021

We are offering the Circle of Security Parenting training again this term. Aleisha, along with a very special guest presenter, will be facilitating the sessions on Wednesday afternoons at 4pm -5:30pm.
The group will begin on Wednesday 28th of July and run for 8 weeks.

Our first group training was a great success and we are so excited to be offering the training again.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Liz

12/07/2021

For the past few months Rock and I, along with our team at Flourish have worked tirelessly to build a new clinic in River Street Maclean. We have been very grateful for the support many local businesses including Clarence Valley Building byDesigns, ADC Electricals, Matt Adamson Plumbing and Adam Woodleigh (Red Alfalfa Designs).

Have a look at our beautiful rooms 👏👏👏

24/06/2021

On the 16th of July, I will be presenting on Supporting students with speech and language disorders to a fabulous bunch of foreign languages teachers in Coffs Harbour for Languages Roadshow.

Kelly, the Director of Languages Roadshow is a passionate teacher who has so much knowledge to share. She manages to motivate, educate and empower me in even during quick conversations. Kelly will be presenting on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL).

The keynote speaker at the conference will be Gabbie Stroud presenting “Telling it like it is...” Gabbie is determined to help teachers find their voice who they may start conversations that have the potential to change Australian education for the better.

Kelly has also organised Clark Webb (Executive Officer, Bugatti Muurlay Nyanggan Aboriginal Corporation) to talk about the Gumbaynggirr Language Revitalisation Program. I am very excited to stay and listen to Clark’s talk.

Thank you for the opportunity Kel,

Liz 🌸

Say hi to Liz Bailey from Flourish Allied Health Services in Maclean, NSW. Liz goes above and beyond for the kids and families she works with, she is incredibly good at her job and we are lucky enough to have her speaking at our Coffs Harbour event! She’ll be giving teachers lots of advice as to how to better support kids with speech and language disorders - such an important topic!!

Her little mate here is my eldest boy, Darcy 🧡

I asked Liz the question, “If you had the attention of every teacher in the country, what would you say?’

There are so many useful tips in her response 😍

She says:

As a Speech Pathologist, I have a profound appreciation for the immense diversity of students in Australian classrooms and the challenges teaching students with special education needs presents. Teaching is such a rewarding and challenging career – thank you for supporting our children.
Inclusion means better outcomes for all. When students have individual differences, which impact on their learning outcomes consider the following things:
A positive, respectful relationship between teacher and student is essential to a collaborative learning environment.
Assume competence. Every student has the capacity to learn and demonstrate new skills, some need more support to break a task down into achievable chunks. Rather than simplifying the content, modify how it is presented.
Every behaviour communicates something. What are your students communicating through their challenging behaviours?

Thanks Liz! Can’t wait for your presentation in a couple of weeks.

Tickets available at www.languagesroadshow.com.au

$350
16 July at Opal Cove Resort.

Lots of other topics being covered too - it’s going to be a great day.

21/04/2021

We are delighted to offer our community the opportunity to participate in Circle of Security Parenting Workshops!

The Circle of Security Parenting program is based on decades of research about how secure parent-child relationships can be supported and strengthened.

Our two licensed facilitators Aleisha McEwan and Lauren Kirkland look forward to sharing with you learnings about reading children’s emotional needs, managing children’s emotions, enhancing our children’s self esteem and honouring your innate wisdom and desire for your child to be secure.

02/04/2021