River Speech

06/03/2026

Changes to Medicare - hopefully making speech pathology a little more within reach for families 🤞

From 1st March 2026, the MBS M10 program has expanded to include Speech Sound Disorders, Apraxia of Speech, Dysarthria, Cleft Lip &/or Palate & stuttering.

This expansion offers a capped number of rebated sessions for assessment & therapy.

A referral from a GP or Specialist is required.

💧Apologies that I don’t have a pretty picture or social media carousel to share this info!

17/02/2026

A fabulous event coming to our region in April 😊 Free to attend - and I’m sure it will be well worth it!
Thanks to Flow Child Therapy for being an integral part in making this happen.

Come along and hear Mark LeMessurier, 2022 South Australian, Senior Australian of the Year...in person...right here in the Riverland!

17/02/2026

I get to go to a Foundation Course in Orofacial Myology at the end of March - I’m really excited!
I’ve heard so much about OFM and how it can apply to kids with speech sound disorders & feeding difficulties; but it’s so much more than that… I can’t wait to learn about it & share it with my clients 😊

26/01/2026

Loving the lunchbox & school lunch tips being shared by Let’s Eat- Feeding Therapy - have a read below if you think this may apply to you

Feeding Differences, School Rules & Working Together 🤝🍎

Australian schools work hard to keep children safe, healthy and included. Policies around food exist for good reasons – allergies and choking risks.

But sometimes, the same rules that protect many children can unintentionally make things harder for children with feeding differences.

🧠 How policies can affect some children

Set rules about “healthy foods only”, no dips, no packaged foods or no alternatives can mean:
• A child goes hungry
• A child feels singled out
• A child becomes more anxious about eating at school

This is not because teachers do not care – it is because policies are written for groups, not for individual nervous systems.

✨ Why flexibility matters
For children with feeding differences, eating is not about willpower.

It is about safety, predictability and regulation.

Sometimes flexibility is what allows a child to eat at all.
🏫 What inclusive feeding can look like
• Quiet, low-pressure eating spaces
• Allowing safe foods even if they do not “look perfect”
• Understanding that some children eat better with less attention
• Supporting children to feel normal, not different
💬 How to advocate kindly and clearly

You can say:
“My child has feeding difficulties. These foods are what help them eat at school. Could we work together to support this?”
You are not asking for special treatment – you are asking for equitable support.

💛 Work with, not against
Most teachers want children to feel safe and succeed.
Share what helps your child.
Listen to the school’s concerns.
Look for solutions together.

🌿 Advocating without burning out
You do not have to fight every battle.
Start with the ones that help your child eat, feel safe and belong.
Kind advocacy is not loud or rude – it is clear, calm and child-centred.

✨ Big message:
When schools and families work as a team, children with feeding differences do not just eat better – they feel seen, supported and included.

25/01/2026

I thought this was such a simple post about when to seek advice & support from a Speech Pathologist 😊
If this resonates with you, please feel free to reach out.

Four is a GREAT age to start speech therapy if:
1. You are still interpreting what they’re saying to other people
2. You’ve been wondering if they’ll “catch up,” but they haven’t yet.

My goal is always to get kids 95-100% intelligible by the time they start school, so I don’t recommend leaving it any later.

21/01/2026

A timely reminder that school can bring a lot of angst for some of our kids around mealtimes, particularly our restricted eaters.
I love this post from Let’s Eat- Feeding Therapy.
If you need someone in your corner to help in this space, please reach out 😊

Supporting Restricted Eaters During Crunch & Sip 🍎🥒

Our tips for helping you advocate for your child at school

Does your child have a very limited range of fruit and vegetables? Crunch and Sip can be stressful – for kids and parents. Here is how you can support and advocate for your child:

✨ Talk to the teacher
Let them know exactly what your child eats and what helps them most – gentle encouragement, or no pressure at all.

✨ Practise at home
Do “mini crunch and sip” at the park or at home. Practise opening containers and reassure your child they do not have to eat everything.

✨ Make it easy
Small portions, peeled and chopped fruit, no browning, easy to eat with fingers or a fork.

✨ Add tiny variety
Rotate foods slowly – apple one day, cucumber the next. Change shapes, cuts, brands or textures rather than changing foods completely.

✨ Know the school rules
Ask what is allowed. Some schools allow dips, dried fruit or canned fruit packs – others do not. Advocate kindly if your child needs flexibility.

✨ Take the pressure off
It is one break. It is okay if they do not eat. Crunch and Sip is not the place for food challenges. Save learning about new foods for home or therapy, not in front of peers.

💛 Big message:
Your child’s safety and confidence matter more than finishing fruit. Support them, work with the school, and advocate for what helps your child feel calm, included and successful.

13/08/2025

Supporting children and their families with mealtime challenges &/or swallowing difficulties is an area of clinical practice I really enjoy, despite it feeling like challenging & ‘slow progress’ work at times.

The amazing Belinda at Playful Connections has just shared this post of mealtimes, with a particular focus on Neurodivergent kids & adults. She has summarised some key principles beautifully! I love the mention of ‘felt safety’ as this is pivotal in the mealtime space.

It’s an individual journey for every child & family. And (sometimes) if it’s working for a child, we don’t need to fix, change or make it a problem.

17/06/2025

Last week, a 2025 goal became reality — I attended a professional development activity in person!

I spent a full day deep-diving into treatment for (phonological) speech sound disorders (SSDs). It offered time for reflection and new learnings. Implementation will take time, but I’m determined to make it happen!

Key takeaways that resonated with me:

💧 Every child is different — there is no one-size-fits-all for SSDs. I loved the focus on tailoring therapy to the child in front of me, including their personality and speech patterns. I’m excited to try a parent questionnaire at the start of therapy.

💧 Assessment is flexible and should be adapted to the child. It’s about collecting enough information to guide treatment, which often takes more than one session, and should be repeated to track progress.

💧 Analysis is key! A detailed, behind-the-scenes task, but so important. I’m keen to trial a new tool to see my analysis in a different light.

💧 Evidence-based practice matters — especially thinking about dosage and frequency. I want therapy to be accessible yet effective. This will take more reflection time, working alongside families and within funding models, but evidence says weekly intervention is best!

🌈 Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging day with Adventures in Speech Pathology.
Bonus: catching up with a friend and colleague (Sophie – Hillside Paediatrics), even with a 4:30am start!

💙 The day reminded me why my clinical services focus on SSDs, paediatric feeding & dysphagia, and early literacy. I want to be known locally for providing the best care I can in these areas.

18/05/2025

The next round of NDIS changes are starting - this one is all to do with how participants will receive their funding.
Thanks Coastwide Therapy Services for this summary!

19/03/2025

Did you know I am incredibly passionate about supporting kids who have swallowing problems?! I also love working with children and their families for things like building skills to support eating different food textures & general mealtime concerns.
Please reach out if you have any questions.

14/03/2025

What a powerful, raw & emotional message to be shared… Let’s all try to be kind 💜

20/01/2025

I’m loving this lunchbox series from Debra Alvarez Feeding Kids Sydney - a co-presenter of a course I did in 2024!

Lunchboxes can be a source of worry for many parents, particularly when there is a limited range of preferred foods to chose from.

As the caption says - wherever possible, send foods you know your child likes to school/kindy!

If you need support with your child’s eating, please feel free to reach out - this may include assistance with advocating to enable your child to have access to their preferred foods at school/kindy.

Getting Ready for the School Year.

This series is looking at quick tips on how to help
promote feeling comfortable to eat in the school
setting.

School/Preschool is a sensory overloading
environment with lots of sound, movement, smells and
social expectations.
If you then also have difficulties with feeding,
lunchtimes can be incredibly overwhelming for some
kids.

It is very common to expect children to eat at school
because of how much mental and physical work they
are doing and how much fuel they need to do so, but
children’s lunch boxes often come home from
daycare/school untouched, especially if there are new
foods in it.

This can be due to a number of factors including:
- sensory overload at lunchtime
- not enough time to eat- especially for those kiddos
who have chewing difficulties
- new foods or non preferred foods in their lunchbox
- changes to the environment or the way their food
looks
- too busy playing!