Pacific Rim Speech

09/05/2025

Our website is getting user friendly, friends! Feel free to take a look at our structured literacy page below. Our contact details are also available on the Dyslexia Foundation of New Zealand website under "Solution Providers".

Pacific Rim Speech offers speech, language, and structured literacy intervention services in Ōtautahi/Christchurch. Our student literacy program is IDA+plus accredited (to the highest standards set by the International Dyslexia Association). Literacy services are also available via teletherapy acro...

04/01/2025

Kia ora team!
If you happen to be in movie-watching mode as we gently start 2025, give "Take My Hand" on Netflix a try. It's based on a true story about Claire Jensz, a working professional and mother living with Multiple Sclerosis. Here's some more information about it: https://www.nationalmssociety.org/news-and-magazine/momentum-magazine/the-ms-experience/take-my-hand

Too often, the impacts of a diagnosis or disability on whānau and career as an adult can be overlooked. Whether it's loss, grief, anger, or stress, there are many pieces we uniquely walk through. Capacity to navigate these pieces without healthcare providers or community supports will also come and go.

For information on support groups with MS in the Christchurch area: https://mspc.org.nz/support-groups/
and across New Zealand: https://msnz.org.nz/contact-your-regional-society/

"Communication" is more than speech and language, it's about interaction and navigation through life events, socially and independently. Feel free to contact us if you feel speech-therapy might be a helpful next step for supporting your daily needs or have any questions about our services.

Regional societies offer a variety of support and services for people with MS, their families, whānau, carers and employers. 

23/09/2024

One of the areas we've been working is in consulting. Today we kicked off the week sharing about Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), with everything from Nicole's Canadian "eh" vowel to evidence-based assessment and goal planning in mind. What a great case of the Mondays when these vibrant Bjorem Speech sound cards get brought out to play. 😊

29/07/2024

"Behaviour?" It often means something and can act as a sign that speech-language therapy is required to support that persons' communication needs. This image focuses on speech-language disorders, trauma, and how they impact behaviours. *Hint, they overlap!

16/07/2024

We've been having a wonderful week in our Winter Programme with Vocal Tones! Here's a look at how we kicked off the week with "intentional" ideas and "committed" movements through the arts. 😊

17/05/2024

Congrats Ruby-Grace! Prefixes and suffix skills are necessary for reading well and understanding what is read. As words become more complex, many learners thrive on being explicitly taught the patterns and punches packed into these little meaningful units (in speech and print). Can't wait to pick up this card game! https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sponsored-stories/teens-idea-to-boost-reading-wins-big/LV33OUBPFRG4BI3KTC64Q6OOXM/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1ZNuNtUxPSsZDkT7QbhHu1xNssYeyewkQjZ3VLxQjXoBtpcGDKCDOvPSc_aem_AZOSj-jhPAT-fCY5TA1MmgdvqmOFPSSeLonocwxLctIzUvBDmBY15HLR_EPFxIXfvrqeKNGuUVw7cgx8Jabs_1wY

16yo wins $10,000 to help dyslexic kids beat reading barriers.

28/04/2024

Here's a final "5" for the month of April, which is also Autism Awareness month! While many Autistic learners thrive with visual supports, it's important to realize the ways we ALL rely on visuals that are customized to meet our own needs and strengths. How we use them matters. The language we say or -leave out- to support visuals matters.

During our assessments, instead of laziness, we think of goal and future planning skills. Instead of difficulty in "behaviours" when moving from task to task, we consider orientation and time awareness skills.

What's one way YOU use visuals to make your days or plans easier to navigate?

23/04/2024

Did you know a Speech Language Therapist specializes in assessing and intervening in spoken AND written language? Here are examples that consider how writing is used and understood. Research tells us that learners in each class will struggle with one or multiple areas below, which means assessment by a specialist can help ensure each individual student's needs are identified and supported. The stats? We'll dig deeper into those. The community needs? Specialized supports like speech therapy.

16/04/2024

This visual helps us think about how language is multi-modal. Have you tried to communicate with someone when one or many of these modes are distracting to you? What about to them? Today, let's have a think on these modes. Do you heavily rely on one? How might one be impacting someone described as having "negative behaviours"? Unfortunately, some people are given this label when speech and language needs are unmet or unidentified. Behaviour? It's usually telling us something.

12/04/2024

Kai ora! Here's a little bit of an introduction as a Speech-Language Therapist here with Pacific Rim Speech and Language. A few other facts about me? I'm originally from Chilliwack, BC in Canada and graduated from the Masters program at UC here in Christchurch.
- I live here with my partner Will and our two cats (Django and Sparta).
- I love baking, everything from braided bread to biscotti.
- I believe what the research and evidence tells us, that PLAY is an incredible way for us to develop language and social skills at all ages. Feel free to message or email us if you have questions or would like to book a session. Ngā mihi maioha! Thank you so much. x Nicole (Registered Speech-Language Therapist)

06/04/2024

Looking for a July School Holiday Program in the performing arts? We're excited to join with Vocal Tones this year and hope to see you there! Here's some more information about us.

19/03/2024

Thanks to Brianna Miluk Slp and The Food Tree for such a wonderful Pediatric Feeding Conference in Auckland this week!

Did you know? Up to 1 in 23 children under 5 are diagnosed with a PFDisorder, and an overwhelming majority of children referred for behavioural feeding programs were found to have underlying medical issues.

Here's a great video to have a think on, which Rachel shared with us as we started to pack and catch our flights, to carry the content back home.