It’s Speech Pathology Week!
This year’s overarching theme is ‘Impact through communication’, with each day dedicated to a specific theme that showcases a different way speech pathologists support and strengthen communication.
We’ve popped all the quotes from our speech pathologists into one story to give an overall picture of how our team helps to create impact through communication.
Day 1 - Marisa Di Lorenzo - Connection through communication
"Connection gives meaning and value to our lives. We connect with one another through communication. As a speech pathologist, I love the work that I do with caregivers, helping them notice all the ways their child seeks to connect with them. By noticing each child’s cues and responding in a way that shows understanding, we are building their connection, confidence and communication with others."
Day 2 - Lara Goldie - Confidence through communication
"One of the greatest joys of my work as a speech pathologist is watching children grow in confidence as they learn how to communicate clearly to the people they love. The happiness I witness on their faces when they recognise that their voice has been understood and valued is beautiful. I love celebrating those special moments with families.
Every child has the potential to connect with loved ones, understand and communicate important messages to others, and grow each day in their confidence to share what they think and feel. Speech pathologists help children reach their potential by providing the tools necessary for success, so that confidence grows in the child as he or she begins to communicate more clearly, and be heard.
Speech pathologists build confidence and capacity in a child to express themselves in all environments, so that they feel comfortable sharing their gifts with the world. Supporting neurodiverse children and families on this important journey is a great privilege. I love partnering with families to nurture confidence to use communication for the purpose of building relationships, connecting with family and friends, and having a positive impact on others."
Day 3 - Gen Wilmot - Inclusion through communication
"Kids communicate in a variety of ways. Some kids use verbal language, while others may use sounds, gestures, eye gaze or pictures to communicate. All kids deserve a way to be heard and included.
For some of the kids I see, offering different communication tools or slightly changing the way support is offered, has led to big and meaningful changes in the way they experience inclusion and belonging. For example, it has meant being able to choose what they want to eat for dinner when their family goes out for a meal, or joining in with a classroom discussion at school.
Speech pathologists play a key role in advocating for appropriate communication tools and supportive environments where every voice (in every form!) is valued."
Day 4 – Lily Vo - Empowerment through communication
"Communication is a human right that gives us the freedom to express our needs and make sense of our options and choices in everyday situations. Speech pathologists play a vital role in empowerment through communication by helping kids develop the skills needed to make their needs known, in any modality. Through my work I have had the privilege of seeing kids advocate for their needs for the first time, from requesting a snack or asking for help, to sharing their feelings and opinions in interactions with their parents, siblings, and peers. Speech pathologists use a family-centred and strengths-based approach to empower kids to find and use their voice, so they can participate fully in their communities."
Day 5 – Mikali Kluver - Opportunity through communication
"Each and every person has the right to access education, employment, hobbies, travel and community inclusion. As speech pathologists, our role is not limited to building communication skills within the walls of a clinic—it is about supporting people to generalise those skills into the wider world. Our ambition is to empower individuals to raise their hand in the classroom, to advocate their needs on the playground, to interview and get that dream job, to share their passions with friends, or even book that long-awaited overseas trip. Communication is the key that opens up this world of possibilities."
Day 6 - Sarah Pillar - Wellbeing through communication
"Communication can have a huge impact on wellbeing. Communication helps us connect and build healthy relationships, express what we need and feel part of our communities. I’ve worked with so many kids where building their communication access has helped to reduce their frustration and had a huge positive impact on their physical and mental health. Communication helps kids to share information that is vital to their everyday wellbeing, like - Do they feel unwell or have any pain? Or what makes them feel safe? Speech pathologist’s work in supporting communication is vital for realising our vision for happy and healthy kids."
Day 7 - Marisa Di Lorenzo - Independence through communication
"Communication plays a big role in asserting your independence and expressing your self-identity. A speech pathologist will work both with an individual and the important people in that individual’s life to support independence. This might include providing education or environmental adjustments as well as helping individuals to understand and advocate for their own needs."