Mum-of-six Teagan knows all too well the difference that being able to communicate can make, whether it’s spoken, signed, digital or written.
Three of her children, Amelia, Caleb, and Charli, receive support from AnglicareSA speech pathologists to assist with their speech, listening, and language skills.
Her journey with AnglicareSA started when she took her now eight-year-old son, Caleb, to our Autism-Specific Early Learning and Care Centre (ASELCC) within Daphne Street Childcare Centre to get the support he needed.
“I was desperate for help,” Teagan said.
“Caleb was just over two and wasn’t talking, and it was the first time I’d come across autism and what that means for development.
“We had tried mainstream childcare, but he wasn’t thriving there. I was desperate to take him somewhere that was supportive of his needs.”
AnglicareSA provides speech pathology services for individuals of every age group, from paediatrics to older age, within our Autism-Specific Early Learning Childcare Centre (ASELCC), Outreach AnglicareSA Therapeutic Services (OATS), and residential aged care programs.
Teagan has accessed services within ASELCC and OATS for her children over the years and said that being able to contact AnglicareSA’s team of speech pathologists for help and support has been reassuring, particularly when she was first trying to navigate the system and find the right supports for her children.
“AnglicareSA has been like a second family for me and the kids – they’ve been there from the beginning of our journey,” she said.
“In those earlier days, being able to sit in on sessions and ask what we can do at home and school to work through problems was a great source of support.
“Over the years, we’ve developed such strong relationships with our speech therapists. There’s been times when we’ve had some tricky moments with the children’s development, but we work through problems together and come up with supports we can implement to help.”
AnglicareSA Clinical Lead and speech pathologist Ella Bourke said the benefits of speech pathology went beyond being able to communicate.
“Communication is fundamental in our everyday lives, and integral to our wellbeing.”
“By being able to communicate in our own way, we can maintain relationships with others, connect with people, advocate for ourselves, and get our wants and needs met,” Ella said.
Teagan said her children now felt more confident and capable in their communication, literacy, and social skills, thanks in part to their regular speech pathology sessions.
“Speech pathology has made a huge difference in my children’s lives and has helped with their confidence,” she said.
“Amelia can read, write, and take reasonably bigger words and sound them out, which she could not do before speech therapy.
“Caleb has learnt strategies to help him communicate and express his feelings, which has made his transition into schooling easier.
“I believe that if it wasn’t for speech therapy, and that early intervention, we wouldn’t be where we are now and see those changes.”
AnglicareSA’s allied health services
Fourteen per cent of Australians will face a communication difficulty at some point in their lives and might require speech pathology.
AnglicareSA is seeking compassionate and skilled allied health professionals, including speech pathologists, to provide support within our disability and aged care services.
You can register your interest online by clicking here, or view our current job opportunities here.
To find out more about our individualised therapy supports for children, young people, and adults with disability, including our speech pathology services, please contact the team on 1800 953 001.