FAQ

If you have concerns about your child's communication or feeding skills it is best to seek advice from a speech pathologist early on.  Parents know their child best - you can trust your instincts.  If you're unsure, Speech Pathology Australia provide fact sheets on Communication Milestones.

You do not need a referral to access speech pathology services.  Please don't hesitate to contact us directly.

Yes!  We can provide services for NDIS clients who have chosen Plan- or Self-Managed funding.  We are not registered with NDIS, so cannot provide services for clients who have chosen NDIA-Managed funding.

The NDIS apply the Early Childhood Approach for children younger than 9.  Through this approach, some children younger than 6 with a developmental delay and children younger than 9 with a disability may be eligible to access supports.  The NDIS Early Childhood Partner delivering this approach in the Perth Metropolitan area is WANSLEA.

This depends on your level of cover.  We recommend you check with your private health insurer before accessing services.  If eligible, you can submit paid invoices to your private health insurer to apply for rebates.

Your child may be eligible for a GP Management Plan which would provide partial rebates for a limited number of therapy sessions.  This is at the discretion of the GP in accordance with Medicare requirements.  If your child has a GP Management Plan, please forward this prior to your child's appointment or bring it with you to your child's first appointment.  If eligible, you can submit paid invoices to Medicare to apply for rebates.

At times, requests for speech pathology services may exceed the capacity of Tuned Into Speech Therapy.  When this occurs, parents will be given the option of placing their child's name on a waitlist for services.

A number of factors are considered when prioritising children waiting for services.  Children might not be seen on a 'first-come, first-served' basis.  The factors considered include:

◊  potential impact of waiting for services on a child's health and well-being

◊  times of transition, such as starting school

◊  time sensitive needs, such as review reports or Language Development Centre applications

◊  logistical factors, such as client location and availability for appointments, and

◊  availability of alternative services, for example if the child is currently seeing a speech pathologist at another clinic.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you are concerned about your child's wait for services.

We welcome your feedback, as we strive to provide services that suit your child's and family's needs and situation.  Please feel free to contact Sharon directly, by phone or in writing, with feedback, suggestions or concerns.  Any concerns will be attended to promptly in a respectful and confidential manner.

The National Code of Conduct for Health Care Workers (here in Easy English) sets standards of conduct for health care providers such as Speech Pathologists.  If you have a complaint that could not be resolved to your satisfaction, you can contact the following organisations for support:

◊  Health and Disability Services Complaints Office - for clients not funded through NDIS

◊  NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission - for clients funded through NDIS

◊  Speech Pathology Australia - Australian national body for the speech pathology profession.