Rising Stars Speech Pathology

07/03/2023

4 years of Rising Stars Speech Pathology! I am
very proud to do what I do everyday and am so thankful for my wonderful clients and families! ⭐️🥰

23/02/2023

Not sure how you can help your child with their therapy goals? Want a little something extra to do between sessions? Well here’s your answer… ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Speech folders with personalised activities can help support your child’s learning and development between their Speech Pathology sessions! Home activities can target a range of goals including speech sounds, receptive and expressive language, writing, phonological awareness and social skills - just to name a few. And an extra bonus is that you get new activities added to your folder regularly to keep things fun and motivating for you and your child! 🤗

Let’s have a chat if you’re interested in setting one up! ⭐️💛

16/01/2023

20/12/2022

Wishing my clients, families and supporters a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy the festive season, take time to rest and reflect on another year, and I look forward to seeing you all in 2023! 🎄🎅⭐️

17/11/2022

Today is World Prematurity Day - a globally recognised day that aims to raise awareness of pre-term birth. Every day in Australia, approximately 72 children are born prematurely, many of whom go through countless surgeries, spend several months in hospital and have a long road of therapy as they grow.

I have the absolute pleasure of working with Miss M and Mr O. Miss M was born at 24 weeks, weighing just 420g and spending almost a year in the NICU. Mr O was born at 25 weeks, weighing 535g and was discharged from the NICU after 140 days.

Miss M and Mr O are now 2 years old, and they continue to amaze everyone with new skills every day. With their amazing support network of family, therapists and medical specialists, both of these superstars have just started walking and are continually learning new words. For all that they have been through, these are two of the happiest children you will ever meet, and both work so hard. It is a credit to their strength and determination! 🤩

Today we also stop to remember the rainbow babies - never far from our thoughts, and always in our hearts. 🌈🤍

01/11/2022

I will be GOING BIG in November and walking 150km to raise money for the Starlight Foundation's 'GO BIG Challenge'.

In Australia, a child is admitted to hospital every minute. All money raised will provide invaluable social and emotional support to children and their families during some of their toughest times. Please help me support this amazing cause - any donation, no matter how small will go towards putting smiles on the faces of sick children! 💜💛

Challenge yourself and your friends to GO BIG for sick kids this November. Walk, run or roll as far as you can in 30 days. How big will you go?

04/10/2022

Happy school holidays everyone! 🥳

There are still a couple of holiday appointments available, so please contact me if you would like to book in!

12/07/2022

⭐ 3 months ⭐

I bet those first three months have flown by, despite the lack of sleep! By now you may be starting to find some routines around feeding and sleeping, and can enjoy special moments playing with your child. Their beautiful personalities are starting to show through!

➡➡➡ Swipe across to learn more about some of the developmental milestones of a 3 month old.

Should you have any concerns about your child, contact your Paediatrician or local GP.

Enjoy watching your little one continue to learn and grow!

21/06/2022

I am so incredibly proud and grateful to announce that Rising Stars Speech Pathology has been nominated in the ‘2022 SA Woman Awards’! 🤩🤗

I have been nominated for the ‘Young SA Woman’ award; a category that celebrates and recognises young women in business and entrepreneurial spirit. To say that I feel honoured is an understatement!

I’ve always felt so fortunate to work with such amazing clients and families. Supporting communication goals and advocating for equality and inclusion is my passion and something I feel privileged to do every day! 🥰

17/06/2022

How do you know when someone else has something to say? Unless you’re a mind reader, I’m guessing you won’t know! And that is why it is my job to provide those who do not have functional spoken language, a chance to communicate.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems can assist people who experience complex communication needs to develop language skills. It allows them to communicate with others, share their thoughts and opinions and increase their participation and inclusion in daily activities, both at home and within the community. Just like you and me, people with complex communication needs have lots to talk about!

AAC includes the use of speech-generating devices, sign, pictures/symbols and communication books, just to name a few.

Do you know anyone who uses AAC? If so, here are 3 quick tips to remember;
⭐ The persons' AAC device is their voice. They need access to it all the time, just like we have access to our voices 24/7. If we don’t have the device with us, we are suggesting the person has nothing to say and that we do not value their voice. Children who are verbal are able to say what they want, when they want to – people who use AAC need to be able to as well.
⭐ Model! They won’t learn to use their device, if we don’t show them how. We must give people who use AAC lots of opportunities to learn their system before we can expect them to use it. Just like we read to children before they learn to read, or how we speak to verbal children for 12 months before we expect them to speak to us.
⭐ Enjoy using AAC! They will want to use their system if we are happy and positive about using it ourselves.

Photo and quote from PrAACtical AAC

02/02/2022

Welcome back to school for 2022!

Whether you are back in the classroom or learning from home, I hope you all have a great start to the school year!

13/01/2022

⭐️ Let’s play! ⭐️

Firstly, let’s all just acknowledge how adorable and gorgeous my little niece is!! 😍

Secondly, let’s talk about play. Miss A is now 6 weeks old and is learning new skills every day. She is becoming more alert and attentive, and is really enjoying her playtime!

Here’s some ways that you can play with babies to help them learn, grow and develop new skills.

⭐️ Toys on a play mat: spending time on a play mat encourages babies to interact with their surroundings and will help develop the muscles needed for sitting and crawling. Dangling toys encourages reaching and grasping, while different textures provides opportunities for tactile exploration.

⭐️ Read books: books help brain development. They become familiar with words and pictures, and will begin to learn and understand language as you read to them. Look for books that encourage rhyme and take time to stop and explore the pages.

⭐️ High contrast visuals: after birth, it takes a baby around 8 weeks to start developing clearer vision, which includes colours and details. Babies love looking at high-contrast patterns as they stand out in their blurry world, and attracts their attention and focus. These are available in the form of books and cards, and can be a great way to model language around shapes, animals and objects.

⭐️ Wrist and feet rattles: these rattles help babies learn about their hands and feet, whilst developing auditory and visual skills, an understanding of cause and effect, as well as providing sensory and tactile input.

⭐️ Listen to music: music creates a language rich environment and can support vocabulary development. It boosts mood and supports creativity in future years. Have fun with action songs to further promote motor planning and coordination.

Happy playing!