Protea Therapy

17/11/2025

It's World Prematurity Day! (Or at least it was, over the weekend)

Premature (or preterm) birth refers to birth before 37 weeks of gestational age. Babies born early have higher rates of medical and developmental struggles, especially if they are born very early (e.g., before 32 weeks of gestation.) This is a day close to our hearts, because Dr Katherine Sanchez's PhD focused on communication and feeding development in children born before 30 weeks of gestation, and has worked with lots of children and families affected by premature birth once they have been discharged home from the hospital.

Life's Little Treasures and Miracle Babies are two amazing not-for-profits that offer support to families affected by premature birth.

We love supporting children and families who need help with feeding, eating and drinking, including those born prematurely. Get in touch on (03) 7034 6944 or at https://www.proteatherapy.com.au/new-clients to enquire and/or be added to our waiting list.

30/10/2025

It shouldn’t be a hot take… but somehow it is.

Just here to let you know that we believe that you want the world for your kid, and that you are trying your absolute best. Human milk and breast/chestfeeding are awesome, but they’re not right for every baby and parent. However you fed your baby, I bet you did everything you could to nourish them, and help them grow up safe and healthy. 🎉Go you! 🎉

If feeding has been a bumpy road for you and your kid, we provide judgement-free assessment and therapy to support eating and drinking skills. Give us a call on (03) 7034 6944 or email us at info@proteatherapy.com.au

16/10/2025

When should I first start offering my baby food?

Most official health advice recommends introducing food to babies when they are around six months of age, and not before four months of age. If your baby was born before 37 weeks of gestation, use their corrected age. Within this range, look for signs of readiness, like interest in food, head and neck control, and the ability to sit in a supported position, to guide you.

Following these guidelines may be associated with a lower risk of illness, allergies, and other issues. You can find more information at the Raising Children website, here: https://raisingchildren.net.au/babies/breastfeeding-bottle-feeding-solids/solids-drinks/introducing-solids

Working out what to do when introducing food isn’t going smoothly or figuring out how to adapt this process to suit babies with disabilities or vulnerabilities can be tricky! If you need help with your baby’s eating and drinking, you can speak to us about making an appointment on (03) 7034 6944 or via our website at http://www.proteatherapy.com.au/

09/10/2025

We’ve had lots of questions recently about whether we are taking referrals and the answer is YES! Dr Katherine Sanchez is accepting referrals related to eating and drinking issues in kids.

We have capacity to support kids with a range of eating and drinking issues. Swipe through for some examples and get in touch on (03) 7034 6944 or info@proteatherapy.com.au to hop on our list!

10/09/2025

We were sad to say goodbye to amazing speechie Jasmin Treloar last week! In their time with Protea Therapy, they have helped so many family and have been such a dedicated and passionate health professional. We can’t wait to see what their next adventure looks like!

18/08/2025

Right now, Protea Therapy is in a transition phase. So, our waiting list is *open* for kids with feeding, eating or drinking concerns; but closed to new clients with communication concerns.

Stay tuned for our next steps, and let us know if you need some ideas for speechies who can support your child’s communication!

11/08/2025

The next Paediatric Dysphagia Masterclass is almost here! Katherine and Holly will be presenting on managing children who are eating and drinking with acknowledged risk. Join us for a deep dive into the theory, the ethics, and the practicalities of working with this caseload. A few tickets are still available, and you can get them here: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1364388

This workshop is online and will be recorded and available for a few weeks after the delivery date.

13/06/2025

Can you believe it? Less than two weeks to go until our brand new online workshop about supporting kids who use thickener in the community. We have a few spots left so get your ticket here https://www.nextbitefeeding.com.au/masterclass-sessions or come to the whole series here https://www.nextbitefeeding.com.au/event-details-registration/paed-dysphagia-masterclass

30/04/2025

New workshop incoming! With our popular oral motor workshop happening next week, and I wanted to let our speech pathologist friends know all about our next offering. It’s an intermediate level workshop all about managing kids who need thickeners in the community! From prescription to weaning to training caregivers, this workshop is designed to give you the practical ideas you need to navigate thickeners when you don’t have a whole hospital’s worth of other professionals on site.

Join us by registering here: https://www.trybooking.com/events/1364388/sessions/5453128/sections/2601147/tickets?type=expressEmbed

Or sign up for our whole Feeding Masterclass series and get one seminar free!

Hope to see you there.

30/04/2025

27/02/2025

We love to try new ways of helping families at Protea Therapy! We know lots of families have questions they want to ask a speech pathologist, but for whatever reason, it’s not the right time to have their child assessed directly. What they really want is just a chance to chat with a speech pathologist without having to navigate waitlists and referrals.

Our senior speech pathologists, Dr Katherine Sanchez and Dr Jessica Boyce, are now offering 30- or 60-minute chats via telehealth that you can book online (see our link in bio!) Informed by research done by our colleagues in psychology, we want to offer families a quick, flexible way to touch base and get some clarity and direction.

You might leave with resources to learn more about developmental stages and expectations, ideas about which health professionals to seek support from, or a better understanding of funding options for your child.

Feel like a chat? Click through to the form on our website to book! https://www.proteatherapy.com.au/single-session-consultation

13/02/2025

You might have heard…

This year, our own Dr Katherine Sanchez and are re-running their popular workshop on Evidence-Based Oral Motor Feeding Therapy. Join Katherine and Holly for a day of cutting through the confusion and getting to grips with what oral motor feeding problems look like in kids, and what speech pathologists can do about them. Drawing on Holly and Katherine’s extensive clinical experience, research and science communication backgrounds, and years mentoring and supervising other clinicians, this workshop is grounded, practical, and focused on bringing the evidence to this tricky area of practice.

You can expect to leave with improved knowledge about paediatric feeding disorders, and a toolkit of assessment and management tools that will support your confidence and competence working with kids that struggle with issues like chewing skills, biting skills, cup drinking, gagging, and delayed texture progression.

Tickets are already selling fast for this workshop on 5th May 2025, so head to https://www.nextbitefeeding.com.au/event-details-registration/evidence-based-oral-motor-feeding-therapy-3 (link in bio) to get your ticket!