Speech Pathology at Spectrum Services

Speech therapy can help autistic individuals feel more confident in different environments, whether it’s at home, school, or in the community.

By practicing communication strategies in a range of settings, individuals become better equipped to handle real-life social situations and interactions.  

We can support with:
– Practising communication skills in context (e.g. at school, shops, or during activities)
– Building confidence to ask for help, make requests, or join in conversations
– Supporting transitions between environments with consistent communication tools
– Using role-play or social stories to prepare for new or tricky situations
– Helping individuals navigate group settings, such as classrooms or clubs
– Collaborating with families and schools to ensure strategies are used consistently
– Encouraging self-expression in ways that feel natural and respectful to the individual
– Collaborating with families, schools and other communication partners to ensure strategies are used consistently

The goal is confident, authentic communication, so real-life interactions feel easier at home, school, and in the community.

Speech therapists can support emotional regulation by helping autistic individuals find ways to communicate how they’re feeling, ask for a break, or let others know when something doesn’t feel right. Whether through words, visuals, or other tools, having reliable ways to express emotions can help reduce distress and empower self-advocacy in day-to-day life. 

We can support with:
– Developing tools to express emotions, needs, and preferences
– Teaching ways to ask for a break, quiet space, or support when overwhelmed
– Using visuals or scripts to help identify and label emotional states
– Supporting self-advocacy by providing communication tools that work in real-life situations
– Helping caregivers recognise and respond to early signs of distress
– Building routines and communication strategies to support regulation across settings

The goal is to give individuals the means to express themselves safely and confidently, before things reach a breaking point. The goal is to give individuals and their communication partners the means to express and understand each other. This communication confidence will support safety and empower an individual to be able to advocate for themselves, before things reach a breaking point.

Our speech therapists work alongside autistic people to support the development of social communication in ways that feel authentic and comfortable for them.

We can help with:
– Understanding and navigating turn-taking in conversations
– Recognising tone of voice, facial expressions, and other social cues
– Interpreting and using body language more effectively
– Reducing misunderstandings in everyday interactions
– Exploring strategies that feel natural and aligned with the person’s identity
– Building confidence in social settings without masking or performing
– Understanding and expressing different perspectives in interactions

The goal isn’t to change who someone is, but to empower them with tools that make connection feel more natural on their own terms. 

Speech Pathologists support individuals to find communication methods that work best for them, what that's through verbal speech, signs, visual supports or technology. The goal is always to create meaningful ways to express needs, make choices and connect with others on their own terms. 

We can support with:
– Developing communication systems that are personalised and practical
– Using words, signs, pictures, or AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) to express thoughts and needs
– Supporting understanding of spoken language through visual tools and routines
– Reducing frustration by providing clear and accessible ways to be understood
– Building confidence in communication at home, school, and in the community
– Helping caregivers and educators respond to and support different communication styles

We focus on communication that feels useful, respectful, and empowering.

Some individuals experience challenges related to drinking, eating and swallowing, known as dysphagia. Speech therapists can assess and provide interventions for safe drinking, eating and swallowing, including strategies to improve oral motor control and address sensory sensitivities around food.

We can support with:
– Assessing swallowing and mealtime safety
– Developing strategies to improve oral motor control involved in chewing and swallowing
– Supporting sensory sensitivities related to food textures and tastes
– Recommending modifications to food and drink textures if needed
– Helping establish structured and predictable mealtime routines
– Guiding families and caregivers in creating a relaxed, supportive mealtime environment

The goal is to support safe swallowing and comfortable eating by building oral-motor skills, easing sensory stressors, and creating calm, predictable mealtime routines.

Speech therapists often work with caregivers and families to provide guidance on reinforcing communication skills at home. This includes strategies for improving consistency, supporting functional communication in daily routines, and understanding how to respond to communication challenges. 

We can support with:
– Building communication into everyday routines like getting ready, meals, or outings
– Helping caregivers respond to nonverbal communication or emerging language
– Creating visual supports or tools that can be used at home or in the community
– Developing consistent strategies to support communication across different settings
– Supporting shared understanding between caregivers, educators, and therapists
– Helping reduce frustration by identifying what the individual is trying to communicate
– Encouraging connection and confidence in parent–child communication

Our goal is to empower families with tools that work for them—making communication easier, more meaningful, and more connected.

Speech Pathologists complete assessment as part of all individual supports. This helps to establish communication and eating and drinking needs and to set goals to work on during intervention. 

Our Speech Pathologists are skilled in completing assessments to support individuals accessing the NDIS to ensure that their needs are adequately represented in their plans.

Speech Pathology assessment includes reviewing an individuals strengths and challenges in all areas of communication and eating and drinking to establish areas of need.

This may include assessing the following areas:
– Speech
– Receptive and Expressive Language
– Fluency
– Voice
– Literacy
– Social communication and pragmatics
– Eating, drinking and swallowing
– Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

Our Speech Pathologists are available to provide assessment and intervention, or assessment only supports.