Frequently Asked Questions – Educational Speech Pathology & Therapy Services

Answers to our most common questions are below. To view the answer, click on the question. To hide the answer, simply click on the same question again. If you have any further enquiries, feel free to Contact Us.

How many schools does ESP&TS currently service?

We currently service over 100 schools across NSW. ESP&TS brings experience to your school.

Does ESP&TS offer individual therapy?

ESP&TS will offer individual therapy to students at the request of the school. The preference is for individual therapy sessions to be observed by school personnel, for example SLSOs, STLA, class teachers or “shadow” staff who have been allocated to the program. These staff members can then practise these tasks with the student between the therapist’s visits. This also facilitates the sustainability of the intervention program.

Does ESP&TS offer parent pay approaches?

Yes we offer parents paid models through our sister company, One Stop Allied Health (OSAH). More information can be found in the services section of this website.

How are parents involved in the program?

Parents are informed of the progress of the program through regular newsletters and parent workshops. We also encourage the school to hold open days where parents can come and watch in class programs and learn how to support their children at home. Parents are also encouraged to make appointments to speak with the Speech Pathology and Occupational Therapy teams if they have any questions or concerns.

Parents are notified in writing and via phone calls if there are specific concerns with their child. Permission is obtained for all screening, assessment or individual therapy. Parents meetings are held following assessments to advise parents of:

Outcomes of assessments
recommendations
Referral sources (eg Therapy, Paediatric, Vision and Hearing)
Government subsidies that may be available such as the Medicare rebate and Autism package

Wherever possible parent feedback sessions are also attended by a member of the schools learning support team or Class teacher.
Schools may also decide to involve parents in regular sessions as volunteers to the program.

Is the program limited to mainstream classes?

No, ESP&TS offers support programs to:

Preschools
Mainstream Infants and Primary classes
Special classes (IO, IM, Autistic satellite classes etc) as well as Special schools
ESP&TS offers services to Government, Independent and Catholic school systems

If our school is interested in this program what do we do?

Phone Sue Wilks on 0410 504 030 and discuss your interest in the program.

Read the website information.

Sue will then make a time to come and visit your school to speak about the numerous options offered through our program with your Executive, LST and or staff.

Can we see the program in action?

We encourage any interested school to come and see our program in action. Sue will discuss with you who of the current schools may have similar population, needs or service delivery approaches.

We firmly believe that seeing another schools program in action and speaking with the staff is the best independent method of evaluating our service and determining whether it is suitable for your school.

Is it possible to get reference checks from other Principals?

Yes, we strongly encourage Principals to speak to other Principals about our program. Please do not hesitate to contact Sue Wilks for details of schools that are currently on the program.

What options are there for service delivery in our school?

Programs are personalised to each school. Options are discussed and negotiated before the program begins. Options include but are not limited to:

Assessments and screening blocks
Referrals and liaison with outside agencies
Individual therapy
Group and whole class approaches
Teacher centred approaches
Tutor training programs
Workshops for parents, teachers, and tutors
Demonstration lessons
Programming and planning with teachers
resources, web spaces and technology support
combinations of the above

What sorts of difficulties do you support and can you assist our staff in identifying the target students?

ESP&TS teams work together with your teachers in the identifications of target students for both the Speech and Occupational Therapy programs. Staff are provided with checklists and a simple colour coding system to support and measure needs.

Some students demonstrate “obvious” speech and or language difficulties for example:

A history of poor speech or language development in any language
Unclear or difficult to understand speech
Difficulty following instructions
Poor comprehension of spoken or written information
Failure to acquire English at same rate as similar peers
Difficulty expressing ideas due to limited vocabulary, poor syntax, confusion of sequences etc
Weak phonemic awareness
Poor handwriting
Sensory seeking behaviour
Poor fine and gross motor skills

In additional to these more “obvious” areas teachers are advised to consider at possible risk:

Any student with a physical, intellectual or emotional difficulty
Any student who is failing to learn at the same rate as their peers,
Any student who is exhibiting behavioural and social skills difficulties
Any student who has literacy needs

As these students may have potential underlying oral language difficulties requiring assessment and intervention.

However one of the main strengths of the ESP&TS programs are that they support all students including those with well developed skills. In particular, strong growth is seen most often in those students who would be described as “impoverished” in development of either motor or language skills. This means that they do not have any specific disorder but are not performing at the expected level. ESP&TS programs provide the “enrichment” that allows this group to develop to their full potential.

Are the staff at ESP&TS familiar with working with students and parents of language backgrounds other than English?

The majority of schools that are serviced through ESP&TS have a significantly high language background other than English (eg over 70%). Typically programs in the schools work in closely with ESL , STLA or Special Needs support.

What resources are needed?

The ESP&TS teams will bring their own test equipment and therapy specific resources, however the majority of schools chose to purchase their own kits of resources (OT and or Sp Path) to ensure that tasks can be carried over and sustained on other days. You will be advised on which resources are most suitable for school use and will be invited to examine these resources during a school visit.

All ESP&TS made materials remain copyright to Sue Wilks and can only be used within schools serviced by the company.

What is meant by a student unit placement?

ESP&TS frequently takes on student Speech Pathologists or Occupational Therapist from University for block practicums. More information about student units can be found on our services page. There are no additional costs involved in having University Students support the clinician at your school.

There are currently more schools seeking student practicums than there are available students. Student practicums tend to book out 12 months in advance.

All discussion regarding student practicums must be directed to the Practice Manager Sue Wilks for Speech Pathology and to Katrina Davies for Occupational Therapy.