Speech Therapy
Empowering Every Child’s Voice, Together
At Daffodils Child Development Centre, we help children develop speech, language, and social communication skills through personalised, play-based therapy.Our neurodiversity-affirming approach respects every child’s unique way of communicating. We support spoken words, gestures, signs, visual supports, and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), helping each child communicate in ways that work for them.
How Can Speech Therapy Help Your Child?
Develop Speech and Language
Support clearer speech, language understanding, vocabulary, and sentence development so children can express their needs and ideas.Strengthen Social Communication
Develop interaction, conversation, and meaningful connections with family, peers, and teachers.Explore Different Ways to Communicate
Help children express themselves through speech, gestures, signs, visual supports, and AAC.Build Everyday Communication Skills
Support children in communicating their needs, sharing ideas, and participating in everyday activities at home, school, and in the community.Our Specialised Speech Therapy Services
1
Stuttering Therapy
Building Confidence in Communication
We support children who stutter through personalised therapy that addresses communication confidence, speaking experiences, and fluency goals where appropriate. We also help families create supportive environments where children can express themselves without pressure.
Our approach may include:
- Lidcombe Program: A structured, parent-delivered programme for young children who stutter, with clinician guidance.
- Speech strategies: Techniques to support comfortable, manageable speech where appropriate.
- Confidence and education: Helping children, parents, and teachers understand stuttering and respond supportively.
2
Speech Sound Disorders
Helping Children Speak More Clearly
Some children find it difficult to produce certain speech sounds or use sound patterns correctly. We help children develop clearer, more understandable speech through individualised, age-appropriate activities.
Therapy may focus on:
- Articulation and phonological difficulties.
- Learning how speech sounds are produced and used.
- Practising sounds in syllables, words, and sentences.
- Developing speech self-monitoring and clarity in everyday communication.
3
Language Delays
Growing Words, Understanding, and Expression
When children have difficulty understanding language or expressing themselves, we create playful opportunities to build communication skills at their developmental level.
Therapy may focus on:
- Building vocabulary and action words.
- Combining words to form phrases and sentences.
- Understanding instructions, questions, and everyday language.
- Expressing needs, thoughts, and ideas.
- Encouraging communication through play, books, and daily routines.
Parents learn practical strategies to support language development at home.
4
Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)
Supporting Speech Planning and Coordination
Childhood apraxia of speech is a motor speech disorder that affects the planning and programming of movements needed for speech. Therapy focuses on helping children produce speech movements more accurately and consistently.
Approaches may include:
- Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment (ReST): A motor-based treatment that practises accurate movement transitions, stress, and speech sequencing.
- PROMPT: Uses tactile-kinesthetic cues to support speech movement and coordination when appropriate.
Treatment is selected according to the child’s speech profile.
5
Speech and Communication Support for Autistic Children
Respecting Every Child’s Way of Communicating
Every autistic child communicates differently. Our neurodiversity-affirming approach supports meaningful communication, autonomy, and participation without requiring children to mask their natural differences.
Support may include:
- Understanding and expressing needs, thoughts, and feelings.
- Developing communication through speech, gestures, signs, pictures, or AAC.
- Supporting shared interaction and social communication.
- Using play-based and naturalistic teaching strategies.
- Parent coaching, including Hanen’s More Than Words® programme where appropriate.
- Supporting scripts and echolalia as part of the child’s communication profile.
- Using visual supports, story-based strategies, and PECS when suitable.
Our goal is to help children communicate effectively in ways that work for them.
6
Social Communication Skills
Building Meaningful Connections
Social communication involves sharing ideas, understanding others, and navigating interactions while respecting individual communication differences.We help children and young people develop strategies for social situations that matter to them.
Key areas may include:
- Conversation: Initiating, responding, and taking turns.
- Non-verbal communication: Understanding and using gestures and facial expressions where helpful.
- Social understanding: Exploring different perspectives and interpreting situations without assuming one correct response.
- Flexible thinking: Managing changes in topics, activities, and conversations.
- Problem-solving: Expressing preferences, resolving disagreements, and negotiating during play and everyday activities.
Sessions may be individual or group-based. Where appropriate, we help children practise skills across everyday environments, with a focus on genuine connection rather than rigid social rules.
Our Approach
We begin by understanding your child’s strengths, communication needs, developmental profile, and family priorities. This helps us create an individualised therapy plan using engaging activities and evidence-informed approaches.
Depending on your child’s needs, therapy may incorporate:
- ESDM (Early Start Denver Model): Developmental learning and communication through play and everyday interactions.
- DIR®/Floortime®: Supporting engagement, relationships, and reciprocal interaction.
- Hanen parent coaching: Helping parents encourage communication during daily routines.
- AAC and visual supports: Providing additional or alternative ways to communicate.
- PROMPT and OPT: Specialised approaches for selected speech-motor or oral sensory-motor goals when clinically appropriate.
- PECS: A structured picture-based communication approach for suitable communication goals.
Approaches are selected according to the child’s profile, goals, available evidence, and the clinician’s training.
Partnering with Parents
Children learn to communicate throughout everyday life. We equip parents and caregivers with practical strategies to encourage communication during play, mealtimes, reading, and daily routines.Where appropriate, we collaborate with preschools, schools, and other professionals to support communication across settings.
Let’s Help Your Child Find Their Voice
Whether your child is learning their first words, developing clearer speech, navigating social communication, or exploring different ways to express themselves, we are here to support your family.
Together, let’s help your child communicate, connect, and participate with confidence.