Speech Pathology for Rural and Regional Children

Help our Regional and Remote Children Find Their Voice

You can help children in rural and regional areas access the support they need to reach their full potential. 

Communication – it’s how we connect and learn; it’s how we express ourselves.  

Sadly, if a child is struggling with their oral language skills, it can be a predictor of learning difficulties, adversely affecting them throughout their life.¹ 

In low socio-economic, regional areas where there are not enough services to meet demand, it’s not uncommon for children to be on waiting lists for years to access the vital speech pathology support they need, all while their learning, language, and social connections worsen. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are over-represented in the 1.1 million Australians with a communication disorder.² 

“I’ve seen their tears and I’ve heard their frustration,” Graham Toomey, former CEO of Gunawirra, an Aboriginal-led not-for-profit organisation said when describing the despair of mothers who cannot access the services their children desperately need. 

The Speech Pathology Early Intervention Project for Rural and Regional Children provides crucial speech pathology services for kids attending playgroup in our regional towns, many of which have high proportions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. 

Your tax-deductible gift will provide the specialised care children urgently need. 

With your support, and guidance from an experienced speech pathologist, final year Bachelor of Speech Pathology students from the University of Newcastle will provide early intervention support to children aged 0 – 5 years through their playgroup, addressing critical speech pathology shortages. 

Your generosity will also enable the team to provide education and strategies to parents and carers at playgroup, empowering them to recognise indictors of communication, speech or hearing difficulties to provide early intervention. 

The speech pathology students will also gain valuable experience through these placements, contributing to their professional development and better equipping them to provide culturally sensitive speech pathology services following graduation.   

Your support today will help children in regional or remote areas access the specialist services they need to reach their full potential. 

1. ^{Oral Language Skills and Learning Disabilities: A Review for Educators. Bardell. T, Archibald, L. Learning Disabilities Association.}
2. ^{The prevalence of Speech, Language and Swallowing disorders in Australia and the incidence of these disorders by demographic group. Parliament of Australia.} 

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