Speech Sound Development & Therapy in Perth

When Should Speech Sounds Develop?

Every child develops at their own pace, but there are clinical milestones for when specific sounds should be mastered. If your child is missing sounds expected for their age, or if family and educators are struggling to understand them, early intervention can make a world of difference.

👉 Not sure what's typical? Check out our detailed guide: Child Speech Development: Sound Milestones to see an age-by-age breakdown of speech sounds.

Speech Sound Difficulties We Support

Our experienced therapists are highly trained in identifying and treating a wide range of speech sound challenges. We provide specialized support in Perth for:

• Articulation Difficulties: This occurs when a child struggles to physically produce a specific sound correctly (such as a lisp on the "s" sound, or difficulty rolling "r" sounds). Therapy focuses on teaching the tongue and lips the right movements.
• Phonological Disorders: Rather than struggling with just one sound, a child with a phonological disorder has trouble learning the rules of the sound system. They might consistently swap groups of sounds out—for example, leaving off the endings of all words or replacing back-of-the-mouth sounds like "k" and "g" with front sounds like "t" and "d" ("tup" instead of cup).
• Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS): CAS is a neurological speech sound disorder where the brain struggles to plan and coordinate the precise muscle movements needed for speech. Children with CAS know exactly what they want to say, but the message doesn't travel smoothly to the mouth.
• Dysarthria: This is a motor speech disorder caused by muscle weakness or neurological changes affecting the muscles used for breathing, vocalizing, and speaking. Therapy focuses on strengthening muscle coordination and improving overall speech clarity.

Our Team's Approach

Speech therapy at the Walky Talky Hub is neurodiversity-affirming, family-centered, and—most importantly—fun! We know that children learn best when they are fully engaged, so we wrap our evidence-based speech practices into play-based learning that feels like a game to your child. 

Our passionate Perth speech therapists will complete a thorough assessment of your child's speech systems, figure out exactly where the breakdown is occurring, and create a custom roadmap to help them build clear, effortless speech.

How Parents Can Help at Home Today

 You don't need to wait for your appointment to start supporting your child! Here is a simple, effective strategy you can use during daily play:

• Model, don't pressure: When your child says a word incorrectly, simply repeat the word back to them while emphasizing the correct sound. For example, if they say "Look, a big bish!", you can say, "Yes! That is a big fish!".
• Keep it positive: Avoid asking them to repeat it perfectly on the spot, as putting too much pressure on sounds they aren't developmentally ready for can cause frustration.

Help Your Child Speak Clearly

If you notice your child never babbled as a baby, has a limited range of sounds, or is becoming frustrated because others can't understand them, the Walky Talky team is here to guide you.

• Read Our Milestone Blog post to learn more about age expectations. 
• Book a Speech Assessment at Walky Talky Hub in Perth today and let’s get those speech sounds sorted!