Paediatric Speech Pathology
Melbourne

Mobile and telehealth speech pathology for children and adolescents aged 0–18 across Melbourne, including the eastern suburbs.

Make a Referral Call (03) 7043 7778

Paediatric speech pathologist working with a young child during a play-based therapy session

Speech Therapy for Ages 0–18 in Melbourne

Our mobile paediatric speech pathology service means your child's therapist comes to where communication happens naturally - your home, childcare centre, kinder, or school. This lets us shape therapy around play and everyday routines, and coach the adults around your child to keep the progress going.

We accept referrals from birth through age 18 across a range of communication needs, from speech and language difficulties to early intervention, stuttering, and social communication. Therapy is play-based, family-centred, and built around your child's goals.

Mobile home, kinder, and school visits anywhere in Melbourne
Including the eastern and outer-eastern suburbs
University-qualified speech pathologists
NDIS plan-managed and self-managed participants welcome
Play-based, neurodiversity-affirming therapy

How We Support Children

Early Intervention

Support for late talkers and young children, building first words, understanding, and play-based communication from infancy to school age.

Speech Sounds & Clarity

Therapy for children who are hard to understand, including articulation and phonological difficulties, so they can be understood with confidence.

Language Development

Help for expressive and receptive language delays - understanding instructions, building vocabulary, and putting words together.

Social Communication

Supporting conversation, play, and social skills for autistic and neurodivergent children, building on their strengths.

Stuttering & Fluency

Assessment and support for children and adolescents who stutter, matched to the child's age, communication, and goals.

Literacy & School Readiness

Building the early sound, language, and pre-literacy skills children need for reading, writing, and starting school.

Signs Your Child May Benefit from Speech Therapy

Every child develops at their own pace, but some signs are worth a conversation with a speech pathologist. You might consider an assessment if your child:

Is using fewer words than expected for their age, or is a "late talker"
Is difficult to understand, even for family, beyond the early toddler years
Has trouble following instructions or understanding what is said to them
Becomes frustrated when trying to communicate or get their message across
Has limited social interaction, eye contact, or back-and-forth play
Stutters, or repeats sounds and words in a way that is becoming more frequent
Is struggling with early sounds, letters, or pre-reading skills before school

If any of these sound familiar, submit a referral or call us on (03) 7043 7778 and we can help you work out the right next step for your child.

Paediatric Speech Pathology Explained

How a paediatric speech pathologist helps

When communication is hard for a child, a speech pathologist works with the whole family to find practical, everyday solutions. This might involve:

Assessing your child's speech, language, and communication to understand what support is needed
Building therapy goals around play, daily routines, and what matters to your family
Coaching parents, carers, and educators with strategies to use at home, kinder, and school
Introducing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) where spoken communication is limited
Supporting social communication for autistic and neurodivergent children
Preparing reports for NDIS plan reviews, access requests, and funding applications

Areas we support in children

Our paediatric pathway accepts referrals for babies, children, and adolescents aged 0–18 across a wide range of communication needs, including:

Early intervention

Late talkers, early language milestones, and play-based therapy from infancy to school age

Speech sound difficulties

Articulation and phonological difficulties that make a child hard to understand

Language delays and disorders

Expressive and receptive language - understanding and using words and sentences

Autism and neurodivergence

Social communication, play skills, and pragmatic language, building on strengths

Stuttering and fluency

Assessment and support matched to age, communication needs, and goals

Literacy and school readiness

Phonological awareness and pre-literacy skills linked to spoken language

Our play-based, family-centred approach

Children learn communication best through play and everyday moments, not drills. Our speech pathologists weave therapy into games, books, and routines so it feels natural and engaging for your child, while still working toward clear, evidence-based goals.

Our speech pathologists hold relevant qualifications, NDIS Worker Screening, a Working With Children Check, and professional indemnity insurance. The specific assessment and intervention approach is confirmed against the child's needs and the clinician's current scope before therapy begins.

We take a neurodiversity-affirming approach that respects each child's communication style and builds on their strengths.

Parents and carers are part of the team

Children make the most progress when the people around them every day know how to support communication. A big part of paediatric speech pathology is coaching parents, carers, and educators with simple strategies to use between sessions.

We work collaboratively with your family, support coordinator, plan manager, teachers, and any other allied health professionals - including our occupational therapy team - so your child's care is coordinated and goals are shared across everyone involved.

Why in-home, kinder, and school therapy works for kids

Clinic rooms can feel unfamiliar to a child. When your speech pathologist visits your home, childcare centre, or school, they see how your child communicates during real play, mealtimes, and classroom routines - and therapy slots straight into daily life.

In-home paediatric speech pathology in Melbourne means:

Therapy is more natural because it happens where your child communicates every day
Parents and carers learn strategies they can use immediately in daily routines
Children are more comfortable and engaged in their own environment
No travel stress for families, especially with young children or multiple kids
Telehealth may be available Australia-wide when clinically suitable and capacity allows

We accept referrals from anywhere in Melbourne, including the eastern suburbs of Knox, Maroondah, Whitehorse, Monash, Manningham, and nearby outer-eastern communities. We confirm travel, setting, and clinician availability after reviewing the referral.

Funding options for paediatric speech pathology

We accept multiple funding pathways so you can access the support you need.

Self-Managed NDIS

You manage your own NDIS funds and choose your providers directly.

Pay Flourish Health directly from your plan
Claim from the NDIS portal after each session
Can generally choose registered or unregistered providers

Plan-Managed NDIS

A plan manager handles your invoicing and claims on your behalf.

Your plan manager handles invoices and claims
We work directly with plan managers
Can generally access registered and unregistered providers

Private Pay

Self-fund your child's speech therapy with no external funding or referral required.

Medicare

Medicare rebates may be available for eligible children through a GP care plan or referral.

Private Health

Many private health extras policies include speech pathology - check your level of cover with your fund.

Your child's speech therapy journey

From your first contact to ongoing support, here's how our paediatric speech pathology process works.

Step 1

Get in Touch

Call us, fill in the referral form, or have your support coordinator reach out.

Step 2

Therapist Match

We match your child with a speech pathologist based on their age, goals, location, and availability.

Step 3

Initial Assessment

Your speech pathologist visits to understand your child's communication and set goals together.

Step 4

Therapy Plan

We create a play-based plan aligned with your child's goals and daily routines.

Step 5

Ongoing Support

Regular sessions at home, kinder, school, or via telehealth. We review and adjust as your child progresses.

Start Your Journey

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a paediatric speech pathologist do?

A paediatric speech pathologist assesses and supports children with speech, language, communication, and feeding difficulties. They help children who are late to talk, hard to understand, struggling with language or social communication, stuttering, or having trouble with early literacy. Therapy is play-based and built around your child's everyday routines.

At what age should my child see a speech pathologist?

Our paediatric pathway accepts referrals from birth through age 18. Families often ask for advice in the early years, around kinder or school entry, and during adolescence when communication demands change. If you have concerns, an initial conversation can help determine whether an assessment is appropriate.

What are the signs my child might need speech therapy?

Signs can include: not using many words by 18 to 24 months, speech that is hard for others to understand, difficulty following instructions, frustration when trying to communicate, limited social interaction or eye contact, stuttering that persists, or trouble with early reading and sounds. If you are unsure, an assessment can give you clarity.

Do you do speech therapy in our home or at school?

Yes. Flourish Health is mobile-only. Your child's speech pathologist can visit your home, childcare centre, kinder, school, or another suitable community setting anywhere in Melbourne. That includes the eastern suburbs. Telehealth may also be available Australia-wide when clinically suitable and capacity allows.

Do I need a referral for paediatric speech pathology?

No GP referral is needed to start speech pathology with Flourish Health - you can contact us directly. Some funding pathways (such as certain NDIS plans) may require approval from your plan manager or support coordinator, and we can help you check this before therapy begins.

Can I use my child's NDIS plan for speech therapy?

Yes. We work with plan-managed and self-managed NDIS participants. Children's speech pathology is typically funded under Capacity Building supports. Your plan manager or support coordinator can confirm available funding before we begin.

How does early intervention speech therapy help?

Early intervention supports communication skills during the years when development is most rapid. For young children, this means play-based therapy that builds vocabulary, understanding, sounds, and social communication, while coaching parents and carers with practical strategies to use in everyday routines at home.

My child stutters - can you help?

Fluency and stuttering are part of our existing paediatric Speech Pathology scope. The speech pathologist first considers your child's communication, age, goals, and circumstances, then confirms whether the available assessment or therapy approach is suitable.

Do you support autistic and neurodivergent children?

Yes. We take a neurodiversity-affirming approach that respects every child's communication style. We support social communication, language, and where helpful, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), building on your child's strengths rather than aiming for conformity.

How is paediatric speech pathology different from a general speech pathology service?

Paediatric speech pathology focuses specifically on children - their developmental milestones, play-based therapy, and the family and school context around them. Our speech pathologists work across the lifespan, and for children we shape assessment and therapy around play, routines, and parent coaching. For our full service overview, see our speech pathology page.

Can't find what you're looking for? We're happy to help.

Paediatric Speech Pathology Melbourne