Frequently asked questions
Who diagnoses communication disorders?
It may come as a surprise that educators and medical professionals including specilaistss and Educators only have general knowledge about child development, and that the limit of their role is to help identify children who may be at risk of speech and language problems and to refer them to a Speech-Language Therapist. Speech-Language Therapists are the only professionals uniquely qualified to assess, diagnose and treat speech, language and communication disorders. So, if you want to know whether or not your child's communication skills are developing normally, the person to ask is a Speech-Language Therapist.
When should a child be referred for evaluation by a Speech-Language Therapist?
As early as possible! Research tells when parent concern is present, referral to a Speech-Language Therapist is warranted. Unforuntately many education and health professionals give subjective advice, when in fact their duty of care is to refer the child to a Speech-Language Therapist who is trained to rule in / rule out
When should I get help?
When parents have concerns about their child's comunication skills, helpful friends and family members typically tell them not to worry; suggest they give it time and wait & see for 6 months or so... and assure them that everything is probably okay. We at Speechie believe that parents instinctively know when something is not right with their child, so if you are concerned about your child's communication skills we urge you to trust your instincts and seek the professional opinion of a Speech-Language Therapist. Research tells us that early detection and preventative intervention leads to the best possible prognosis for oral language, literacy and learning outcomes, so our recommendation is: If in doubt, don't delay... get it checked out.
It may come as a surprise that educators and medical professionals including specilaistss and Educators only have general knowledge about child development, and that the limit of their role is to help identify children who may be at risk of speech and language problems and to refer them to a Speech-Language Therapist. Speech-Language Therapists are the only professionals uniquely qualified to assess, diagnose and treat speech, language and communication disorders. So, if you want to know whether or not your child's communication skills are developing normally, the person to ask is a Speech-Language Therapist.
When should a child be referred for evaluation by a Speech-Language Therapist?
As early as possible! Research tells when parent concern is present, referral to a Speech-Language Therapist is warranted. Unforuntately many education and health professionals give subjective advice, when in fact their duty of care is to refer the child to a Speech-Language Therapist who is trained to rule in / rule out
When should I get help?
When parents have concerns about their child's comunication skills, helpful friends and family members typically tell them not to worry; suggest they give it time and wait & see for 6 months or so... and assure them that everything is probably okay. We at Speechie believe that parents instinctively know when something is not right with their child, so if you are concerned about your child's communication skills we urge you to trust your instincts and seek the professional opinion of a Speech-Language Therapist. Research tells us that early detection and preventative intervention leads to the best possible prognosis for oral language, literacy and learning outcomes, so our recommendation is: If in doubt, don't delay... get it checked out.
Is it allowed to enrol a child in private speech-language therapy if that child is already enrolled in the Ministry of Education Communication Service?
My son is currently enrolled in the Ministry of Education Communication Service. Will he be disadvantaged if the Ministry finds out he is also receiving speech-language therapy privately?
We continue to be surprised at the number of parents who ask us this question. The Code of Conduct for State Services is very clear that public servants (including your son's Ministry of Education Speech-Language Therapist) must be fair, impartial, responsible and trustworthy in going about their work. Therefore, you should expect a fair and impartial service.
Please keep in mind however, that the type and level of service offered by the Ministry may not match your expectation.
Should I tell
Many parents ask us whether or not they should tell the Ministry that we are working with their child privately. Speechie is committed to a straightforward relationship with Ministry of Education and school staff and prefers to work openly and collaboratively with them, and we will always encourage disclosure of our involvement and acknowledgement of our role as one member of a wider team supporting a particular child.
My daughter is currently receiving support form a Ministry of Education Speech-Language Therapist. I am considering getting additional speech therapy for her privately; but wouldn't that be "double dipping?"
Double dipping only applies in the context of getting a service you are not eligibile for, where you fail to declare something that would affect your eligibility. Ministry of Education Communication Service eligibility is based only on the severity of your child's speech, langauge and communciation needs. We get this question from a lot of parents, and it is a common misperception among parents that a child is not allowed to receive private and publicly funded speech-language therapy at the same time. Please rest assured that it is your absolute right as parent to provide for your child's needs as you see fit.
eligibility crietiera MOE and level of service
ORS therapy
Communication service
health insurances that cover SLT services?
referral to MOE service - upload form
My son does not qualify for the Ministry of Education Communication Service. Does this mean he is okay?
The Communication Service is funded to support children who have significant speech, language or communication difficulties (this works out to be approximately 5% of preschoolers and 1% of school age children). If your child does not qualify for this service, all it means is that your child falls outside this target group. You will need to engage private speech-language therapy if you want your child's speech and language problems to be assessed, diagnosed and treated.
I asked my child;s daycare about speech / teacher but they are not concerned. I am still concerned, what should I do?
they are not trained. They are conditioned by the Moe access criteria to assume that if they do not meet criteria that they must be ok.
My daughter has been closed from the Ministry of Education Communication Service. Does this mean her problem is fixed?
Probably not. What it means is that either your child's age or your child's level of need no longer falls within the target group that the Communication Service is funded to support. You will need to engage a private Speech-Language Therapist to treat any remaining speech or language problems your child has. You can read more about intervention here.
My child is participating in a classroom oral language programme - is this enough to help my child talk properly?
Oral language programmes such as the Talkit Oral Language Programme and the Clear Speech Programme were developed by a drama teacher for the purpose enriching the oral language curriculum and enhancing the oral presentation and public speaking skills of children with normally developing speech and language skills. The classroom oral language curriculum is also geared toward children with normally developing speech and language skills. If you want to know whether your child has normally developing or disordered speech and language skills, we recommend you contact a private Speech-Language Therapist for a speech-language assessment. You can read more about assessment here.
My child is participating in a classroom phonics programme - isn't this enough to help my child to learn to read well?
Phonics programmes such as Letter Land and Jolly Phonics are designed for children who have intact phonological awareness skills. Children with speech or language problems often have difficulty with phonological awareness and need extra (systematic) instruction to learn the skills required to become good readers. If you want to know whether your child has normally or developing or disordered phonological awareness, we recommend you contact a private Speech-Language Therapist. You can read more about phonological awareness here.
My son is currently enrolled in the Ministry of Education Communication Service. Will he be disadvantaged if the Ministry finds out he is also receiving speech-language therapy privately?
We continue to be surprised at the number of parents who ask us this question. The Code of Conduct for State Services is very clear that public servants (including your son's Ministry of Education Speech-Language Therapist) must be fair, impartial, responsible and trustworthy in going about their work. Therefore, you should expect a fair and impartial service.
Please keep in mind however, that the type and level of service offered by the Ministry may not match your expectation.
Should I tell
Many parents ask us whether or not they should tell the Ministry that we are working with their child privately. Speechie is committed to a straightforward relationship with Ministry of Education and school staff and prefers to work openly and collaboratively with them, and we will always encourage disclosure of our involvement and acknowledgement of our role as one member of a wider team supporting a particular child.
My daughter is currently receiving support form a Ministry of Education Speech-Language Therapist. I am considering getting additional speech therapy for her privately; but wouldn't that be "double dipping?"
Double dipping only applies in the context of getting a service you are not eligibile for, where you fail to declare something that would affect your eligibility. Ministry of Education Communication Service eligibility is based only on the severity of your child's speech, langauge and communciation needs. We get this question from a lot of parents, and it is a common misperception among parents that a child is not allowed to receive private and publicly funded speech-language therapy at the same time. Please rest assured that it is your absolute right as parent to provide for your child's needs as you see fit.
eligibility crietiera MOE and level of service
ORS therapy
Communication service
health insurances that cover SLT services?
referral to MOE service - upload form
My son does not qualify for the Ministry of Education Communication Service. Does this mean he is okay?
The Communication Service is funded to support children who have significant speech, language or communication difficulties (this works out to be approximately 5% of preschoolers and 1% of school age children). If your child does not qualify for this service, all it means is that your child falls outside this target group. You will need to engage private speech-language therapy if you want your child's speech and language problems to be assessed, diagnosed and treated.
I asked my child;s daycare about speech / teacher but they are not concerned. I am still concerned, what should I do?
they are not trained. They are conditioned by the Moe access criteria to assume that if they do not meet criteria that they must be ok.
My daughter has been closed from the Ministry of Education Communication Service. Does this mean her problem is fixed?
Probably not. What it means is that either your child's age or your child's level of need no longer falls within the target group that the Communication Service is funded to support. You will need to engage a private Speech-Language Therapist to treat any remaining speech or language problems your child has. You can read more about intervention here.
My child is participating in a classroom oral language programme - is this enough to help my child talk properly?
Oral language programmes such as the Talkit Oral Language Programme and the Clear Speech Programme were developed by a drama teacher for the purpose enriching the oral language curriculum and enhancing the oral presentation and public speaking skills of children with normally developing speech and language skills. The classroom oral language curriculum is also geared toward children with normally developing speech and language skills. If you want to know whether your child has normally developing or disordered speech and language skills, we recommend you contact a private Speech-Language Therapist for a speech-language assessment. You can read more about assessment here.
My child is participating in a classroom phonics programme - isn't this enough to help my child to learn to read well?
Phonics programmes such as Letter Land and Jolly Phonics are designed for children who have intact phonological awareness skills. Children with speech or language problems often have difficulty with phonological awareness and need extra (systematic) instruction to learn the skills required to become good readers. If you want to know whether your child has normally or developing or disordered phonological awareness, we recommend you contact a private Speech-Language Therapist. You can read more about phonological awareness here.
What parent participation is expected during the assessment process?
Once you have scheduled an assessment appointment we will send you copies of our terms of engagement and privacy policy. We will also send you a form to sign that gives us the permissions we need to do our job. We may ask you to provide relevant reports that other specialists or agencies have written about your child and may ask to see samples of your child's written school work .
The assessment process begins with a discussion about your concerns and your child's medical, developmental and educational history. We may also ask you to complete one or more pre-assessment activities to help our Speech-Language Therapist prepare for the assessment and to reduce the length of time needed to complete the assessment. Here are some examples of pre-assessment activities:
What if my child has previously been assessed by or is currently working with another Speech-Language Therapist?
We will ask you for permission to contact the other Speech-Language Therapist involved with your child so we can discuss your child's therapy history and request copies of relevant assessment reports and progress notes. Our Speech-Language Therapist will need to assess your child's current language level in order to plan the appropriate next steps for intervention.
or whether or not your child's literacy or academic difficulties are based in oral language deficit, literacy sits inside oral language
Once you have scheduled an assessment appointment we will send you copies of our terms of engagement and privacy policy. We will also send you a form to sign that gives us the permissions we need to do our job. We may ask you to provide relevant reports that other specialists or agencies have written about your child and may ask to see samples of your child's written school work .
The assessment process begins with a discussion about your concerns and your child's medical, developmental and educational history. We may also ask you to complete one or more pre-assessment activities to help our Speech-Language Therapist prepare for the assessment and to reduce the length of time needed to complete the assessment. Here are some examples of pre-assessment activities:
- Filling out a parent survey
- Providing a video clip of your child communicating in real life situations
- Keeping a log of your child's communications for a period of time
What if my child has previously been assessed by or is currently working with another Speech-Language Therapist?
We will ask you for permission to contact the other Speech-Language Therapist involved with your child so we can discuss your child's therapy history and request copies of relevant assessment reports and progress notes. Our Speech-Language Therapist will need to assess your child's current language level in order to plan the appropriate next steps for intervention.
or whether or not your child's literacy or academic difficulties are based in oral language deficit, literacy sits inside oral language
