Paediatric Speech Pathology Ivanhoe East
Clinically reviewed by Tim Angel, AHPRA-registered Occupational Therapist and Director of Ability Rehab — last reviewed June 2026.
About Paediatric Speech Pathology
Paediatric speech pathology supports children who experience difficulties with speech, language, communication, social interaction, feeding, or literacy. At Ability Rehab in Ivanhoe East, our speech pathologists work closely with children and families to build confident communication skills that support learning, relationships, and everyday life.
We provide evidence-based speech therapy for kids, supporting toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children with a wide range of communication needs. Therapy is play-based, family-focused, and tailored to each child's stage of development.
Ability Rehab provides paediatric speech pathology for children and families anywhere across Melbourne, with particular concentration across the inner-north-east — Ivanhoe East, Heidelberg, Kew, Doncaster, Bundoora, Eltham, Greensborough, and Balwyn. NDIS-funded supports available. Therapy may take place in our Ivanhoe East clinic, via telehealth, at home, in school settings, or within the community.
For adult speech pathology services, visit our main speech pathology page.
Three Ways to Access Therapy
We offer three ways to access therapy — whichever works best for you and your family.
What Does a Children's Speech Pathologist Do?
A children's speech pathologist — sometimes called a paediatric speech therapist or speech path — helps children build the practical communication skills they need for everyday life. That includes things like producing speech sounds clearly, understanding what's being said, using language to express ideas, having conversations with peers, and using alternative communication systems where needed. The work is play-based and tailored to what's getting in the way for that specific child.
What a children's speech pathologist actually does in a session depends on the child's age and goals. For a 2-year-old with limited words, it might look like play-based language modelling and parent coaching. For a 5-year-old with speech sound difficulties, it might involve targeted articulation work and structured sound practice. For a school-aged child on the autism spectrum, it might focus on social communication, conversation skills, or supporting confident self-expression.
Speech pathologists also work alongside parents, teachers, and other professionals to make sure strategies translate into everyday life — not just inside the therapy room. At our Ivanhoe East clinic, sessions are designed around each child's interests so engagement comes naturally and progress carries over to home and school.
How Speech Pathology Supports Children
Paediatric speech pathology focuses on supporting the development of communication skills needed for everyday life at home, school, and in the community. Speech therapy for kids helps children participate more confidently in daily routines by addressing the underlying skills that support language, social interaction, learning, and self-expression.
A children's speech pathologist works with children to develop practical communication skills in a way that is engaging, age-appropriate, and tailored to each child's individual needs. Therapy is often play-based and designed to support functional outcomes that matter to both the child and their family.
Speech therapy for kids may support areas such as:
- Developing clear speech sound production and articulation
- Building expressive and receptive language skills
- Supporting social communication and conversation skills
- Building literacy foundations including reading and writing
- Supporting children using AAC (alternative and augmentative communication)
- Providing early intervention for toddlers with delayed speech or language
- Supporting feeding and mealtime participation where appropriate
Paediatric speech pathology is collaborative and family-centred. Therapists work closely with parents, caregivers, educators, and other health professionals to ensure strategies can be supported across different environments, helping children transfer skills into everyday life.
How a Children's Speech Pathologist Can Help
A children's speech pathologist supports children who may be finding aspects of communication, language, or social interaction more challenging than expected for their age or stage of development. These challenges can present in different ways and may impact a child's confidence, learning, and participation in daily routines.
Paediatric speech pathology can help children experiencing:
Speech pathologists take a holistic approach, considering the child's strengths, environment, and daily demands. Support may involve direct therapy, environmental adjustments, parent coaching, and practical strategies that can be used at home, in school, and within the community. Every child's needs are different — therapy goals are developed collaboratively with families and reviewed regularly to ensure support remains relevant as the child grows and develops.
NDIS Paediatric Speech Pathology
Ability Rehab is a registered NDIS provider, offering paediatric speech pathology supports for children who are NDIS participants. Our speech pathologists work with children and families to support goals that are meaningful, practical, and aligned with each child's NDIS plan.
NDIS-funded paediatric speech pathology may support children with communication, language, social interaction, AAC use, literacy foundations, and participation in daily activities. Support is always tailored to the individual child and delivered in a way that respects family priorities and routines.
Our therapists can assist with:
- Initial assessments and ongoing therapy supports
- Speech, language, and communication goals aligned with NDIS plans
- AAC assessment, trial, and recommendations for funding requests
- Collaboration with families, educators, and support networks
- Therapy delivered in the clinic, at home, school, or in the community where appropriate
We work closely with families to ensure services are explained clearly and that supports are delivered in line with NDIS guidelines. Our team is experienced in working with different types of NDIS plans, including self-managed, plan-managed, and NDIA-managed funding.
Accessing therapy through the NDIS? Visit our NDIS for Families page.
Specialised Training and Approaches
Our paediatric speech pathology team has invested in training across a range of approaches and frameworks. This depth of training allows us to support children with diverse needs — from straightforward speech sound development to children with complex communication, autism, or AAC needs.
Meet Our Paediatric Speech Pathology Team
Our paediatric speech pathology team is made up of Speech Pathology Australia (SPA)-registered speech pathologists with experience across early language intervention, speech sound disorders, social communication, AAC, paediatric literacy, neurodevelopmental support, and bilingual Mandarin/English practice. Each child is matched with the therapist best suited to their goals, presentation, and stage of development.
Our speech pathologists work collaboratively with families, educators, and other health professionals to ensure therapy strategies translate into everyday life — at home, at school, and in the community.
Meet our full clinical team → View bios, qualifications, and clinical interests for every Ability Rehab clinician on our Our Clinicians page.
Our Children's Services
Paediatric speech pathology is one part of our broader children's service offering. Depending on your child's needs, our team can support across:
Paediatric Speech Pathology Across Melbourne
Our clinic is based in Ivanhoe East, and we work with children and families anywhere across Melbourne via our three service modes — in-clinic, telehealth, and mobile home visits. We have particular concentration of in-home, school, and community-based sessions across Melbourne's north-east, including:
Location-based support helps ensure recommendations are relevant to the child's home, learning environment, and community involvement.
Why Choose Ability Rehab for Speech Therapy for Kids?
Choosing the right speech pathologist for your child is an important decision. At Ability Rehab, paediatric speech pathology is delivered with a focus on understanding each child's individual needs, strengths, and environment.
Our therapists take a child-centred and family-focused approach, working collaboratively with parents and caregivers to ensure therapy goals are meaningful and practical. Support is designed to fit naturally into a child's daily life, helping families feel confident in applying strategies beyond therapy sessions.
Families choose Ability Rehab for speech therapy for kids because we offer:
- Experienced paediatric speech pathologists
- Individualised, goal-focused therapy plans
- Bilingual speech pathology in Mandarin and English — a rare service in our area
- A supportive and collaborative approach with families and educators
- Flexible therapy options across clinic, telehealth, home, school, and community settings
- Registered NDIS provider services with clear communication and guidance
Our team values clear communication, consistency, and building positive relationships with children and families. Therapy is paced to support each child's development while respecting family routines and priorities.
Getting Started With Paediatric Speech Pathology
Getting started with paediatric speech pathology begins with understanding your child's individual needs and goals. At Ability Rehab, the process is designed to be supportive, clear, and tailored to each family.
The first step typically involves an initial discussion to learn more about your child, followed by an assessment where appropriate. From there, therapy goals are developed collaboratively with families to ensure support is practical, meaningful, and aligned with daily routines.
Our team works with families to explain therapy options, funding pathways, and next steps clearly, including NDIS supports where applicable. Families are encouraged to ask questions and be actively involved throughout the therapy process.
Ready to get started, or want to talk through whether speech pathology is the right fit for your child?
Helpful Reading for Parents
If you're thinking about paediatric speech pathology for your child, these articles may be useful starting points:
See all our latest articles on speech pathology.
Paediatric Speech Pathology – Frequently Asked Questions
What is paediatric speech pathology?
Paediatric speech pathology helps children develop the speech, language, and communication skills they need to participate in everyday activities at home, school, and in the community. A speech pathologist assesses how a child speaks, understands language, uses language to express themselves, interacts socially, and (where relevant) uses alternative communication systems, then works with the child and family to build practical communication skills through play-based intervention.
How do I know if my child needs speech therapy?
Common signs include limited words for their age, not combining words into phrases by age 2, difficulty being understood by people outside the family, frequent frustration when trying to communicate, difficulty understanding simple instructions, social communication challenges with peers, or struggling with reading and literacy foundations at school. If you're noticing any of these or your child's communication feels out of step with peers, a paediatric speech pathology assessment can help identify whether support would be helpful.
At what age can a child start speech therapy?
Speech pathology supports children from infancy through adolescence. Early intervention — typically from around 18 months through age 5 — is particularly impactful because young children's brains are highly responsive to targeted communication support. That said, speech therapy can be helpful at any stage of childhood when communication challenges are affecting daily participation, learning, or relationships.
What does a paediatric speech therapy session look like?
Sessions are play-based and tailored to each child's goals. A typical session might involve play-based language activities, structured speech sound practice, conversation games, AAC modelling, or parent coaching. Parents and caregivers are often involved so strategies can be practised at home, and sessions may take place in our clinic, via telehealth, at home, at school, or in the community depending on what supports the child best.
What's the difference between a "late talker" and a speech delay?
"Late talker" is generally used to describe a toddler whose vocabulary is below age expectations but whose understanding is age-appropriate and who is otherwise developing typically. Some late talkers catch up without intervention; others go on to develop a more persistent speech or language delay. A speech pathology assessment can help identify which path is more likely and whether early support would be beneficial. Our Speech Delay vs Late Talker article covers this in more detail.
Do you offer speech therapy in Mandarin?
Yes. Ability Rehab is one of a small number of clinics in Melbourne's north-east offering bilingual paediatric speech pathology in Mandarin and English. Our bilingual speech pathologist supports culturally and linguistically diverse children and families with assessment and therapy in either or both languages, with experience in language development, social communication, AAC, and parent coaching.
How is paediatric speech pathology funded?
Paediatric speech pathology at Ability Rehab can be accessed through NDIS funding, Medicare's Chronic Disease Management (CDM) plan with a GP referral, private health insurance (depending on your policy), or as a private client. We're a registered NDIS provider and work with NDIA-managed, plan-managed, and self-managed participants. Visit our NDIS for Families page for more detail.
Do I need a GP referral to see a paediatric speech pathologist?
No referral is required for private clients or NDIS participants. A GP referral is only needed if you're accessing therapy through a Medicare CDM plan. You can make a referral online or contact our team directly.
Where is your paediatric speech pathology clinic located?
Our clinic is located at 1/225 Lower Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe East, VIC 3079, with on-site parking. We see children from anywhere across Melbourne, with particular concentration of work across Melbourne's north-east, including Heidelberg, Kew, Doncaster, Balwyn, Bundoora, Eltham, and Greensborough. Telehealth, home, school, and community-based sessions are also available depending on funding and clinical need.