Parents will soon have the opportunity to engage with a Speech Pathologist at a series of free educational sessions due to be held in a relaxed and social setting at our local libraries.
‘Speechie Talks’ is open to parents and carers of children aged zero to five years and will be led by Whitsunday Community Health’s speech pathologist Kelly Rodgers who will host weekly sessions for eight weeks.
Families will benefit from information on how to support early childhood communication development and topics will include early language, speech sounds, social communication and early literacy.
“We conducted a survey in 2022 seeking feedback on speech pathology programs for children aged zero to five years in the Whitsunday region,” Kelly said.
“More than 80 per cent of respondents indicated that they would like to see the Community Health service offer group education sessions on specific topics to assist parents with their child’s communication.”
Each session will start with a 20-minute presentation on the weekly topic followed by a Q&A session about anything speech pathology related.
Kelly said she is excited and looking forward to presenting Speechie Talks to Whitsunday region families.
“The library setting allows families to drop in with their children and connect with a speech pathologist to ask questions without having to go through a formal referral process,” she explained.
“We can also guide parents and carers on support pathways if parents are concerned about their child’s development.
“As speech pathologists, we want to share our knowledge with families on how to build and support their child’s communication to ensure they receive the best possible start.”
WHAT: Speechie Talks program
WHERE: Cannonvale and Proserpine Libraries
WHEN: Weekly from Monday, April 17 (alternating between the two libraries)
TIME: 9.30am to 10.30am
