SPELD SA: Supporting and empowering students with learning difficulties

For over 50 years The SPELD SA team has been providing essential support to children and adults with specific learning difficulties. The primary focus for SPELD SA, as a not-for-profit organisation, is to provide a comprehensive range of services, including educational training, parent workshops, educational consultations, psychological assessments, tutoring, literacy intervention programs, and extensive resources available through their library and bookshop.

Why is literacy important?

The ability to understand the written word is essential for success in everyday life. Literacy skills enable people to participate in society, communicate effectively, and understand the world around them. Poor literacy skills are linked to negative outcomes later in life, including unemployment, underemployment, and a higher likelihood of involvement with the criminal justice system.

How SPELD SA can help

S PELD SA's Literacy Clinic provides students who are struggling to develop appropriate reading and spelling skills with effective, highquality 1:1 intervention using the multi-sensory phonics program Sounds-Write. This program is evidence-based developmentally appropriate for beginning readers and offers a highly effective intervention for students at all levels who have fallen behind in their reading and spelling. Clinic sessions are attended individually, each week during school term time, and can be delivered face to face or online.

Expanding a vital service

The SPELD SA Literacy Clinic has undergone significant growth since its inception in 2018. What was once delivered on a card table now supports over 135 families in five purpose-built literacy clinic rooms. The service has grown to include ten qualified practitioners who deliver sessions both face to face and online. The clinic is now in a position to support even more families, with additional positions available for students to attend. With one focused goal in mind, this is an exceptional growth story that centers around supporting and empowering students with learning difficulties, enabling them to become confident and engaged in their education.

The SPELD SA Literacy Clinic Team

The practitioners at SPELD SA are passionate and experienced professionals who work with students to develop their literacy skills. Meet some of the team!

Angelik, Senior Speech Pathologist

Angelik has worked in a variety of settings including community health, private practice, education, disability and through the University as a Placement Educator.

“A typical day as a Literacy Clinic Practitioner involves working with up to six school-aged children a day (45-minute sessions). In between sessions you’ll find me preparing for the sessions, reviewing assessments, report writing and creating clinic resources."

Dana, Literacy Clinic Practitioner

With over 30 years teaching experience in a variety of settings, including reception classes and private tutoring, Dana lives for the lightbulb moment.

RECOGNISING THE SIGNS: Does your child need intervention?

Students from 5 years old to high school age can benefit from intervention if they are:

 Falling behind in their literacy development

What happens in Literacy Clinic sessions?

Sessions delivered in the Literacy Clinic are differentiated and tailored to each specific student's learning needs. An initial diagnostic assessment provides a clear understanding of the student's abilities. Time is then spent analysing the data collected and identifying the student's strengths and weaknesses. The necessary level of intervention is delivered on a 1:1 basis, and tailored to the individual.

 Struggling to read accurately and fluently

 Making frequent spelling errors, particularly in written expression

 Displaying a reluctance to participate in literacy-based activities

 Compensating when reading, by guessing from pictures, initial letters or the ‘look’ of a word

 Having difficulty remembering the relationships between sounds and letters

 Experiencing poor self-esteem, particularly in relation to literacy activities

 Suspected or diagnosed with a learning difficulty, such as dyslexia

"The light-bulb moments that some students have and seeing them so proud of their achievements when they have mastered a new skill or concept are incredible. I also enjoy playing literacy games with them, as they enjoy them so much, without realising they are learning from them.”

To learn more about the Literacy Clinic contact SPELD SA.

You can also check our their website below for FREE downloadable resources, including new SPELD SA decodable books.