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More than just speech and language
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lare was born more than 14 weeks premature and given a 95% chance of physical or mental disability, which is why parents, Wylie and Sharon Collins, could never have foreseen how Clare has been excelling at school. ‘We never expected this outcome, but she was above kids in her class in terms of reading and writing for Year 3 NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy),’ Wylie said. ‘She was above the national average and in some regards she was in the top 25%. That blew us away.’ Because of her prematurity, Clare’s parents took part in regular reviews with the Child Development Centre in Perth, who placed Clare in the bottom one percentile of cognitive ability at the age of two. By the time she reached kindy, it was clear to Wylie and Sharon that Clare wasn’t keeping up with her peers, despite having speech therapy. They began looking for somewhere with a multifaceted approach to learning, and found Telethon Speech and Hearing’s Talkabout program in Wembley.
‘The difference with this program, compared to others, is that it treats the whole child,’ Wylie explained. ‘You think that it’s just a speech and language centre, but it’s not. They do so many other things that help. Within a class you’d have occupational and speech therapy, psychologists, access to audiologists, and a Family Liaison Officer. And so you see all that support throughout the day. It’s all about the care for the child and the child growing and developing. For us, this was highly critical. I think that was the real key. And it felt like joining a family.’ Clare completed the Talkabout program for kindy and pre-primary alongside her mainstream schooling and her parents believe this has been a major contributor to the success she is enjoying today. Telethon Speech and Hearing’s Talkabout program helps families of children who are concerned with speech and/or language delays or disorders. Now accepting enrolments for 2020. Visit tsh.org.au or call 9387 9888 to enrol your child.
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