Nepean Speech & Occupational Therapy in Penrith, New South Wales | Speech pathologist

Nepean Speech & Occupational Therapy

Locality: Penrith, New South Wales

Phone: +61 2 4721 4766

Address: 9 Tindale Street 2750 Penrith, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.nspot.com.au

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• Medical and health
• Speech pathologist
• Occupational therapist
• Speech therapist

25.01.2022 Did You Know? Blowing bubbles is a child-friendly was to practice deep breathing. Deep breathing helps to calm and regulate the body. ... When youre practicing this, make sure you are breathing from the belly, at a regular tempo. Who else loves bubbles?

25.01.2022 OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST - new graduate position Attention OTs! Your dream job awaits! Are you our next team member? Are you biting at the bit to join a multi disciplinary team that has the most amazing culture, is exciting, passionate and innovative? Please read on, we are keen to get to know you!...Continue reading

24.01.2022 Did you know Speech Pathology Australia has a large amount of resources for the Public. On here, you will find a range of information about what Speech Pathology is, Children's developmental milestones and a range of fact sheets related to speech pathology! Head over to https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/ to have a look at the free resources for yourself!

24.01.2022 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT It was wonderful having Dave Fitzsimons from the Westmead Cleft Palate Clinic visit our clinic yesterday to share with us his knowledge about VPI, cleft palate and articulation therapy strategies. It was an amazing presentation that has left the NSPOT therapists totally inspired and ready to implement the strategies that were learned.... Thanks so much Dave for sharing your passion and knowledge with us! #speechtherapy #occupationaltherapy #psychology #speechpathology #penrithspeechtherapy #penrithspeechpathology #inclusion #penrithoccupationaltherapy #earlyintervention #literacy #reading #writing #phonologicalawareness #developmentaldelay #developmentaldisabilities #asd # autism #autismspectrumdisorder #socialskills #communication #receptivelanguage #expressivelanguage #articulation #apraxia #dyspraxia #participation #sensoryprocessingdisorder #grossmotor #finemotor #autismspectrumdisorder

23.01.2022 OT resource Kinetic sand is a resource that our therapist's love to use in OT to work on fine motor development, visual motor development and sensory processing. You can squeeze it, squish it, smash it, poke it and pinch it to develop the muscles in the fingers and hands. Because kinetic sand can be squeezed it provides deep pressure which is a form of tactile input that is calming and organising to the body. ... This is great for those who are sensory seekers. On the other hand, those with tactile defensiveness will also enjoy kinetic sand due to its soft and non-sticky nature.

20.01.2022 S C H O O L H O L I D A Y G R O U P S The school holidays are just around the corner! The following therapy groups / intensive programs still have spots available: Junior Athletes (Gross Motor)... Social Skills Self Care Phonological Awareness FACT: Our children have had significant disruptions to their learning in the past couple of months. Are you concerned that your child has fallen behind? These groups / intensive therapy programs will provide an excellent opportunity to practice skills day after day, in a fun supportive environment! Please speak to your therapist or contact reception if you would like to book in your child 02 4721 4766 [email protected]

20.01.2022 Always great to see celebrities share their journeys involving speech therapy! A big shout out to Delta Goodrem for sharing her story to help raise awareness!

20.01.2022 Body Awareness How can I help my child to meet his/her body awareness needs? Animal walks!! No equipment required!... Frog jumps, bear walks, crab crawls. Animal walks help your child to use their own body weight to provide the deep pressure they need! Simple and fun! Give them a go this weekend!

19.01.2022 Our wonderful receptionist Louise creating positivity when wearing masks whilst working. Go Louise!

17.01.2022 B O O K O F T H E W E E K Giraffes Cant Dance by Giles Andreae This book is such a fun read. It can be used to teach: descriptive language (long, beautiful);... action words (skip, dance , walk); new vocabulary (different types of jungle animals); and body parts (head, mouth , legs , knees). #readdaily #ilovereading #kidlit #whyweread

17.01.2022 OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST Attention OTs! Your dream job awaits! Are you our next team member? Are you biting at the bit to join a multi disciplinary team that has the most amazing culture, is exciting, passionate and innovative? Please read on, we are keen to get to know you!...Continue reading

16.01.2022 J has been working on using a good pencil grip to write his letters during his OT sessions with Maree. This week he was able to hold the marker with 3 fingers. Well done!

16.01.2022 Wishing the warmest of welcomes to our new trainee receptionist Ellen! We are thrilled to have you working with us! Please welcome Ellen when you see her at reception.

15.01.2022 Did you know that 1.2 million Australians suffer from a communication disorder Today marks the beginning of Speech Pathology week. This year the theme is COMMUNICATE WITH CONFIDENCE. The ability to develop proficient communication skills is all too often taken for granted. This week the NSPOT speechies will be sharing a range of informative and inspirational posts to tie in with this years theme!

15.01.2022 It was Cushs birthday on Saturday! Happy birthday Cush, we hope you had a lovely time celebrating!

14.01.2022 B O O K O F T H E W E E K Bizzy Bear is always going on fun adventures! This book (all about being on the farm) is always exciting for little ones who like movable books. It can be used to teach new vocabulary, learn location words (what could be *in* the farm house?) and practice sequencing skills (first Bizzy Bear fed the cows, then he walked to the pond). #readdaily #ilovereading #kidlit #whyweread

14.01.2022 It has been wonderful to watch Isabelle’s progress over the last 17 years! We wish you all the best for the future and will miss your smile each week!

14.01.2022 Social Skills Group Over the past 2 days, our social skills group have been learning about hidden rules in different environments (at school, at home, at the grocery store etc) and how to use their eyes to find hidden rules in the room. We have also been working on expected and unexpected behaviours, and how these make us feel. Our little superstars did well coming up with hidden rules. They did a wonderful job applying them within our group, and talking about expected behaviours that we do at school, home and when talking to others! Well done everyone!! #speechtherapy #socialskills #groupwork #paediatricspeechtherapy #schoolholidaygroup

13.01.2022 Our team is growing! We are looking for an experienced speech pathologist to join our wonderful team of speechies and OTs! Is it time for a change from your existing workplace? Are you wanting to join a team that has fun and works well together?... Are you ready to leave your mark and share your knowledge with early career speech pathologists? Please read on, we would love to meet you!

12.01.2022 Our team is growing! We are looking for an experienced speech pathologist to join our wonderful team of speechies and OTs! Is it time for a change from your existing workplace? Are you wanting to join a team that has fun and works well together? Are you wanting to be recognised for the clinical experience that you have and help shape the careers of other speech pathologists?...Continue reading

12.01.2022 And the birthdays continue! Happy birthday to our amazing receptionist Louise! We hope you enjoy your day and get super spoilt

11.01.2022 Check out our July school holiday groups call reception to secure your spot 4721 4766

11.01.2022 D I D Y O U K N O W To create speech, about a 100 different muscles in the chest, neck, jaw, tongue, and lips must work together?! And your brain coordinates it all! By moving the tongue, changing how much air comes our, and vibrating or not vibrating your vocal cords, you can make over 40 different speech sounds! Sometimes, the sounds even come out through your nose! Dont believe us? Try putting your finger on your nose and say "mmm", and you will feel your nose vibrate! #speechtherapy #speechmuscles #slpfunfacts #instaslp

11.01.2022 Did you know? Did you know that pretend play is linked to child development? Pretend play is the non-literal use of objects, actions and people. It can also be referred to as imaginative or make-believe play. ... It promotes learning and development in self-regulation, problem solving, social competence, expressive language and narrative language. The development of pretend play and expressive language are significantly related. Children who engage in pretend play use more language. Improves the childs ability to forward think or predict what will happen, improving narrative development which is linked to reading and comprehension. Problem solving in the narrative gives children exposure to divergent and convergent problem solving skills Reading ability has been found to be predicted by a childs ability to meta play- talk about their play as they play True pretend play increases the feel good chemicals such as opioids, oxytocin and dopamine, improving self-regulation and resilience.

10.01.2022 DIR/Floortime Professional Development What a jam packed two days it has been for team attending the DIR/Floortime professional development in Newcastle. The team has gained so much knowledge & we can’t wait to bring it into our daily practice. The course highlighted the importance of: ... The use of affect and how it can enhance relationships with children Getting the child’s parents heavily involved in playtime Play & following the child’s is essential for their development #DIR/Floortime #professionaldevelopment #speechtherapy #occupationaltherapy

10.01.2022 SPEECH PATHOLOGIST Attention Speechies! Your dream job awaits! Are you our next team member? Are you biting at the bit to join a multi disciplinary team that has the most amazing culture, is exciting, passionate and innovative? Please read on, we are keen to get to know you!...Continue reading

10.01.2022 D I D Y O U K N O W ? You dont need to speak to communicate. We communicate in a thousand different ways everyday! We point we tell people we are happy with out eyes we tell people we are cranky with our eyebrows we can use gestures we can use sign language, we can use pictures, we can even use ipads to talk. What are all the different ways you communicated today?

10.01.2022 Today is R U OK day, a reminder that every day is an opportunity to start a conversation that could change a life. For more information and to find help, visit the R U OK? website at https://www.ruok.org.au/ #ruokday #ruokday2020

10.01.2022 Wishing our wonderful speechie Alyssa the happiest of birthdays! We hope you have a lovely day

09.01.2022 It's back!! We will be running our school holiday intensive groups again through January. Transition to Kindy/Early Literacy Skills Group is perfect for children who are about to start Kindergarten in 2021. This program will aim to work on essential skills that are required for school including: Understanding school routines Developing good listening skills Greeting others... Introducing themselves Taking turns Writing their name Counting Writing letters Identifying letter sounds The groups are filling up fast so be sure to contact us if you are interested! See more

09.01.2022 B O O K O F T H E W E E K Different? Same! This book takes children on an animal adventure, where they learn a whole lot of new vocabulary words and begin to see how different things can actually have things in common! This book not only taches children to compare and contrast, but also to learn new animals adjectives (Description Words, e.g. Stripy, orange, tall) and verbs (doing words)! Understanding how things that seem so different can actually have things... that are the same helps children learn relationships between words. This is an important skill for language development. #ilovereading #readdaily #abookaday #kidlit #whyweread

09.01.2022 Today is Developmental Language Disorder Awareness Day. RADLD, is calling on everyone to #DLDSeeMe. With 1 in 14 children having DLD, it is time we talk more about this hidden but common lifelong condition. DLD causes difficulties with speaking and understanding for no known reason. There are serious and long-term impacts, as it puts children at greater risk of failing at school and struggling with mental health and future employment. The biggest challenge with DLD i...s you can’t tell by looking at a person that they have DLD and therefore, they often get overlooked for support. Developmental Language Disorder Awareness Day, now in its fourth year, is celebrated annually around the world with more than 30 countries involved in 2019. This year’s campaign is ‘DLD See Me’ and families, teachers, therapists and the community are coming together to ensure people with DLD no longer feel invisible. Join the official RADLD Fundraising team and help raise funds so they can invest in furthering awareness raising activities. 100% of all donations will go directly to raising greater awareness of DLD globally. You can find out more at the RADLD website https://radld.org

09.01.2022 Feeling inspired Over the past few days, our Clinical Director Diana has been away at the Clinic Mastery Grow Your Clinic members retreat, mixing with World Class business mentors and business owners, learning, growing and being inspired by them. In running a multi-disciplinary clinic, it is always important that correct processes are created and refined, to ensure that team members who are recruited resonate with the values and culture created by our team. ...Developing structured onboarding programs ensures that new team members will be supported, nurtured and fulfilled. This is all for one purpose, building a team of world class clinicians, who are driven by their passion to make an impact on the lives of their clients, and who are empowered by their workplace to share their innovative ideas and see them implemented. Diana is looking forward to returning to the clinic to share her learnings with her team and to help create more WOW in the NSPOT clinic #speechtherapy #occupationaltherapy #speechpathology #penrithspeechtherapy #penrithspeechpathology #penrithoccupationaltherapy #earlyintervention #literacy #reading #writing #socialskills #communication #receptivelanguage #expressivelanguage #articulation #participation #sensoryprocessingdisorder #grossmotor #finemotor #slp2be #OT2be #speechstudent #OTstudent #speechtherapycareers #occupationaltherapycareers #speechpathologycareers #speechcareer #otcareer

08.01.2022 Have a great week!

08.01.2022 SPEECH PATHOLOGIST - experienced and new graduate positions Attention Speechies! Your dream job awaits! Are you our next team member? Are you biting at the bit to join a multi disciplinary team that has the most amazing culture, is exciting, passionate and innovative? Please read on, we are keen to get to know you!...Continue reading

07.01.2022 Wishing our amazing speechie Katelin a happy birthday! We hope you have a lovely day celebrating

07.01.2022 We are so excited to have our new graduates in this weeks local paper!

07.01.2022 My little one isn’t talking yet, how can I get my child to talk?, Should I be concerned about my child not talking as much as their peers? Have you ever said any of the above? Well you are in the right place! Here at Nepean Speech and Occupational Therapy, we love working with your little ones to achieve functional communication. We want every child to reach their maximal potential, and be confident communicators! That’s why, we thought we would share some resources ...to set you off on the right path. The Hanen Centre aims to enable parents and professionals to transform daily interactions with young children to build the best life-long social, language and literacy skills This includes all young children with developmental challenges (e.g. Autism Spectrum Disorder, developmental disorder), and children who have, or at risk of developing, a language disorder. Their website shares an abundance of amazing tips and activities that you can do to boost your little one’s development of language, social skills and literacy. Some of our favourites are their ‘parent tips’ page and ‘fun activities pages’. You will find these under the ‘helpful info’ tab on their site. Here is the link to this wonderful website http://www.hanen.org/Home.aspx Get online and get ready to learn ways to support your child in their everyday lives. We also recommend calling to book an appointment with one of our Hanen certified speech pathologists, to help support you and your child on their developmental Journey!

06.01.2022 JUNIOR ATHLETES PROGRAM We loved watching the kids have so much fun during our junior athletes program We focused on developing their ... Balance Coordination Strength Motor planning Team work and social skills We look forward to running this program again in the future

06.01.2022 Did you know? Dyspraxia often goes unrecognized, but it’s believed to be relatively common. It can go by many names, including developmental coordination disorder and motor learning difficulty. ... Kids with dyspraxia typically have trouble with motor skills. This might make them appear to just be clumsy or out of sync with their environment. Because of their dyspraxia, kids can have trouble controlling their muscles. This includes small muscles, like the ones in their hands. This can make everyday tasks like writing and brushing their teeth a struggle.

05.01.2022 B O O K O F T H E W E E K Kai and the Very Crazy Day is a picture hillarious book about a little boy who wakes up one morning to find that theres something not quite right about the day! In addition to being a fun and fantastic read, the pictures in this book are an engaging way to work on: grammar and sentence structures, wh questions, following directions, inferences, conversations, and much more! While hard copies of this book are available, an animated vid...eo version can be found at: https://www.storyberries.com/bedtime-stories-kai-and-the-v/ #ilovereading #readdaily #abookaday #kidlit #whyweread

05.01.2022 We are super excited to announce that our wonderful admin superstar Ashley is our final Therapy Assistant! Ashley is at uni studying OT and we are so happy that she will be able to provide support to our OTs in the clinic!

04.01.2022 Yummy cake and beautiful flowers for our birthday girls Katelin and Louise. We hope you have a wonderful week celebrating!

04.01.2022 Its Speech Pathology week! This years theme is Communicating With Confidence. Stuttering is a speech disorder that can greatly affect a persons confidence.... Stuttering affects a persons ability to speak fluently. A stutter may be characterised by: Sound repetitions (e.g. a a a and) Syllable repetitions (e.g. bis bis biscuit) Whole word repetitions (e.g. and and and) Phrase repetitions (e.g. and then I, and then I) Prolongations (e.g. aaaaaand) Blocks (e.g. a_________nd) Insertions/interjections (e.g. um/uh) Non-verbal behaviours (e.g. facial grimacing). The causes of stuttering are not fully known. Research in this area is ongoing, however it is commonly accepted by Speech Pathologists that there can be a genetic link, it is more likely to occur in males than females, it commonly arises when children are developing their language skills (2-5 years), and children may stutter more when they are excited, tired or nervous. DID YOU KNOW?Singer/Songwriter Ed Sheeran had a stutter as a child and attended Speech Therapy to overcome it. He shares The thing that I found most difficult about it was knowing what to say but not really being able to express it in the right way. but he did not let it prevent him from pursuing his musical dream. Ed Sheerans acceptance of his stutter and his will to persevere in spite of it is a true inspiration to the stuttering community.

04.01.2022 SELF-CARE GROUP Over the past three days we have been practicing self-care skills! We have been working on: ... Upper body dressing Lower body dressing Bottom wiping Tying shoe laces Developing these skills will promote greater independence in a child’s everyday life Learning self-care skills also fosters the development of the ability to plan and sequence tasks, to organise necessary materials and to develop the refined physical control required to carry out daily tasks (e.g. pulling up pants, tying shoe laces, bottom wiping)

03.01.2022 We held a special graduation ceremony yesterday for our wonderful new graduate speechies and OTs who unfortunately were unable to have a formal graduation due to COVID-19. Congratulations to our amazing speechies Kirsti Fuhrmann Graduated from the University of Newcastle with a bachelor in Speech Pathology with Honors Cush Josling Graduated from the University of Newcastle with a bachelor in Speech Pathology with Honors... Sindy Pather Graduated from Macquarie University with a Master of Speech Pathology And to our wonderful Occupational Therapists Megan Kumerrow Graduated from Western Sydney University with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy Natalie Sultana Graduated from Western Sydney University with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy We are so proud of you all and thrilled to have you starting your wonderful careers as part of the NSPOT team!

03.01.2022 Happy Fathers Day to all of our wonderful dads,stepdads and grandfathers! We hope you all have the most wonderful day with your families!

03.01.2022 Did You Know? Did you know threading beads requires the same set of fine motor skills that children need for doing buttons? Both these tasks require manipulating small objects and coordinating two hands... Lets start beading and buttoning today!!

02.01.2022 Taras quote of the week

02.01.2022 Did You know? Weighted blankets give the same feeling as a hug - they can be a great source of deep touch pressure. They have proven to release more seratonin, allowing for a reduction in stress and helping calm your body and mind which regulates your sleep.

02.01.2022 Happy Friday everyone! This just came up as a FB memory. We are so happy that we were able to inspire Kirsti to follow her dream of becoming a speech pathologist. We are absolutely thrilled that 7 years later Kirsti is now working with us, and doing an amazing job helping her clients achieve their goals! Way to go Kirsti!

02.01.2022 S P E E C H P A T H O L O G Y W E E K - day 2 Communicating with Confidence Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is any type of communication strategy for people with a range of conditions who have significant difficulties speaking. ... There are two main types of AAC aided AAC (any external item used to aid communication) and unaided AAC (communication techniques that do not require the use of an external aid). Examples of aided AAC include: - Communication boards - Speech-generating devices - Electronic systems (e.g. computers, mobile phones, tablets, etc.) - Object symbols - Books Examples of unaided AAC include: - Sign and gesture systems - Eye contact - Facial expressions - Body language DID YOU KNOWStephen Hawking was one of the most prominent people in history to use a high-tech communication aid known as a speech-generating device. To feed information into his computer, Hawking used an infrared switch mounted on his glasses that caught the slightest of twitches in his cheek. The software moved a cursor across rows and columns of letters and Hawking could select the desired letter by twitching his cheek. Individual letters could be selected this way which would then form words and sentences. Stephen Hawking frequently highlighted the importance of people with disability having access to the equipment that they need. One instance of this was in his appearance on the TV show The Simpsons, where his character delivered a vital line on communication rights and the need for AAC with a firm directive: Silence. I dont need anyone to talk for me except this voice box.

02.01.2022 Happy birthday to our amazing OT Natalie! We hope you have a lovely day

01.01.2022 S P E E C H P A T H O L O G Y W E E K Communicating with Confidence Voice is the basic sound that is used for speech, and it comes from our vocal cords in the larynx, which most of us know as the voice box. ... Our larynx may also be known as the Adams Apple. Try putting your hand on your neck, and say "aaaaa". You will feel your larynx vibrating as it makes sound! For many people, it is difficult to make their voice box vibrate appropriately, which makes it difficult for them to make the noises required for speech. There are many reasons a person may have a voice disorder, including injury, overuse of their voice, anatomy and neurology! Voice can express so much about us and what we want to say - including our emotions and personality. DID YOU KNOW Darren Lockyer has a voice disorder, and has worked with a Speech Pathologist to help improve his voice! In 2004, Lockyer was involved in a bad tackle during a game, which resulted in an injury to his larynx (voice box). This is how he has such a distinctive voice which we all know very well, which he receives speech therapy for!

01.01.2022 S P E E C H P A T H O L O G Y W E E K Communicating with Confidence Dyslexia is a specific learning disorder that is characterised by difficulties with accurate and fluent word reading and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. ... Individuals with dyslexia may demonstrate the following: Reading, spelling and/or writing below their age or grade level Difficulty hearing beginning and ending sounds, rhyme and syllables Difficulty learning the sounds associated with letters Difficulty blending sounds together when reading Difficulty breaking words into sounds when writing and spelling Difficulty reading and writing basic sight words Reading is slow and effortful Difficulty understanding and remembering what is read DID YOU KNOW? Sir Richard Branson, the man behind one of the worlds most iconic companies (Virgin Group), has been diagnosed with dyslexia. Despite his difficulties with dyslexia, he is now one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world. Sir Richard Branson has brought awareness and inspiration to individuals with dyslexia. He is a positive voice for young people who have dyslexia, and has talked about how dyslexia actually was a big advantage to his success. We should support and celebrate all types of neurodiversity and encourage childrens imagination, creativity and problem solving the skills of the future. Sir Richard Branson

01.01.2022 OT App of the Week Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame is a free app which works on self-regulation. It uses a fun Sesame Street monster to help children calm down. It helps your child learn Sesame’s Breathe, Think, Do strategy for problem-solving and provides parents/caregivers with strategies for helping their child through day-to-day challenges and practice belly breathing.

01.01.2022 When you have a talented team member! Thanks so much to our wonderful speechie Kirsten! She has made these wonderful 3 ply masks for our team members to wear to keep everyone working safely through these challenging times. They even have an insert to provide additional protection!... Thanks so much Kirsten!