O'Connell Speech Pathology in Shellharbour, New South Wales | Medical and health

O'Connell Speech Pathology

Locality: Shellharbour, New South Wales

Phone: +61 2 4200 9545

Address: 29C Addison Street 2529 Shellharbour, NSW, Australia

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

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• Medical and health
• Speech pathologist
• Speech therapist

24.01.2022 Meet Lisa. She is one of our therapists who enjoys supporting children and their families to create communication rich environments. In her spare time, she loves to be outdoors with her husband and pup!

24.01.2022 Whos been busy in the holidays? Ainsley and Tanya were busy in the holidays attending a course on using PECS - Picture Exchange Communication System. They learnt a lot and enjoyed it so much they even had a photo with their presenter Komala!

24.01.2022 Have you heard of DLD? Developmental Language Disorders affect 7% of the population. Children experiencing difficulties understanding and talking in sentences may have DLD. Speech Pathologists can help. To find out more hear Sophie OConnell, a Speech Pathologist, talking on ABC Illawarra during Drive program, on Friday 18/10/19 at 4.20pm. Follow the link and forward to 1hr18min in the program; https://www.abc.net.au//illa/programs/drive/drive/11596484

23.01.2022 Looking for some great books for Christmas? Speech Pathology Australia has announced the winners of their Book of The Year Awards for 2019! Promote literacy skills in your home with a book for gift. Heres the link! https://speechpathologyaustralia.org.au//Book_of_the_Year.

23.01.2022 Look whos finished Speech! We will miss seeing Reece at the clinic but congratulate him on achieving great speech sounds and paving the way for great literacy skills.

23.01.2022 Check out this wonderful article regarding some new research! Currently, research has focused a lot on improving the reading skills of school age children through oral vocabulary. This study has shown how beneficial talking, explaining and discussing words is for our children. It is important that we talk about how long or short a word is, what sound it starts with and what its ending is. Spending time talking about words is vital to all kids and can help those who find it difficult to acquire vocabulary tremendously! http://mobile.abc.net.au//childrens-literacy-stud/8697138

22.01.2022 Communication tip - when asking a question always allow the person to respond and be patient! #SPWeek

22.01.2022 Using books to create coversations! Children learn language when they experience positive back and forth interactions (i.e. a conversation!). Did you know that you can turn book reading into a conversation? Using a book with even minimal text, such as Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann, can be used to encourage children to use the pictures and their imagination to talk about what is happening in the story. Watch as a Speech Pathologist demonstrates ways to promote conversation that enhance early literacy skills. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUEdAxLVBzo

19.01.2022 This week is Speech Pathology Week! The theme this year is Communication Access, and with more than 1.1 million Australians living with communication and swallowing disorders this is a very important issue. Check out the tips below to see how you can help increase communication access for all! For more information check out their Facebook, Speech Pathology Australia or head to https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/ #SPWeek

18.01.2022 Have you ever wondered about the effects of iPad/iPhone use on young childrens speech and language? Earlier this year, one of the first studies investigating this issue, reported an association between handheld screen time and increased risk of expressive language delay. Dr Catherine Birken from Toronto Sick Kids (North America) found that by 18 months of age, 20 % of children had average daily use with a handheld device of 28 minutes. The more screen time, the more likeliho...od the child was to have an expressive language delay. Each 30 minute increase in use translated to a 49% increase in the risk of a delay. The American Academy of Paediatrics has recommended to discourage any type of screen media in children younger than 18 months. Although this research is from another continent, it is relevant to us all. Please spend the time with young children talking and playing! It is truly a great investment of your time! See more

18.01.2022 ZERO TO THREEs National Parent Survey shows that 45% of parents think that reading to children starts to benefit long-term language development at 2 years or older but they should actually begin at about 6 months. Here are five ways to share books with babies starting from birth! 1) Make books part of your familys everyday routines. 2) Sharing books is supposed to be fun, not forced, so read your babys cues. 3) Rather than reading the words, describe the pictures. 4) Bab...ies need sturdy board books that will stand up to banging and mouthing. Choose stories with simple, rhythmic language and bright, high-contrast illustrations. 5) Make your own homemade books using photos of your baby and other family members or cut out magazine pictures. Photo and information from ZERO TO THREE. See more

18.01.2022 What is one of the most important skills for children to learn prior to school entry? What area of development in Kindergarten can predict the best gains in reading at school? It is no surprise to speech pathologists that recent research in the US shows that children with great LANGUAGE skills make the largest gains in reading over the primary school years. Boosting language is vital to success at school but the message here is START before school entry.

16.01.2022 Our practice will be closing over the holiday break from Friday 20th December and reopening on Monday 6th January. We wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

15.01.2022 Wishing all our lovely families and their children a very Merry Christmas from the team at OConnell Speech. We will be closed from 21/12/18 and reopen on 7/1/19.

15.01.2022 Last week, our director, Sophie, attended the annual Speech Pathology Australia Conference in Sydney. We look forward to having her bring some new ideas and research into OConnell Speech Pathology!

15.01.2022 Happy School Holidays! To celebrate, weve found a list of 20 of our favourite speech games that will allow your child to improve their speech sound skills whilst having fun! Wed love for you to give some of them a try over the break Our clinic is open as per usual hours in the holidays, but we are closed on Monday, October 2 for the public holiday. (Games list compiled by speech-language pathologists at South Metropolitan Association, Dolton, Il.)

14.01.2022 Look who's finished speech therapy? I am so pleased for Alec who has worked so hard on his speech. He has come a long way and is thriving with his speech and learning at school. We will miss you at O'Connell Speech Alec but know you have a bright future ahead of you!

14.01.2022 Look whos finished speech therapy? I am so pleased for Alec who has worked so hard on his speech. He has come a long way and is thriving with his speech and learning at school. We will miss you at OConnell Speech Alec but know you have a bright future ahead of you!

13.01.2022 Welcome Tanya! We are very excited to announce Tanya Goodman is now working at the practice. She brings a wealth of experience working with children and is enjoying meeting the children and their families visiting OConnell Speech.

13.01.2022 Last week at OConnell Speech Pathology, therapists attended a webinar with the US expert Dr Laura Justice about developing early literacy skills. Prior to reading, children are in an emergent literacy period - the time when we build foundational skills, not teach formal reading per se. Most importantly its when we spend time looking at books together with our preschool children. During book reading we can highlight print. We can do this by: - Pointing to words as we say ...them - Pointing to individual letters and saying the sound of the letter - Discuss how we start with the cover and move left to right We can highlight print, not just in books, but when we see it in other places. We can point and discuss how print is used and for different reasons like: - Signs around us, such as the exit or stop signs directing us - Shopping lists to help us remember items - Addresses on envelopes to help us find places. One of the most useful print forms an adult can highlight to children is there name. Children can attempt to say their name after you read it and even attempt to write it in any way they can! Research shows your childs experiences with print are a predictor of later reading achievement so have fun with your pre-schooler highlighting print! Photo courtesy of ASHA. See more

11.01.2022 Good luck Ainsley! Last week our lovely therapist, Ainsley, went on maternity leave. We wish her all the best with becoming a Mum. As many of us know, this is a very special role and one that comes with many responsibilities and much joy! All the best Ainsley!

11.01.2022 PECS- What a valuable tool! Sophie had the opportunity of attending training on using the Picture Exchange Communication System. PECS is a way for children to communicate their needs when they are unable or learning to speak. A tool she will be able to share soon with some families.

09.01.2022 Ainsley, one of our therapists, has really enjoyed getting to know our families at the clinic. She is passionate about working with children to meet their individual needs. In her spare time, she enjoys fire twirling and performing in her local community.

09.01.2022 Its been a busy week at OConnell Speech! We hosted professional development for Speech Pathologists working with children who have poor palate function. Thank you to David Fitzsimons from the Cleft Palate team at Childrens Hospital, Westmead for a great presentation. Then Today was Paediatric Sleep and Development at the Illawarra Medical Education Day. Thank you to Southern Healthcare Specialists for an informative day. Both were great opportunities for staying informed and connecting with other health professionals.

08.01.2022 Bronwyn works as our receptionist and is responsible for administration and welcoming patients in the waiting area. When shes not keeping up with her three teenage boys, she enjoys meeting the families at the clinic and can answer any billing questions they may have.

07.01.2022 Welcome Back! We would like to let our families know that OSP will start a PHASE 1 return to services on June 8th. This means all our existing families not receiving current Telehealth services will be able to contact us about having a face to face session in the clinic. Service delivery will look a little different with some new patient screening and therapy procedures, but our kind and caring staff will be the same! We will be in touch to arrange your appointment in coming weeks.

07.01.2022 Meet Ainsley, one of our wonderful therapists at OConnell Speech Pathology! Ainsley completed her Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours) at the University of Newcastle. She loves working with children of all ages and enjoys getting alongside them and their families to achieve communication goals. She is passionate about providing people with relevant and effective Speech Pathology services to meet their individual needs!

05.01.2022 Communication tip-Understand there are many ways to communicate #SPWeek

04.01.2022 A BIG THANK YOU to all our families and staff this week. Firstly, thank you to those families who have trialled a Telehealth Service with Zoom. We have had great positive feedback. Secondly, thank you to our staff who have worked tirelessly to get this service off the ground and meet the needs of our families. The curve (learning that is) has been steep but it is going to flatten in coming weeks! If you havent been contacted yet about Telehealth Sessions please call us. Take care and stay safe!

04.01.2022 Can parents influence their childs language and brain develoment? According to a recent study by the MITs McGovern Institute for Brain Research, the answer is YES! Using MRI technology scientists found that a conversation between an adult and a child appears to change the childs brain.The number of conversational turns correlated with more activity in the Brocas area (an area of the brain linked to speech and language). The back-and-forth nature of conversation is actually more critical to language development than simply hearing words or listening to language on the TV. Dont just talk to your child but talk WITH your child. As stated its almost magical how parental conversation appears to influence the biological growth of the brain.

04.01.2022 Your baby is listening, so keep the conversation going! A recent study looking at how babies learn, tells us that what we say to them is important! Researchers in the US found that babies as young as 6 months old, learn to associate words with objects and other parts of their world, making neural connections for vocabulary very early on in their lives. Elika Bergelson and Richard N. Aslin reported The more they (babies) hear labels for what theyre looking at and attending to, the stronger their overall comprehension. The value of your interaction with your baby can never be underestimated. More than ever take the time to talk as it can really make a difference!

03.01.2022 Merry Christmas to all our families. We wish you all the best for the coming New Year. The practice will be closed now until Saturday 6th January. We look forward to seeing you in the New Year and supporting you and your child with their communication.

02.01.2022 Speech Pathology Australias Book of the Year Awards for 2018 have recently been released. These awards aim to promote quality Australian books that help children get the best, most literate start in life. We have some at our clinic for use during therapy sessions, but we highly recommend you grab your own copy to read with your child at home! The winners are: Birth to 3 years: Heads and Tails by John Canty 3 to 5 years: Rodney Loses It! Written by Michael Gerard Bauer 5 to 8... years: Danny Blues Really Excellent Dream by Max Landrak 8 to 10 years: The Grand Genius Summer of Henry Hoobler by Lisa Shanahan. Indigenous children: Sorry Day by Coral Vass See more

01.01.2022 Needing some ideas for what books to buy for children? Whether for gift ideas or for your own children to enhance their language and literacy, then take a look at this list! In November every year Speech Pathology Australia announce their Book of the Year Awards. These awards aim to promote quality Australian books that help children get the best, most literate start in life. Follow the link to see which books were announced winners on the 2nd of November this year. https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au//Book_of_the_Y