Comprehensive Speech Pathology Assessments & Therapy

At Raise the Bar Clinic, we provide expert speech, language, and communication assessments and intervention for children, teens, and adults. Whether you’re seeking clarity around speech delays, language disorders, literacy challenges or social communication, a clearer understanding allows you to make confident, informed decisions for yourself or the people who matter most.

Our team is dedicated to empowering children and young people with the tools, confidence, and skills they need to thrive across all environments.

How A Speech & Language Assessment Can Help

Communication is fundamental to learning, relationships, confidence, and everyday life. When speech or language challenges are present, they can affect how a person expresses themselves, understands others, participates in activities at home and school, and connects socially. A thorough assessment helps identify strengths alongside areas of difficulty, giving you a clear picture of what is happening and why.

Our speech pathologists take the time to understand each individual’s unique history, concerns, and goals. Using evidence-based assessment tools, clinical observation, and collaboration with families, educators, and other health professionals where appropriate, we develop a comprehensive and neuroaffirming understanding of communication skills across a range of settings.

Our goal is not simply to identify challenges, but to provide the knowledge and guidance needed to help every individual to learn and communicate with greater confidence and reach their full potential.

When Should A Speech & Communication Assessment Be Considered

If two or more of the following are impacting daily routines across home or school, a speech and language assessment may be beneficial:

Understanding Directions: Frequently misinterpreting multi-step instructions, needing repeated prompts, or copying peers to figure out tasks.
Speaking & Storytelling: Struggling to find words, using immature grammar, or having trouble recounting events in logical order.
Phonological Awareness: Struggling to rhyme, identify starting/ending sounds, or blend individual letters into words.
Reading Fluency & Decoding: Slow, laborious reading or guessing words based on context rather than sounding them out.
Reading Comprehension: Forgetting or failing to understand the meaning of text, even if the words were read correctly.
Writing & Spelling: Inconsistent spelling of simple words, persistent letter reversals, or intense fatigue and avoidance around writing tasks.
Social Communication (Pragmatics): Communicating with others, getting along with others. Integral part of a comprehensive autism assessment.

What We Do

Speech & Language Assessments: Evaluating speech sound production, articulation, and receptive and expressive language skills.
Assessment of Social Communication: Assessment of social use of language, including communication preferences and differences often beneficial as part of a comprehensive autism assessment.
Literacy & Academic Achievement: Explores a range of litreacy skills including reading, spelling, written expression, and phonological awareness challenges that impact learning.
Dyslexia & Dysgraphia Assessments: Identification of dyslexia, dysgraphia and/or language disorders and their impact on learning, providing evidence for required educational adjustments and exam special provisions, including the use of assistive technology.
Functional Communication Reports: Detailed assessments to support NDIS funding, reviews, and assistive technology (AAC) recommendations.
Multidisciplinary Diagnostic Assessments: Speech pathology input into comprehensive and integrated Autism, ADHD and learning difficulty assessments.

Why Choose Us?

Experienced speech pathologists you can trust
Assessments tailored specifically to your unique communication goals
Clear pathways for school adjustments, NDIS support, and therapeutic intervention
A supportive, client-centred, and collaborative approach

Speech Therapy Intervention Services

We are pleased to announce that we currently have immediate availability for our specialised speech therapy intervention services.

Reading, spelling, and getting thoughts onto paper—or out into the world—can feel overwhelming, but the right support makes all the difference. Our speech pathologists provide targeted, evidence-based literacy intervention across reading and written expression, alongside compassionate support for social communication and situational mutism.

Working within a warm, neuroaffirming, and low-pressure environment, we adapt our approach to meet each individual where they are. We break literacy skills down into clear, manageable steps—from phonological awareness, decoding, and spelling to sentence structure, paragraph organisation, and essay planning. For social communication and situational mutism, we focus on authentic connection and psychological safety rather than masking, compliance, or forced speech. We collaborate with individuals, families, and schools to explore communication styles, ease social anxiety, build self-advocacy skills, and implement gentle, step-by-step strategies that help clients feel safe, understood, and valued across school and community settings.

Our team is dedicated to empowering children and young people with the tools, confidence, and skills they need to thrive across all environments.

Reading & Writing Support
Explicit, structured intervention targeting phonological awareness, decoding, reading comprehension, spelling, and written expression to lay a strong foundation for ongoing academic growth for both primary and secondary school students.

Availability: Mondays (Heatherton & Telehealth) / Fridays (Clyde North & Telehealth)

Social Communication & Pragmatics
Developing the essential tools needed to understand social cues, take turns in conversation, build meaningful peer relationships, and comfortably adapt to different social environments.

Availability: Wednesdays & Fridays (Heatherton / Telehealth)

Receptive & Expressive Language Development
Enhancing a young person’s ability to comprehend spoken instructions and complex ideas (receptive language), while strengthening their capacity to express thoughts, structure sentences, and articulate feelings clearly (expressive language).

Availability: Wednesdays & Fridays (Heatherton / Telehealth)

Situational Mutism Support
Compassionate, low-pressure therapy and tailored communication strategies to help children gradually build comfort and find their voice in environments where they experience anxiety-induced mutism, such as school or social groups.

Availability: Wednesdays & Fridays (Heatherton / Telehealth)

Our Approach to Care

We strive to improve the wellbeing and educational outcomes of individuals who may think and process the world a little differently to their peers.

We improve outcomes for individuals with learning and developmental differences by supporting families and schools to nuture positive relationships, create neuroaffirming environments and provide effective educational adjustments.

Speech therapy assessments provide insight into receptive and expressive language development, communication preferences and needs, and literacy skills across reading and writing.

Meet our Speech Pathologists

Tracey Walker

Speech Pathologist

Carmen Lao

Speech Pathologist

Speech & Language Assessment Process

A comprehensive speech and language assessment can uncover your unique communication strengths, identify areas of difficulty, and provide a clearer understanding of how you express yourself, understand others, and participate in everyday life.

At a minimum, it provides clear insights to help overcome communication barriers, build on existing strengths, and identify the supports, strategies, or therapy needed to thrive at home, school, work, and in social settings.

Step 1 : Intake

We listen to your concerns, functional goals, and history to design a tailored assessment plan.

Step 2 : Assessment

Using gold-standard standardised tools, clinical observations, and structured interviews.

Step 3 : Report

Providing a comprehensive, evidence-based report with practical, tailored recommendations.

Step 4 : Feedback

A dedicated session to guide you through the results, next steps, and ongoing therapeutic support.

Step 5: Post-Assessment Supports

Our post-assessment sessions are designed to reduce overwhelm and help guide families and schools on important next steps post assessment.

Step 6: Ongoing Home & School Partnership

We love being able to continue supporting clients, families and schools through key milestones such as school transitions, and provide updated recommendations for educational adjustments and exam provisions throughout formal schooling and beyond.

Book Your Assessment

A comprehensive assessment is the first step to getting the support you or your child needs to thrive.

We’re here to guide you through every phase of the process.

FAQs about Speech & Language Assessment in Melbourne

Who can benefit from a speech and language assessment?

Speech and language assessments are suitable for children, adolescents, and adults who are experiencing challenges with communication, speech clarity, language development, social communication, fluency (stuttering) or literacy. Assessments can also be helpful when a parent, teacher, GP, or another health professional has concerns about communication skills.

What happens during a speech and language assessment?

Your speech pathologist will gather background information, discuss your concerns and goals, and complete a series of evidence-based assessments tailored to the individual’s age and needs. This may include activities that assess speech sounds, language comprehension and expression, social communication, fluency or literacy, depending on the reason for the referral, and standardised assessment batteries such as the CELF-Preschool or CELF-5.

How long does a speech and language assessment take?

The length of an assessment depends on the individual’s age, presenting concerns, and the type of assessment required. Some assessments can be completed in a single appointment, while more comprehensive evaluations may be conducted over multiple sessions. Our friendly admin team will explain the expected process before the assessment begins.

What will I receive after the assessment?

Following the assessment, you’ll receive feedback explaining the findings in clear, practical language. Where appropriate, you’ll also receive a comprehensive written report outlining the assessment results, recommendations, and suggested next steps. These may include therapy, strategies for home or school, referrals to other professionals, or recommendations for additional supports.

Do I need a referral to book a speech pathology assessment?

In most cases, you do not need a referral to book a speech pathology assessment. However, some funding programs, healthcare providers, or insurers may require one. If you’re unsure, our team can help you understand what’s needed when you contact the clinic.