Is your child falling behind at school with reading or writing? Do they find it hard to sound out words, spell reliably, or get their ideas down on paper? These are among the most common concerns that bring families to speech pathology — and they are very treatable with the right support.
Paul Riley from Southern Cross Speech Pathology provides mobile literacy support for school-aged children across Wyndham, visiting your home, your child’s school, or another convenient location across Werribee, Point Cook, Hoppers Crossing, Tarneit, Truganina, Wyndham Vale, Manor Lakes and Williams Landing.
What Does a Speech Pathologist Do for Literacy?
Reading and writing are built on spoken language skills. Speech pathologists are trained in the relationship between oral language and literacy, and play a key role in supporting children who are struggling — particularly where phonological awareness, vocabulary, or language comprehension are involved.
Literacy support may include:
Phonological awareness — the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds within words. This underpins both reading and spelling and is often a key area of difficulty for children with dyslexia.
Decoding and word reading — learning to sound out and recognise words accurately and fluently.
Spelling — understanding the patterns and rules of written English.
Reading comprehension — understanding what has been read, not just decoding the words on the page.
Written expression — organising and expressing ideas clearly in writing.
Literacy and Multilingual Children
Children learning to read in English while also speaking another language at home face additional challenges — and additional strengths. Paul has extensive experience working with multilingual families and can help identify whether a child’s literacy difficulties reflect a language difference, a learning difficulty, or both.
When Should I Seek Support?
If your child is in their first years of school and not making expected progress with reading or writing, early assessment and support makes a significant difference. However, it is never too late — literacy skills can be built at any age.
What Does Therapy Look Like?
Literacy therapy is structured and evidence-based, using approaches that have strong research support. Paul works closely with families and, where possible, with schools, to ensure strategies are consistent across settings.
Book a Literacy Assessment in Wyndham
Paul currently has immediate availability across Wyndham. Call 0494 102 108 or email info@southerncrossspeech.com.au to book today.