Assessing your child’s strengths and challenges plays an important role in guiding the therapy approach that they will benefit from most.
Our experienced Speech Pathologists can provide Autism assessments for children from the age of 2. You must receive a referral from your child’s Paediatrician before booking an Autism assessment.
Our speech pathologists can complete a comprehensive assessment, including a parent interview, a play-based assessment using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale – 2 (ADOS-2) and an observation of your child in a natural environment with their peers. The process also includes a comprehensive report and feedback session following the assessment sessions.
(Waitlist currently closed to new clients)
Speech refers to the way a child pronounces words. Language is broken up into two areas, receptive and expressive language. Receptive language is a child’s ability to understand and process spoken or written language. Expressive language is a child’s ability to express themselves and get their meaning across. Learn more about the symptoms to look out for and what assessments we use here.
A Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA) and accompanying report is used to determine an individual’s functional performance in all activities of daily life. FCAs are usually required to ensure participants have appropriate support and funding to achieve their goals. FCAs may be requested when participants on early childhood early intervention funding transition to NDIS funding, existing NDIS funding has been cut significantly, or if a participant has a diagnosis that significantly impacts their function but is not recognised on the NDIS guidelines – List A: Conditions that are Likely to Meet Disability Requirements. FCAs usually involve a comprehensive interview with the participant/participant’s family, as well as standardised assessment and clinical observation. Learn more about the FCA report here.
Get a glimpse behind the scenes to discover what our therapists and clients are working on during their therapy sessions
We welcome self-managed and plan-managed clients from NDIS, Medicare (including Chronic Disease Management Plan and Helping Children with Autism), clients using private health insurance and private payment.
Aimed at building rapport and gathering valuable insight into your child’s strengths and challenges.
Discuss our assessment findings and collaborate with you to set goals based on the assessment results.
Based on your child’s individual needs, we will determine appropriate therapy approaches, time frames and frequency.
Therapy Plan recommendations may include 1:1 sessions, off-site visits, parent training, small group sessions or resource packs.
We accept the following:
No referral is necessary to see any of the practitioners at Ladybug House. However, a Medicare rebate may be applicable if you have a Chronic Disease Management Plan or Helping Children with Autism plan.
During your initial appointment, your allocated therapist will focus on the following key areas:
Case History: The therapist will start by discussing general questions about your child’s development and background to better understand their unique needs.
Assessment: The therapist will conduct an informal assessment to gather valuable insights into your child’s strengths and challenges.
Building Rapport: We understand that trust and comfort are essential. We’ll work to establish a positive rapport with both you and your child.
Service Agreement and Goal Setting: We’ll discuss our service agreement and collaborate with you to set goals based on the assessment results.
Therapy Time Frames: Based on your child’s individual needs, we’ll determine the appropriate therapy time frames and frequency.
Planning for Future Sessions: Together, we’ll outline a plan for upcoming therapy sessions and set expectations for the journey ahead.
Guidance and Questions: Feel free to ask any questions you may have during this session. We’re here to provide guidance and support every step of the way.
If you need to cancel an appointment, we ask that you cancel BEFORE 3pm the day prior to the appointment and no Cancellation Fee will be charged. You may be offered fee paying options such as Telehealth, a Resource Pack or a Goal Writing Session in place of the cancelled appointment to ensure your child’s therapy continuity.
A Late Cancellation is when you cancel AFTER 3pm the day prior to the scheduled appointment and the full session fee is charged.
Please see our full cancellation policy here.
If you are running late to an appointment we kindly ask that you contact our reception team to provide an estimated arrival time. If you fail to arrive for a session (No show), or if you are more than 20 minutes late, the session will be canceled and a Late Cancellation fee will apply.
We understand there will be times when you need to take a break from therapy. If you need to cancel more than 2 therapy sessions in a row, we kindly ask that you take a break of 5 sessions to allow other families the opportunity to participate in a block of therapy while we hold your child’s ongoing appointment time. Please see our Therapy Break Policy for more information.
At Ladybug House, we provide the convenience of telehealth services. If you wish to convert a scheduled face-to-face session to a telehealth session, please notify us in advance to facilitate proper planning.
Requesting Telehealth: To request a telehealth session, submit your request to your child’s therapist or the admin team no later than 3pm on the day preceding your appointment. This allows us to accommodate your request effectively. Failure to submit your request by the specified time may result in the application of our cancellation policy if you are unable to attend the in-person session.
At Ladybug House, the health and safety of our staff and clients are of highest importance.
Attendance Guidelines: To maintain a safe environment, we kindly request that you refrain from entering the clinic if you or your child exhibit apparent symptoms of illness. If you suspect illness or feel unwell, please contact the clinic promptly to discuss alternative therapy options. Please note that, in line with our cancellation policy, requests for changing to telehealth must be made prior to 3pm on the day before your scheduled appointment.
Safety Measures: If you present with visible signs of illness that may pose a risk to others or compromise the safety of our clinic, our reception staff may request you to take precautionary measures. This could include wearing a mask, waiting in your car, or leaving the clinic premises to seek medical care if necessary. In these circumstances, your child’s appointment may be immediately stopped and converted into a Resource Pack.
Ladybug House supports and abides by the Speech Pathology Australia Code of Ethics, Occupational Therapy Australia Code of Ethics, National Code of Conduct (QLD), and the National Code of Conduct (VIC)
Our Melbourne team recently completed their First Aid and CPR training. Working in a healthcare setting, we want to equip our team with the skills and knowledge to handle emergency situations should they arise.
Lindsay and Erin have both been part of Ladybug House for over 7 years. They bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience and have been instrumental in shaping the Ladybug House culture. Being
We have been working behind the scenes with our current and past graduates to see how we can make our 2024 Graduate Program even better. Just as we aim to provide specialised support for children
Our friendly team are here to help if you would like to book an appointment or to answer any questions.
Melbourne, Victoria
Speech Pathology Only
Located at Brighton Health Clinic For Kids
202-204 Bay St
Brighton VIC 3186
Gold Coast, Queensland
1/75 Railway Street
Mudgeeraba QLD 4213
Our team will endeavour to respond within 48 hours.
Feel free to get in touch with us via phone or send us a message.