Supporting children's speech development
Children's speech sounds development happens gradually, with different sounds mastered at different ages. But when a child's speech sounds don't quite reach that expected clarity, speech pathology offers a clear path forward. Speech pathology can help identify exactly which sounds need support, and build a plan that helps a child be understood by a new educator, put their hand up in class with confidence, or join in games without friends struggling to be understood.
How I support children, at every age
Speech sounds develop in a fairly predictable order, and I love supporting children at every stage of that journey:
Toddlers
Early speech sounds are emerging, and it's completely normal for many words to still sound unclear at this age.
Kindergarten
Trickier speech sounds are being refined, and this is often when being understood by unfamiliar listeners, like new friends or teachers, starts to matter more socially.
Early primary
Most speech sounds should be well established by now, so consistent difficulties like swapping sounds or articulating certain sounds is worth a closer look.
Later primary
Persistent speech sound difficulties at this stage can affect confidence and social participation, and are associated with difficulties in school and employment success.
High school
By now, most speech sound difficulties have resolved, so ongoing difficulty tends to be more entrenched and closely tied to confidence and social participation.
Does my child need speech pathology?
Some speech sound disorders are picked up early, others aren't obvious until a child starts school and unfamiliar adults or peers can't easily understand them. A few things worth noticing:
Family & close friends understand your child easily, but new teachers, friends and strangers often can't
Certain speech sounds are consistently swapped, dropped or distorted, well past the age most children have mastered them
Frustration over being misunderstood
Reluctance to speak up in group settings, like show-and-tell or answering questions in class
None of these on their own confirms your child has a speech sound disorder — plenty of young children go through a stage of unclear speech that resolves naturally as they grow. But because it's hard to know which speech sounds will improve on their own and which won't, having it assessed by a speech pathology professional gives you clarity either way.
What does a speech pathology session look like for speech sounds?
Assessment
Speech sounds assessment looks closely at how easily your child can be understood, with treatment then aimed directly at improving clarity. Here's what that involves:
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Looks at which sounds your child can and can't yet produce, compared to what's expected for their age
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Identifies the pattern behind an articulation disorder or broader speech sound disorder, not just individual sounds in isolation
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Helps establish whether there's a risk of persistent speech difficulties, or related language and literacy difficulties down the track
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Turns therapy into a clear, targeted plan built around your child specifically
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Can produce reports to support funding applications or referrals where needed
Therapy
Therapy plans are built directly from your child's assessment, so support stays targeted and effective. What that looks like across different ages:
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Toddlers and kindergarten — playful, engaging articulation therapy focused on building early speech sounds and reducing frustration around being understood
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Early primary —addressing speech clarity thereby building confidence speaking up at school and ensuring clear understanding of what sounds the letters of the alphabet spell
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Later primary and high school — refining persistent difficulties, and addressing the confidence or social impact that can come with being misunderstood for longer
About Catharine Munro
CPSP, BA (Hons I), MES, Dip SphComm, MSLP​
I’m a certified practising speech pathologist (CPSP), trained at Macquarie University, and registered with Speech Pathology Australia. With a background in both clinical practice and journalism, I bring a lifelong love of language to helping children communicate effectively.
Serving Bondi Junction & the Eastern Suburbs
My clinic is based in Bondi Junction, with families visiting from Bondi, Woollahra, Double Bay, Paddington, Randwick, Coogee, Waverley, and across the Eastern Suburbs for speech pathology and literacy support. This puts me in easy reach of teenagers travelling by public transport.
Ready to get started?
Feel free to get in touch — whether you're ready to book a consultation or just want to talk through what you've been noticing, I'm happy to help you figure out the right next step.