Speech Therapy Services in Perth for Children & Adults

Speech Therapy (also called Speech Pathology) focuses on assessing, diagnosing, and treating communication and swallowing difficulties. At Palms Physiotherapy & Allied Health, our speech pathologists support children, teens, and adults to improve speech clarity, language skills, social communication, voice and fluency and swallowing safety.

How Can Speech Therapy Help You?

Speech therapy can help with a wide range of concerns, including:

• Speech delays in children: Supporting speech sound development, clarity, and age-appropriate communication.

• Speech sound disorders: Including articulation (sound production) and phonological (sound patterns) difficulties.

•  Language disorders: Helping with both receptive language (understanding) and expressive language (using words and sentences).

• Swallowing and feeding difficulties (dysphagia): Supporting people who have difficulty swallowing safely due to conditions such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, or neurological conditions.

• Social communication differences: Supporting conversational skills, turn-taking, perspective-taking, and understanding non-verbal communication.

•  Stuttering and fluency disorders: Helping clients manage fluency, reduce effort/tension, and build confidence in communication.

Speech Therapy Services We Provide

Paediatric Speech Therapy

• Paediatric speech therapy supports children with speech, language, communication, and early literacy needs using evidence-based and child-friendly approaches. Sessions may be play-based (especially for younger children), while still being structured and goal-directed.

• Common areas we support include:

  1. Speech sound development (clarity and intelligibility)

  2. Language delays and developmental language disorder

  3. Social communication support

  4. AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) where appropriate

  5. Early literacy foundations (e.g., phonological awareness)

Adult Speech Therapy

• Adult speech therapy supports adults with communication and swallowing needs related to neurological conditions, injury, medical events, or age-related changes. Therapy is practical, functional, and designed around everyday participation (home, work, community).

• Common areas we support include:

  1. Communication changes after stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), or neurological illness

  2. Dysarthria and motor speech changes

  3. Cognitive-communication difficulties (attention, memory, organisation impacting communication)

  4. Voice therapy where indicated

  5. Dysphagia support and mealtime strategies

NDIS Speech Therapy Services

• NDIS speech therapy is available for self-managed and plan-managed participants. Therapy may focus on functional communication goals, speech clarity, social interaction and participation, and AAC support where required. We collaborate with participants, families, support coordinators, schools, and relevant providers to support practical, meaningful outcomes.

Speech Therapy for Swallowing Disorders (Dysphagia)

• Dysphagia (swallowing) support helps when swallowing difficulties affect hydration, nutrition, safety and confidence with eating and drinking. Our speech pathologists can complete clinical assessments (as appropriate), provide strategies for safer swallowing, recommend targeted exercises when indicated, and support shared-care referral pathways with GPs/ENT/medical teams when needed.

• Why Choose Palms Physiotherapy & Allied Health for Speech Therapy?

• Experienced Speech Pathologists: Skilled in paediatric and adult communication and swallowing support.

• NDIS Provider (self- and plan-managed): Therapy is aligned to participant goals and everyday function.

• Family-Centred Approach: We involve parents, carers, and supports where appropriate so strategies carry over into real life.

• Collaborative, Multidisciplinary Care: We work alongside our broader allied health team when integrated support is beneficial.

Sensory Room and Kids Therapy Gym

• Our sensory room and kids therapy gym can support therapy goals through a motivating, functional environment—particularly helpful for children who benefit from movement-based learning and sensory regulation strategies. These spaces may be used when clinically relevant to support engagement, attention, participation, and goal progress.

Locations

• We offer speech pathology services in Perth, including our Malaga and Noranda clinics.

Speech Therapy – What We Can Help With

Speech pathologists (speech therapists) support children and adults with a wide range of speech, language, voice, fluency, and swallowing needs. Below is a practical overview of the common areas we assess and treat at Palms.

Speech Sound & Motor Speech

• Articulation Disorders: Difficulty producing specific speech sounds clearly (e.g., /s/, /r/, /l/).

• Phonological Disorders: Patterns/rules of sound errors that reduce intelligibility (e.g., fronting, final consonant deletion).

• Apraxia of Speech: Motor planning/programming difficulty; speech errors may be inconsistent and speech can sound “choppy.”

• Dysarthria: Speech changes due to weakness, tone or coordination differences affecting speech muscles.

Language

• Expressive Language Disorder: Difficulty using words/sentences to share ideas, tell stories, ask questions, or use grammar accurately.

• Receptive Language Disorder: Difficulty understanding spoken/written language, following instructions, or processing complex language.

• Mixed Expressive–Receptive Language Disorder: Difficulties with both understanding and expressing language.

• Developmental Delays: Support when speech and language milestones are developing more slowly than expected.

• Aphasia: Language difficulty often after stroke/brain injury, affecting speaking, understanding, reading and/or writing.

Voice

• Hoarseness or Strained Voice: Raspy, breathy, strained or unreliable voice; can relate to vocal load, inflammation, reflux, or vocal fold changes.

• Vocal Cord Paralysis: One or both vocal folds do not move normally, impacting voice, breathing and/or swallowing.

• Resonance Disorders: Speech that sounds overly nasal or “blocked”; may be structural, neuromuscular and/or learned.

• Gender Affirming Voice and Speech Therapy: Support to align voice and communication with gender identity using safe, evidence-based voice techniques.

• Psychogenic Voice Disorders and Conversion Disorder: Voice changes linked to psychological factors; therapy supports voice recovery and functional communication.

Fluency

• Stuttering: Disruptions to speech flow (repetitions, prolongations, blocks) that can impact confidence and participation.

• Cluttering: Fast or irregular speech rate that can reduce clarity and organisation of spoken messages.

Social Communication

•  Pragmatic Language Disorder: Support for conversation skills, turn-taking, topic maintenance, inference, and interpreting non-verbal cues.

Swallowing & Feeding

• Dysphagia (Swallowing Disorders): Assessment and strategies to support safe swallowing and reduce aspiration risk (often alongside GP/ENT/medical teams when needed).

Hearing & Listening

• Hearing Impairments: Therapy to support listening, speech clarity, language development, and communication strategies in partnership with audiology where required.

Neurological Conditions

• Speech Therapy for Neurological Conditions: Communication and swallowing rehabilitation for stroke, TBI, Parkinson’s disease, MS, dementia and other neurological conditions.

Early Literacy & Phonological Awareness

• Phonological Awareness: Therapy targeting sound awareness skills that underpin reading/spelling (rhyming, blending, segmenting, manipulation).

Post-Surgical Head & Neck Rehab

• Post‑Surgical Rehabilitation for Laryngectomy and Head and Neck Cancer: Multidisciplinary support for communication, swallowing and function after surgery/treatment (in shared care with your treating team).

Costs of Service

At Palms Physiotherapy & Allied Health, we aim to keep our fees transparent and consistent. Where a participant is funded through the NDIS, we bill in line with the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (including rules for non-face-to-face time, travel, and cancellations). NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits

Fees and policies below apply to services delivered at our Malaga and Noranda clinics, via telehealth, and (where suitable) in the community.

How We Bill

Same hourly rate structure

We use the same hourly rate structure across NDIS and non-NDIS clients for:

• Direct therapy time (face-to-face or telehealth)

• Indirect (non face-to-face) time required to deliver services safely and properly (e.g., clinical notes, reports, provider communication)

Important: The NDIS rules about what can be claimed (and how) still apply to NDIS participants.

Treatment Appointments

Direct service

Direct services may include:

• Face-to-face appointments at our clinic (Malaga or Noranda)

• Telehealth appointments

• Phone consultations (when clinically appropriate)

• Case conferences (e.g., with parents/carers, schools, employers, Support Coordinators, and other treating professionals)

• In-community appointments (e.g., school, home, workplace, community setting)

Standard appointment structure (where applicable):

• 45 minutes therapy + 15 minutes clinical documentation / planning (total = 60 minutes, billed at the hourly rate)

Indirect service (non face-to-face)

Indirect services may include:

• Progress notes and clinical documentation

• Report writing and letters

• Emails/phone calls with key stakeholders (with consent)

• Equipment trials, basic prescribing support and documentation (where relevant)

• Liaison with other providers (where clinically required)

Indirect time is billed pro-rata at the applicable hourly rate (e.g., 15, 30, 45 minutes).

Current Hourly Rates

Rates below are billed per hour (pro-rata where relevant):

• Speech Therapy / Occupational Therapy: $193.99 / hr

• Physiotherapy: $183.99 / hr

• Exercise Physiology: $166.99 / hr

NDIS pricing and claiming rules can change. If the NDIA updates price limits or claim conditions, our fees and claiming practices will be updated accordingly in line with the NDIS Pricing Arrangements.

In-Community Appointments (Travel)

In-community appointments (e.g., home, school, workplace) are charged at:

• The applicable therapy hourly rate (pro-rata) for the appointment, plus
  
  

• Any travel-related claimable items (e.g., travel time and/or allowable non-labour travel costs), only where permitted under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits.
  
  

We will always aim to:

• Keep travel reasonable,

• Discuss expected travel costs beforehand (where possible), and

• Document what was provided and why.

Cancellation Fees

To avoid a cancellation fee, cancellations or reschedules must be provided with at least 48 business hours’ notice.

If sufficient notice is not provided, the full fee may be charged, consistent with the NDIS cancellation rules (where applicable) and our service agreement.

Discovery / Intervention Planning Phone Appointment

Where a short planning call is clinically appropriate (e.g., initial triage, goal clarification, planning next steps):

• $97 / hr (pro-rata)

Payment Terms (NDIS Funding Type)

Your payment terms depend on how your NDIS supports are managed:

Plan-Managed

• Invoices are sent to the Plan Manager (with participant consent and correct details on file).

• Participants may be responsible for any non-claimable charges (if applicable), as outlined in the service agreement.

Self-Managed

• Invoices are issued to the participant/nominee for payment.

• You claim reimbursement from the NDIA via the self-management process.

Useful NDIS links for self-management:

• Working with my providers

• How to claim from my plan (PDF)

NDIA-Managed

• Please note: if a participant is NDIA-managed, they generally need to use registered NDIS providers for claimable supports.
  
  

Outstanding Fees and Account Management

If invoices are not paid within the agreed payment terms, Palms may:

• Pause or cancel future appointments with 72 business hours’ notice until the account is brought up to date, and/or

• Require advance payment if late payments occur repeatedly.

Interest on overdue invoices (Self-Managed)

For self-managed clients, interest may be charged on overdue invoices at 6% above the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) cash rate target, and recovery costs may apply if additional action is required.

• RBA Cash Rate Target

Changes to NDIS Pricing and Policies

Where the NDIA updates price limits, claiming rules, or policy settings, Palms will update our fees and processes accordingly and notify participants as required.

Have a look at our photos below of our amazing Malaga clinic.... we can see NDIS participants at all our clinics, but our Malaga Hub has many different services and facilities for all people and funding methods!

Our Approach to Care

At Palms Physiotherapy & Allied Health, our care is guided by compassion, professionalism, and inclusivity. We aim to provide high-quality services aligned with relevant professional standards, while keeping communication clear, respectful, and transparent.

Our Core Therapy Values

Cultural safety and inclusivity

We respect each person’s cultural identity, background, and lived experience. We aim to provide services that are welcoming and culturally safe for all clients and families.

Neuro-affirming practice and language

We use respectful, strengths-based, neuro-affirming language and tailor therapy to the individual’s communication style, sensory preferences, and learning needs.

Trauma-informed care

We recognise that past experiences can shape how people engage with health services. We prioritise:

• choice and consent

• predictable sessions and clear communication

• emotional and physical safety

• collaboration with clients, families, and supports

A safe environment for everyone

We work to maintain a safe, inclusive clinic environment for clients, families, carers, and staff. Where relevant, we implement risk management strategies and clear boundaries to support safety during appointments.

Compliments and Feedback

We operate with a continuous improvement mindset. Feedback helps us strengthen what we do well and address issues early.

Our simple feedback model:

• If you’re not happy - please tell us so we can resolve it.

• If you’re happy - we’d love you to tell others.

You can share feedback:

• directly with any team member, or

• via our feedback form(s) below.

Helpful links

• Compliments and Complaints Form (insert your hyperlink here)

• Complaints Management Procedure (insert your hyperlink here)

NDIS Information and Transparency

To support accurate billing, service delivery, and record-keeping for NDIS participants, we may request the following information from the participant and/or their nominee/guardian:

• NDIS participant number

• plan start and end dates

• funding management type (Self-Managed / Plan-Managed / NDIA-Managed)

• funding contact details (e.g., nominee, Support Coordinator, Plan Manager)

• if Plan-Managed: Plan Manager name, email, and invoicing requirements

If any of these details change, please notify us as soon as possible so we can keep records current and avoid delays to invoicing or supports.

• NDIS participant information (official): https://www.ndis.gov.au/participants