The impact of Speech Pathology on young lives at Perth Children’s Hospital

Top: Ash with Speech Pathologists Tara and Kate. Bottom left: Jessica with Speech Pathologist Michelle. Bottom right: Bless with Speech Pathologist Isuri.

To mark Speech Pathology Week 2024, Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH) is proud to share the significant impact our speech pathologists have had through the stories of three inspiring patients.

This year’s theme, “Communicate Your Way,” highlighted the diverse methods of connection and expression, and we are excited to celebrate the journeys of these extraordinary young people and the dedicated professionals who supported them.

Recovering speech after illness

After spending 414 days at PCH due to arteriovenous malformation, Ash faced the daunting task of relearning essential skills including speaking, eating, sitting and walking.

With the support of her speech pathologists, Ash explored various methods to enhance her communication, including writing and hand signing.

“I found it frustrating when everyone couldn’t understand what I was trying to say,” Ash shared.

“My ‘Speechies’ taught me and my family other ways to communicate. The easiest way for me was writing. I thought it was pretty cool to learn hand signing. We worked hard during sessions and were given homework practicing letter sounds and making funny gurgling noises. Slowly my words came back.”

“I was lucky to have awesome speech therapists on my team. They made my sessions fun. One challenge was to order coffees and cakes at the cafeteria. It was not so fun when they made me do hard tests.”

“Mum tells me now that I am making up for the lost time when I couldn’t speak.”

Ash’s journey underscores the vital role of speech pathologists in helping patients regain their voices and confidence after illness.

Embracing new sounds with a cochlear implant

After experiencing a deterioration in her hearing and moving from hearing aids to a cochlear implant, Jessica has been supported by our PCH speech pathologists.

Jessica has worked to rehabilitate her listening skills through her new cochlear implant.

In the early days speech sounded quite robotic for Jess. In time, and with the support of Speech Pathology, Jess has been able to better differentiate between words and sounds and is able to access speech more consistently.

Jess is part of both the hearing and Deaf communities, and she uses Auslan (Australian Sign Language) and spoken language to communicate.

“My cochlear implant is my bridge between two worlds, I can get the best out of my hearing world with the cochlear implant and then I’m able to use my sign language in the deaf world which is still a part of who I am. I’m grateful for my options.”

Jessica enjoys the flexibility of using both her cochlear implant and Auslan to communicate in a way that best suits her needs.

Finding speech and laughter for the first time

Born prematurely, baby Bless faced a challenging start to life, requiring a tracheostomy to assist with breathing. This procedure bypasses the vocal cords, hindering normal speech and language development.

Since Bless was just a month old, Senior PCH speech pathologist Isuri has been providing vital support for her early development. Initially, Bless and her family used Key Word Sign (KWS) to communicate. With Isuri’s support and the introduction of a speaking valve, Bless has recently reached the joyous milestone of regaining her voice and the ability to laugh.

From a young infant confronting significant hurdles to a one-year-old (six months corrected) who communicates and expresses joy, Bless’ journey highlights the significant impact of speech pathologists in nurturing communication development from an early age.

Celebrating the impact of Speech Pathology

This Speech Pathology Week we reflect on the diverse ways people communicate and the crucial role of speech pathologists in making communication accessible for all.

We extend appreciation to our speech pathologists for their exceptional work and their commitment to empowering patients to communicate their way.

The vital work of our speech pathologists cannot be understated, so today – and every day – we say thank you.