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Speech and LanguageAssessments
A speech and language assessment is a Speech Pathologist’s formal assessment of how a person communicates, across six areas: language (what they understand and what they can express), literacy, pragmatics (the social side of communication), speech sounds, fluency and voice.
It combines standardised tests scored against age-matched peers with a case history and the Speech Pathologist’s own observation.
The report rates each area, explains what the results mean for everyday life at home, at school or at work, and sets out recommendations for therapy and any further referral.
For NDIS participants the report goes to the participant and the NDIA, where it helps decide the type and level of funding.
Participants, parents and carers
For Support Coordinators, plan managers, GPs and teachers
Our Speech Pathologists run speech and language assessments across our clinics in New South Wales and Tasmania, and at home, at school or by telehealth where that suits the person better. Every report follows the same template, so each area assessed comes back with a severity rating against age-matched peers and what it means day to day.
How do I fund a speech and language assessment?
Most people fund a speech and language assessment through the NDIS.
NDIS: the assessment and report are usually funded from the Capacity Building part of a plan; our intake team confirms the category in your plan.
Medicare: under a GP chronic condition management plan, Medicare pays a rebate toward each session. We’ll tell you the fee and any gap before you book.
Privately funded: no plan needed, and you’ll get a clear picture of the costs before you book.
If you are not sure which funding applies to you, call us on 1800 678 647 or email hello@opt.net.au. We will sort it out before your first appointment.
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What a speech and language assessment involves
01
What assessments can a Speech Pathologist do?
A Speech Pathologist can assess every part of communication, and at Optimum Health Solutions a speech and language assessment is organised around six areas.
- Language is split into receptive language, which is what the person understands, and what they can say.
- Literacy covers reading, spelling and the awareness of sounds in words.
- Pragmatics is the social side of communication, such as taking turns and staying on topic.
- Speech is about the sounds themselves and how clearly words come out.
- Fluency covers stuttering
- Voice covers how the voice sounds and holds up.
Not everyone is tested in all six, each area assessed then gets its own summary of results and the strengths and difficulties found.
02
What assessments do Speech Pathologists use?
Our Speech Pathologists use norm-referenced standardised tools, and each one used gets its own scoring appendix in the report. For language they use the CELF-P3, the CELF-5, and the PLS-5.
For speech sounds they use the DEAP, alongside an Oral Musculature Assessment.
For literacy they use the FELA, the NARA II and the SPAT-R.
For storytelling and expressive language they use the RAPT and the Bus Story Test.
For adults with acquired conditions such as stroke or dementia, the WAB-R.
03
Can a Speech Pathologist diagnose autism?
While a Speech Pathologist can assess someone for autism as a member of a multidisciplinary diagnostic team, a speech and language assessment on its own cannot diagnose autism.
What it does is document the communication profile in detail: understanding and language use, social communication and speech, all scored against age-matched peers. This profile is often one of the pieces a diagnostic team looks at.
If you are already on looking into a diagnosis, tell your Speech Pathologist during the case history so the report is written with that use in mind and goes to the right people.
If you are not, the assessment still stands on its own as the basis for therapy goals and an NDIS report. Dyslexia raises a similar question, and the answer is similar.
04
Can a Speech Pathologist diagnose dyslexia?
A Speech Pathologist assesses the skills a dyslexia question turns on:
- reading accuracy
- reading comprehension
- reading rate
- spelling
- phonological awareness, which is the ability to hear and work with the sounds inside words.
Speech Pathologists are trained to diagnose and treat communication disorders.
Optimum Health Solutions offers a diagnostic dyslexia assessment which runs over several sessions, includes liaison with a school or an educational psychologist and ends with a comprehensive diagnostic report.
05
How long does a speech assessment take?
A speech and language assessment usually runs across more than one appointment.
It starts with a case history conversation with the person, a parent or a support worker.
Then come one or more assessment sessions of about an hour each, in clinic, at home or at school.
How many sessions depends on how many of the six areas need testing and on how the person manages a session.
After the last appointment, your Speech Pathologist writes the report and can run a feedback and goal-setting session to walk through the results.
06
How much does a speech pathology assessment cost?
The cost depends on how many assessment sessions are needed, how many areas are tested and how detailed the report has to be, so we don’t publish a single figure.
For NDIS participants the assessment is funded from the plan. After the initial call, your Speech Pathologist will set out proposed hours, so you can see what the assessment and report will cost before it starts.
Without an NDIS plan, a GP chronic condition management plan gives a Medicare rebate on up to five allied health sessions a calendar year. We’ll tell you the fee and any gap before you book.
Privately funded assessments are welcome, and you’ll get a clear picture of the costs before you book.
How our Speech Pathologists run the speech and language assessment
It starts with a case history. Your Speech Pathologist will talk with you, or with the person’s parent or support worker. They’ll ask about the diagnosis if there is one, developmental and medical history, how communication has developed, what therapy has been tried, and the goals in the NDIS plan. From that conversation they will choose which of the six areas to assess and which tools fit the person’s age.
The assessment sessions follow, in a clinic, at home or at school. Your Speech Pathologist will record where the session happened, who was there, how much prompting was needed, and whether they consider the performance an accurate picture of the person. A shy child on a bad day is not the whole story. Where AAC might help, they will assess that need as part of the same process.
After the final session your Speech Pathologist will score each tool and write the report. It goes to the participant and, for NDIS participants, the NDIA, and they will walk you through the results and the recommended goals.
Speech and language assessments through the NDIS
A speech and language assessment is usually funded through the NDIS from the Capacity Building part of a plan. Which category it sits in depends on how the plan is set out, and our intake team will confirm the funding line before the first appointment.
The report is one of the main documents the NDIA reads when it decides the type and level of Speech Pathology funding in a plan. The report is organised around the participant’s NDIS goals, records results against age-matched peers, and sets out the recommended therapy and its functional purpose.
Support Coordinators, plan managers and GPs can refer directly through our Referrers Hub, and we’ll confirm the funding line before the first appointment.
NDIS
Referrals
14 clinics across NSW & Tasmania
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hello@opt.net.au
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Where we offer Speech Pathology
Common questions about speech and language assessments
What assessments can a Speech Pathologist do?
Can a Speech Pathologist diagnose autism?
Can a Speech Pathologist diagnose dyslexia?
How much does a speech pathology assessment cost?
Is speech pathology covered by Medicare?
How much does Medicare cover for speech pathology?
How long does a speech assessment take?
What age is best for speech therapy?
What neurological disorder causes speech problems?
Is there a cure for speech disorder?
Reviewed by Sarah-Louise higgins
References
Speech Pathology Australia, Position Statement: Working with autistic people, 2022. speechpathologyaustralia.org.au
Healthdirect Australia, Speech pathology: what can it help with?, reviewed September 2024. healthdirect.gov.au
Medicare Benefits Schedule, Note AN.0.47 (GP chronic condition management plan) and Item 10970 (Speech Pathology). mbsonline.gov.au
NDIS, Evidence we need to include NDIS supports in your plan. ndis.gov.au
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