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Led by Dr Lauren Crumlish (PhD) Led by Dr Lauren Crumlish (PhD), Certified Practising Speech Pathologist
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Literacy Support

Literacy Support For Reading, Spelling And Writing

Literacy support helps children and teenagers who find reading, spelling or writing slow and effortful, including children with dyslexia or dysgraphia. Dr Lauren Crumlish (PhD) looks at the speech and language skills that reading is built on and works on them with your child online.

  • Dr Lauren Crumlish, PhD, Certified Practising Speech Pathologist
  • Reading, spelling and writing, including dyslexia and dysgraphia
  • Online sessions for children and teenagers up to 18 years
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A person points to an illustration in a book showing a lion with a child riding it. Two characters run away, and red letters spell "PRRAH" in the background.

In plain terms

Reading is two jobs at once

To read, a child has to decode the words on the page (sound them out or recognise them) and also hold on to and understand what those words say.

A child can struggle with either job or with both, and the reason can differ from one child to the next. Finding the reason is where literacy support begins.

A young girl with braided hair cuts paper with letters on it, while an speech pathologist watches beside her at a white table.

Signs To Look For

Signs Of A Literacy Difficulty

Some children stay slow, effortful and frustrated readers despite steady homework. These are the signs worth taking further.

  • Reading stays slow and effortful despite regular practice

  • Letters and their sounds are hard to learn and remember

  • Sounding out words and learning sight words are both a struggle

  • Your child can read the words but cannot tell you what the passage was about

  • Writing letters and words is hard

  • Before school, little interest in rhymes and books, or in the difference between letters and words

How Dr Lauren Approaches Literacy

A speech pathologist working in literacy looks underneath the reading itself. As Dr Lauren explains in why reading is so difficult for some children, an assessment should consider each of the skills reading depends on and how it may be adding to the difficulty:

  • Phonological awareness: hearing and working with the individual sounds in words.
  • Phonological memory: holding on to each sound while sounding out a word.
  • Working memory: holding information and working with it at the same time.
  • Rapid naming: pulling information quickly from memory, which reading fluency relies on.
  • Reading rate, accuracy and comprehension: how smoothly, accurately and meaningfully your child reads.

Oral language matters too. Understanding a page means understanding its words and how they fit together, so many children who have had language difficulties go on to find reading hard. Where both are involved, Dr Lauren considers language development and literacy together.

Online sessions can bring books onto the screen for shared reading, with work on phonological awareness, vocabulary and early literacy.

Online Sessions

What Therapy Involves, And Your Part In It

Sessions are held online by secure video, with shared books and reading activities on screen.

  1. Assessment

    Dr Lauren looks at how your child reads and at the speech and language skills underneath, and asks what you and the school have noticed.

  2. Sessions by video

    Therapy sessions are 45 minutes, held online, with books and reading tasks brought onto the screen.

  3. Practice at home

    You are given the tools to support reading between sessions. Home practice is one of the factors that most affects progress.

  4. Progress reviews

    Dr Lauren tracks your child's progress and adjusts the plan as their reading develops.

Fees

Fees For Therapy And Assessment

The Mid-Length Assessment covers literacy challenges. The Long Assessment is a fuller evaluation of both language and literacy.

Therapy

Treatment Session

Per 45-minute session + administration

$193

Matching assessments

  • $890

    Mid-Length Assessment

    School-aged language, literacy challenges and social communication

  • $1,290

    Long Assessment

    Comprehensive evaluation of both language and literacy for school-aged children

Medicare rebates are available with a GP referral. Private health and NDIS (self-managed or plan-managed) can also apply. See full pricing

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Questions Parents Ask

Answers Before You Apply

Can a speech pathologist help with reading?

Yes. Reading draws on speech and language processes such as phonological awareness and phonological memory, which sit within a speech pathologist's training. That lets a speech pathologist help with reading in ways other professionals may not.

What is phonological awareness?

Phonological awareness is a group of skills for listening to, noticing and changing the sounds in words, such as hearing a rhyme or splitting “cat” into c-a-t.

Which assessment does my child need?

If reading, spelling or writing is the main concern, the Mid-Length Assessment is usually the place to start. Where language and literacy both need a detailed look, the Long Assessment covers both. Dr Lauren will recommend the right one once she understands your concerns.

Can literacy support be done online?

Yes. Sessions are held online by video, and reading and phonological awareness work can be done on screen with shared books.

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A child reaches for a pink teddy bear placed on a table next to a rainbow-shaped wooden toy. Framed floral artwork is visible in the background. A person with curly hair smiles while wearing a white t-shirt and headphones. They are seated indoors with a light-colored background. A young girl with long blond hair and a light purple shirt smiles while sitting on a couch, gesturing with her hand. A woman and a young boy sit outside on a blanket. The woman shows the boy an object, and they both focus on it intently. The background is grassy and blurred.
A person with long hair is looking up and laughing outdoors, wearing a black and white striped shirt. Greenery is in the background. A young boy with brown hair and a grey t-shirt smiling while wearing white earphones. A young child wearing a yellow shirt holds a colored pencil above a piece of paper, appearing focused on drawing. Another person's hand is partially visible beside the child. Small toy vehicles, including two larger trucks and two mini cars, are scattered on a textured brown carpet.
A young child with Down syndrome, wearing a striped shirt, sits on a couch, smiling and raising a hand while looking at an open laptop. A young girl with braided hair sits on a couch, smiling at the camera. She is wearing a green shirt and appears relaxed. A man in a white t-shirt is smiling and looking to the side, surrounded by large green leaves.

Work With Dr Lauren

Apply For Consideration

Dr Lauren works with a small number of families and has limited availability. Tell us about your child to be considered.

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  • Evidence-Based Techniques
  • Comprehensive Assessments
  • Experienced Professionals
  • Child-Centred Care
Speech Clinic

Your child Who would Dr Lauren be working with?

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