Due to the nature of our clientele and work in the disability sector, many of our clients have lifelong disabilities and complex, ongoing support needs. Because of this, many of our clients require therapy for extended periods of time. Therefore, there is generally a slow turnover and it is difficult to anticipate the timeframe of our waitlist. Additionally, there is a nationwide shortage of speech pathologists and a significant demand for services.

Due to the ongoing needs of our clients, it is difficult to anticipate the timeframe of our waitlist. We are trying our best to service as many families as we can by offering appointments as soon as they become available. However, we value offering a quality service and don’t discharge clients before they’re ready.

We typically experience slow movement with our caseload. However, appointment times may become available as clients are discharged, move to a different location, choose to have a break from therapy, progress faster or slower than anticipated, or change their session frequency for funding or scheduling reasons. Unfortunately, these things can be unpredictable. Your own availability will also impact what appointments can be offered.

We will keep those on our waitlist updated and informed of the expected wait time. Each term, our admin team will get in touch with you to check whether you’d like to remain on the waitlist, whether any of your details have changed, or whether you’ve found services with an alternative provider.

When a spot becomes available, you’ll hear from us!

Until then, the NSW Health website has information and resources for families to support children’s communication development in everyday situations while they wait to see a speech pathologist.

These services pages are not intended to replace seeing a speech pathologist, but contain helpful information about what to do while you’re waiting. You’ll also find information about what to expect from speech pathology services.

Visit: https://www.nsw.gov.au/health/wnswlhd/services/speech-pathology#toc-our-services

You can also find information at: https://communicationhub.com.au/

We will contact you via SMS and email when we can offer you an appointment time based on the availability you give us when you are placed on our waitlist. If you receive an appointment offer, please ensure you reply to the SMS or email as soon as possible, as we will move to the next person on the waitlist if we do not hear from you within 48 hours. If we don’t hear from you, we will keep you on our waitlist until a new appointment time becomes available.

Yes - Some children require a speech pathology assessment report for other health professionals or for school. If this is something your child needs, without necessarily seeking ongoing therapy immediately, then we can usually accommodate this immediately.

If one of our existing clients cancels an appointment, we will be able to offer this one-off time to you. Please remember that ongoing therapy is not a guarantee afterwards, however you will be able to take your child’s assessment report to other specialists/therapists.

Please complete our waitlist questionnaire if your child requires an assessment. There is an option in the form to select an assessment-only service.

We recommend contacting other neurodiversity-affirming speech pathology services and joining their waitlists as well. The ‘Find a Speech Pathologist’ tool on the Speech Pathology Australia website allows you to search for speech pathologists within your child’s location and areas of need.

Consider university clinics as well, as they typically have lower waitlist times. All the students conducting the assessments and therapy are supervised by licensed speech pathologists.

Also check with your child’s school, kindergarten, or childcare centre to see if they contract with any speech pathologists in the area or through the Department for Education.

We manage our waitlist and prioritise clients with many factors in mind. Some of these include:

• Your availability and flexibility with days/times.

• Your child’s goals and whether we’re the most appropriate service for you.

• Children who currently have no functional communication system (e.g., non-speaking children without AAC).

• Families struggling to navigate the NDIS and advocate for supports.

• Families who have been on our waitlist for some time.

• Children younger than 7 years.

• Children with significant medical and/or disability support needs.

Waitlist management is challenging and we thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.

You can reach out directly to Alice at alice@ramseyspeechpathology.com.au or through the “Online Enquiries” form on our Contact Us page.