Can speech therapy help with school learning?
Yes. Speech therapy is not only about speech sounds. It also supports language and literacy skills children use every day at school.
School-age children use language to follow instructions, answer questions, understand classroom discussions, retell stories, explain ideas, learn vocabulary, read, spell and write.
When language skills are difficult, a child may seem distracted, quiet, reluctant to participate or unsure how to complete tasks. In some cases, the child may understand parts of the task but struggle with the language load.
Speech Moves supports school-age children with speech, language and literacy skills through goal-focused, evidence-based intervention.
Need help? Call us or send us a message
If you have questions about your child’s language, reading or learning, Speech Moves is happy to help you understand how Speech Therapy can support their communication and classroom skills.
What might parents notice at home?
Parents may notice that their child:
- Has trouble explaining their ideas clearly
- Struggles to retell what happened at school
- Has difficulty following multi-step instructions
- Uses short sentences
- Leaves out grammatical markers in speech or writing
- Has trouble finding the right words
- Finds reading, spelling or phonics difficult
- Avoids homework or reading tasks
- Becomes frustrated when asked to explain something
- Finds it hard to organise thoughts into a clear order
A parent might say, “They know what they mean, but they can’t get it out clearly.”
What might teachers notice in the classroom?
Teachers may notice that a child:
- Has difficulty following classroom directions
- Struggles to understand questions during discussions
- Finds it hard to retell a story
- Has limited vocabulary
- Has difficulty with grammar or sentence structure
- Struggles with phonics, blending sounds, spelling or reading fluency
- Has trouble understanding jokes, conversations or social expectations
- Appears distracted or disengaged
- Avoids classroom tasks
- Needs directions repeated or broken into smaller steps
Speech Moves partners with families and schools to understand how language needs show up across home, school and daily communication.
How are language and literacy connected?
Language and literacy are closely connected. Reading, writing and spelling rely on skills such as vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, phonemic awareness and comprehension.
School-age literacy includes phonological awareness skills, using a wide range of words, using accurate grammar and sentence structure, and understanding what is read.
This is why speech pathology can support more than talking. It also helps children build the communication skills they need for reading, writing and classroom learning.
What is phonological awareness?
Phonological awareness is the ability to manipulate sounds in words.
This can include skills such as:
- Learning letter names and sounds
- Blending sounds together to make a word
- Breaking a word down into it’s sounds
- Recognising rhyming words
- Understanding that words are made up of smaller sound parts
These skills are closely linked with phonics, spelling and reading.
How can language difficulties affect day-to-day learning?
Language difficulties may affect:
1. Following instructions
A child may understand one part of an instruction but miss the rest. For example:
“Get your workbook, turn to page 12 and underline the first three words.”
This requires listening, remembering, understanding and acting on several pieces of information.
2. Explaining ideas
A child may know the answer but struggle to put their thoughts into a clear sentence or story.
They may use shorter sentences, vague words such as “thing” or “stuff”, or leave out key details.
3. Reading and spelling
A child who has difficulty hearing, blending or manipulating sounds may find phonics, spelling and reading harder.
4. Classroom participation
A child may avoid answering questions or joining group activities because they are unsure how to explain themselves or follow the conversation.
5. Confidence
When communication feels hard, children may become frustrated, quiet or reluctant to try.
What strategies can parents and teachers try?
Here are four practical supports.
1. Use visual supports
Visuals can make spoken information easier to understand. These may include:
- Picture cards
- Written key words
- Checklists
- Visual schedules
- Story maps
- First/then boards
2. Repeat key information
Repeating the key words helps children hear the most useful part of the message.
Instead of giving a long instruction, try repeating the main action:
“Book first. Then pencil.”
3. Allow extra response time
Some children need more time to understand the question, organise their thoughts and respond.
Pause before repeating or rephrasing the question.
4. Break tasks into smaller steps
Large tasks can be hard to process. Smaller steps can make the task more manageable.
For example:
- Get your book
- Find the page
- Read the first sentence
- Circle the key word
How does speech therapy support school-age language and literacy?
Speech therapy can support children to:
- Understand and follow instructions
- Build vocabulary
- Use clearer sentence structure
- Understand and use grammar
- Retell stories
- Organise ideas
- Build phonological awareness
- Support phonics, spelling and reading skills
- Use language more confidently in class and at home
Intervention may include narrative-based intervention, colourful semantics, explicit grammar intervention and metalinguistic approaches, depending on the child’s goals.
Speech pathologists can assess a child’s language and literacy skills and provide intervention targeting oral language, reading, writing or spelling.
How can Speech Moves help?
Speech Moves provides speech, language and literacy support for children through goal-focused, evidence-based programs.
Support may include:
- School-age language therapy
- Reading and literacy support
- Speech sound support
- Help with following directions
- Support putting thoughts into words
- Support vocabulary, grammar and sentence structure
- Parent and educator strategies
- Mobile speech therapy for schools and preschools
- Telehealth services
Speech Moves works collaboratively with families, schools, preschools and the child’s wider support team.
Where does Speech Moves work?
Speech Moves supports children, families and educational settings across the Newcastle and Port Stephens areas.
Service areas include Stockton, Port Stephens, Raymond Terrace, Medowie, Salamander Bay, Nelson Bay and nearby communities.
Speech Moves provides mobile services to schools and preschools,as well as telehealth and clinic options depending on suitability and availability.
Frequently asked questions
Can speech therapy help with reading?
Yes. Speech therapy can support language and literacy skills connected to reading, including phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, grammar and comprehension.
Why does my child struggle to follow instructions?
Following instructions can involve listening, remembering, understanding language and completing steps in the right order. Speech therapy can help identify which parts are difficult.
Why does my child struggle to explain ideas?
Some children have difficulty organising thoughts, finding the right words, using grammar or building clear sentences. Speech therapy can support these skills.
Can teachers refer parents to speech therapy?
Teachers often notice language and literacy concerns in the classroom. They can raise observations with parents and suggest a speech and language assessment if support may be helpful.
Does Speech Moves provide school-based support?
Yes. Speech Moves provides mobile speech pathology support for schools, preschools and childcare settings across the Stockton, Port Stephens, Newcastle and nearby areas.
Ask about school-age speech, language and literacy support
If a child is finding it hard to follow instructions, explain ideas, retell stories, read, spell or keep up with classroom language, Speech Moves can help identify what support may be useful.
Contact Speech Moves to ask about speech, language and literacy support.
Tricia Linstrom
