Celebrating Children’s Week with commitment to child development

This year’s Children’s Week theme

During the last week in October – every year, we celebrate Children’s Week across Australia. A diverse range of events and activities are organised at national, state and local levels, to focus the attention of the wider community on children, their rights and achievements, and to celebrate the right of children to enjoy childhood. Each year there’s a theme that focuses on one of the articles of the United Nations Children Rights Convention (UNCRC). This year’s theme focuses on Article 27 – ‘State Parties recognize the right of every child to a standard of living adequate for the child’s physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development.’

Northcott’s commitment to development 

At Northcott, we work with children and adults with disability to unlock, discover and unleash their potential, supporting and empowering them to be the best they can be now and in the future. By recognising that each of our customers are unique individuals, we personalise our services to their current and future needs. We also set goals to ensure their development and growth.

Early literacy development

Laticia, one of Northcott Campbelltown’s passionate Speech Pathologists has a very special story of growth and development to share about Eva, one of the young children she supports. Eva, who is ten-years-old, has been receiving speech therapy from Laticia over the past 2 years. She has made tremendous progress with her reading and spelling, two goals her parents wanted her to achieve before starting school.

Eva’s therapy plan with Northcott 

Speech therapy for children, like Eva, who communicate verbally involves play-based activities which give preschool and primary school students the opportunity to develop their literacy skills through pre reading and spelling activities.

The fun and safe learning environment created by Northcott therapists gives children the chance to practice identifying sounds and putting them together using language and listening skills during story time and to experience interacting with each other.

Eva’s favourite part of therapy with Laticia is playing games like Connect4 and Jenga, as well as reading story books.

Therapy has helped me with spelling tests and talking to people at school.

Eva

Developing confidence

Eva’s mum Natalie has noticed an increase in Eva’s confidence, emotional intelligence and social skills, as a result of accessing speech therapy with Northcott. She says Eva now makes friends more easily and is able to understand her emotions. Laticia’s therapy sessions have helped Eva with early development of speech, reading and spelling, giving her confidence to start school and make new friends.

“Speech therapy is the best thing I’ve ever done for Eva. I would say to other parents to just start, the sooner the better. This has been a long journey for us. But things are so much better. Eva has done so well academically and socially and it’s all because of her therapy,” says Eva’s mum.