Kerry Townley-O’Neill
(B.A., BA Mod Lang, Grad Dip Ed, Grad Dip Ed (Learning Support), M Ed Stud, M Sp Path Stud, MSPAA, CPSP)
I have been working in the field of language and learning for over 30 years, initially as a teacher (teaching language at all levels of education – kindergarten to mature-age), and then as a speech pathologist. What I have learnt over time is that people desperately want to communicate and become tremendously frustrated when, for whatever reason, they are unable to do so with relative ease. Sometimes their frustration leads to involuntary silence, sometimes it leads to miscommunications that need to be sorted out. Most of my working life has revolved around assisting people to be able to speak their minds clearly, so that they are understood easily, without fear of sounding silly or being embarrassed about the content of what they are saying or about their mode of delivery. The need to communicate is lifelong, and I am just as passionate about provision of services to newborns as I am to my centenarian clients.
I look forward to helping you meet your communicative needs.
The Speechie Spot welcomes new team member……
Liz Withers
(B.S Speech and Hearing Science, MSPAA, CPSP)
Liz is an experienced paediatric speech pathologist with a special interest in the areas of early speech and language development and feeding. Before joining the team at The Speechie Spot, Liz worked in the public sector first with school age children in Melbourne and for the past 15 years with young children and their families at Queensland Health’s Child Development Service.
Liz has expertise in working with children with delayed language, training as a Hanen It Takes Two to Talk early language program facilitator in 2003. It Takes Two to Talk is a research based early intervention program and through this Liz has supported families to understand their child’s language challenges and enabled them to support and grow their child’s language development. Over the years Liz has added to her repertoire of Hanen programs to include Target Word – a Hanen program for Late Talkers and more recently More Than Words and Talkabilty – Hanen programs for children with Autism and Social Communication difficulties.
Since having her own children, Liz has developed an interest in early feeding challenges, including fussy eaters. She has completed further training in feeding programs including Picky Eaters v’s Problem feeders – The SOS Approach, Ellyn Satter’s Division of Responsibility and Feeding the Whole Child – A Mealtime Approach by Suzanne Evans Morris.
Liz has maintained current practices in speech sound disorders with recent training in differential diagnosis and treatment of Articulation and Phonological Disorders, Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), and speech difficulties related to Cleft Palate.
Liz is trained in the gold standard Lidcombe approach to stuttering intervention and has supported many families with a child who stutters.
With a passion for working with children and their families, Liz sees children as part of the whole family and social environment in which they live. This includes considering their functioning and participation within the family and daycare/school environments. Liz looks forward to building relationships with families and supporting them to identify and achieve their goals with their child.
