'We knew things would be tough, but we didn't realise how lucky we were'

Aoife was only on a waiting list for a speech pathologist for three months, but we didn't know how lucky we were at the time.

Joel Erickson

3 min read

June 25, 2024 - 12:06PM

Family Life

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When my daughter was first diagnosed with autism, we knew it would be tough finding therapies and services.

We live on the South Coast of NSW, a beautiful area, but one that’s at least two hours from any major population centre.

So when we got a call from Claire Price, our daughter’s speech pathologist, we knew we were lucky.

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It started with fortnightly sessions at her practice after just three months on the waiting list, and that soon became weekly sessions.

Claire is fantastic. Our daughter loves music, and Claire isn’t afraid to incorporate a lot of singing into her sessions to meet Aoife where she is.

Aoife’s speech is coming along brilliantly in large part thanks to Claire, and we couldn’t be more thankful.

Aoife has been seeing her speech pathologist Claire for almost two years. Picture: Supplied

"Everyone has a right to communicate, no matter where you live"

Now, upon reflection, we realise just how lucky we were to get Aoife into therapy so quickly.

Claire runs the only speech pathology clinic in our region. In fact, she’s the only qualified speech pathologist.

She also lost her physical clinic due to circumstances outside of her control about six months ago, so we’ve been extremely lucky to have home-based therapy in the months since.

Claire moved to our shire in 2019 with her partner to open her clinic.

“We opened our Speech Pathology practice with two clinics in Moruya and Nowra, as we recognised the barriers to healthcare access that exist in rural and regional Australia,” Claire said.

“Everyone has a right to communicate, to learn, and to be a thriving member of their community. It shouldn’t matter where you live.

“We also wanted to be able to develop close ties with the important support systems around our clients; we value being a familiar face at local schools, childcare centres and community events.”

Claire Price, owner of South Coast Speech Pathology, has been brilliant the whole time she's seen Aoife. Picture: Supplied

"I've only received one application in five years"

Claire isn’t the only speech pathologist in the region by design. In fact, she’s been advertising for a speech pathologist at the Moruya clinic for five years, but has only received one qualified applicant.

“Her ability to move was dependent on her partner being successful in a health role he had applied for, and unfortunately he did not get the position,” she said.

“Conversely, we’ve been able to recruit for our Nowra clinic and have a team of six speech pathologists there.

“There is a national shortage of speech pathologists, however this is exacerbated in rural and regional areas.

“It seems particularly challenging in the Eurobodalla Shire as there are no university options where local school leavers or mature age students can study speech pathology.

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“The nearest university program is in Canberra, which is a Master’s degree with a limited number of enrolments.

“There is a new undergraduate speech pathology degree starting in 2025 in Canberra which is exciting for our region.”

Claire also acknowledged how big a decision a move to the regions can be for a budding young speech pathologist.

“They might be reluctant to leave behind family and friends, and there are general challenges associated with living rurally,” she said.

“Given that there are so many jobs available for speech pathologists in the cities, many therapists are just choosing to stay put.”

Aoife's favourite place is the ocean, so we're blessed to live by the sea. Picture: Supplied

"We've had to be very flexible to find ways to support as many families as possible"

Unfortunately, those staffing issues mean Claire is forced to have many tough conversations with parents seeking help for their children.

“Many of the children we support have complex communication needs, which means they require ongoing access to therapy,” she said.

“This means we can’t regularly take on new clients. My partner and I respond to all new enquiries personally, and it can be really upsetting to tell families that we can’t offer regular support, especially when we know how important early intervention is.

“We’ve had to be very flexible and creative in terms of finding ways to offer support to as many families as possible.

“We’re lucky that some of our local schools and early childhood centres are as passionate about supporting south coast kids as we are. These educators frequently go above and beyond their normal roles to implement programs and strategies that we provide.”