Fremantle Speech Pathology

26/08/2026

The video recording of, "Using a Narrative Lens to Analyse and Teach Oral Language" is now available for purchase on our website. https://www.freospeech.com.au/shop

There are prices for individuals as well as groups + the accompanying handout can also be downloaded.

This workshop explores how a narrative context can be used to identify developmental patterns in kindergarten children’s language and inform the explicit teaching of oral language.

Drawing on large-scale kindergarten narrative data from the "Teapot Swap" project, the workshop examines developmental growth across both macrostructure and microstructure, highlighting how children’s narrative language develops over time.

The workshop also explores the emerging role of AI in narrative analysis, demonstrating how AI platforms can support clinicians and educators to:
analyse oral and written narrative samples,
identify developmental trends in kindy children's language,
generate teaching targets, and
improve efficiency in clinical and educational settings.
Importantly, the workshop also considers the strengths, limitations and reliability of AI-assisted narrative analysis, with a focus on how AI can be used thoughtfully alongside professional judgement.

Browse and shop resources and tools for budding speech pathologists and professionals alike.

24/08/2026

It is Speech Pathology week!

This year's theme is "Communication Creates Possibility".

Across the lifespan, the ability to communicate is vital for participation, advocacy and independence. Speech pathologists have a wide scope of practice, with therapy and goals depending on the individual, their abilities and their priorities.

Communication creates possibility to...
💬 learn
💬 play
💬 thrive
💬 understand others
💬 express ourselves
💬 access information
💬 develop friendships and social connections
and so much more!

24/08/2026

When you ask your students to pose for a photo capturing the wonderful learning context we have all been sharing - and they can only hold that pose for so long.....!

A great session around planning language goals directly from a narrative sample....we analysed language behaviours, established clinical hypotheses, selected language targets, and reflected upon the whole process......!

18/08/2026

DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE DISORDER AWARENESS DAY

COMMUNITY BBQ & PICNIC

Please SAVE THE DATE.....!

Friday 16th October 2026

Cost: FREE

Time: 4.30pm - 6.30pm

Place: Burswood Park

Burswood DLD Awareness Day Family Picnic & BBQ : Register today to support Burswood DLD Awareness Day Family Picnic & BBQ

22/07/2026

The second workshop, "USING A NARRATIVE LENS TO ANALYSE AND TEACH ORAL LANGUAGE" was held on Monday night - to an audience of teachers, educators, speech pathologists and speech pathology students.

We talked about a whole range of issues related to....
• Getting language transcription just right!
• Clinical decision making in the assessment process!
• Using AI for all the right reasons!
• The difficulties of teaching language to young children!
• Trends in young children’s language growth!

We didn't solve all the problems - but we had fun trying....!

We are editing the videos now (deleting all Jenny's inappropriate comments!!!) and will have them up for purchase on our website (freospeech.com) in a week or two (there were a lot!!!).

Cheers + Thanks to all who attended.....X

08/07/2026

Learn about our latest research into the use of AI to assess children’s oral and written language when sampled via fictional narratives.

Our team has been collecting data for several years and we are nearing the “pointy end” of the research project.

Evidence based practice meets practice based evidence….!

Join us this November for a new blended learning series with Jenny Baker: Looking at language through a narrative lens.

Discover how children’s stories reveal powerful insights into language development and how to turn them into effective intervention, tailored to your chosen focus: early primary, mid-primary or adolescence.
Want to register for more than one live session? Email [email protected] to receive a discount.

Visit the events page for more information and register today.

https://bit.ly/4eGTquZ

30/06/2026

📣 2 days left to book!!

We still have spaces available in our holiday groups for July!

Be quick! There are only 2 days left to book in to our Early Phonics and Years 1-2 Oral Narrative Groups. Bookings for these groups will be closed by Thursday 2nd July.

You can book by calling us on 9433 4595 or via our website: https://www.freospeech.com.au/holidaylearning

24/06/2026

An insightful and thought-provoking text about girls and maths.... great for high school students to dissect and analyse.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1LmBDNLfFG/

It was so interesting to listen to Professor Stanislas Dehaene at the 2026 DSF Conference talking about why girls are weaker than boys at maths (his research paper is cited at the end of this post).

He explained that research involving more than 2.6 million French children found that boys and girls started school with very similar mathematics skills.

However, within just four months of formal schooling, boys began to outperform girls, and the gap continued to widen during the first year.

The findings suggest that gender differences in mathematics are not present at school entry but emerge during schooling,
Interestingly, there was no maths gender gap during COVID, so the gender gap is considered to be cultural.

Our culture perpetuates stereotypes about girls' mathematical abilities.....how often have you heard the phrase "Girl Maths"....?

He stated that girls are more likely than boys to pick up on and absorb the insecurities around teaching maths that their female teachers display in the classroom.

Girls adopt the insecurities of their female teachers....!!!!!!!

You can read more................and we can do more!!!!!

Martinot P, Colnet B, Breda T, Sultan J, Touitou L, Huguet P, Spelke E, Dehaene-Lambertz G, Bressoux P, Dehaene S. Rapid emergence of a maths gender gap in first grade. Nature. 2025 Jul;643(8073):1020-1029. doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09126-4. Epub 2025 Jun 11. PMID: 40500443; PMCID: PMC7618463.

"I'm too pretty to do math" - on sale right now at MYER by Australian brand Lioness.

See what our CEO, Allan Dougan had to say about it in yesterday's The Sydney Morning Herald, Brisbane Times and other papers.

This is the kind of message that tells girls their appearance and their intellect are in competition. They are not!!

Share if you agree.



https://www.smh.com.au/national/girls-being-told-they-re-too-pretty-to-do-math-is-degrading-20260616-p607b4.html?utm_source=smh-web&utm_medium=share_article&utm_campaign=national&utm_content=subscriber+alldigital&utm_term=product_feature

23/06/2026

Last night Jenny presented the first of two workshops:

USING A NARRATIVE LENS TO ANALYSE AND TEACH ORAL LANGUAGE.

At Fremantle Speech Pathology Services, we are working on a research project exploring how language develops in kindergarten children across Western Australia.

By analysing over 500 children’s stories, we are identifying patterns of growth in narrative language (specifically verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, connectors and sentence complexity) between the ages of 3½ and 5 years.

We are also investigating how artificial intelligence can be trained to support accurate language analysis, helping make assessment more efficient and accessible for clinicians, educators, and researchers.

Jenny is sharing what we have learned along the way!

12/06/2026

Do you know a child who wants to feel more confident writing essays for school?
In our Analytical Essay Writing Group, students will learn how to break down texts, plan their ideas, and structure essays that are clear, detailed, and persuasive. With step-by-step guidance, they’ll practise writing introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions that really show their thinking.

Alannah has run this group for many years and is running the course again these July school holidays!

🔗Book online via this link:
https://fremantle-speech-pathology-services.au1.cliniko.com/bookings?practitioner_id=1102645045267268906&appointment_type_id=254283
You only need to book on day one of the course.

🌐 For further information or to view our other groups, please visit our website: https://www.freospeech.com.au/holidaylearning