Umbo Co-Founder and speech Pathologist Ed Johnson along with Sydney Occupational Therapist Tahnee Westbury brought their expertise to Dubbo West Preschool on Monday.
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Umbo provides ongoing help and support through online therapy sessions with children from families that may not find it convenient to travel to have access to therapy. They also provide help for children who may be on long waiting lists for local therapists.
Mr Johnson assessed the children's speaking abilities, and Mrs Westbury evaluated the children's motor skill abilities so they could then guide the children to the help they require.
According to the specialists, it is essential to address any skills requiring development early on in a person's life, as the younger you are, the easier it is to learn how to correct the problem, and the better it will be for that person's future going forward.
"It's a lot easier to learn any new kind of skill, whether that's talking, catching a ball or learning to jump up and down before you hit puberty, so until around 12 years-old usually. If there's still a problem after that it's likely to hang around longer," Mr Johnson said.
"Issues with speech and motor skills can lead to a variety of problems later on down the track in someone's lives. Communication is the most important skill a human can have."
The Umbo team will also provide teachers and parents with skills in how to identify and deal with problems. Mr Johnson said although there are many wonderful organisations in Dubbo, being a rural area with a high demand for therapists and a lack of therapists locally the waiting lists to see speech therapists or Occupational therapists can be extremely long.
"We're not here seeking to compete with any businesses, there are fantastic services in Dubbo, we're a gap-filling service," he said.
Mr Johnson said not being able to communicate can lead to disruptive behaviours as children are unable to speak out, they often feel the need to act out in frustration or to gain attention.
"It can often later lead to mental health issues, things like anxiety, low self-esteem, issues in a person social ability and educational problems," he said.
Mr Johnson said he knows the frustrations of speech impairments all to well, having become a speech therapist after having struggled with speaking as a child himself.
"I wanted to be able to give people a way that they can communicate their ideas and feelings in whatever way they want to, whether that's by speaking or drawing.
"I feel privileged to be able to help kids in some little way. Before I got help, it held me back; it made it difficult for me to relate to other people even when I was around them."