Starting in Term 1, 2025, Foundation students across 47 Catholic schools in the Diocese of Ballarat will undergo speech screening as part of an initiative by the Catholic Education Ballarat (CEB) Speech Pathology Team.

Based on research showing the importance of early speech screening for students, the initiative aims to address speech issues early in a student’s education, as untreated problems can lead to long-term challenges in reading, writing, mental health and employability.

The team recognises that-

‘Children with speech problems can have long‐term difficulties that persist into adolescence and beyond with some 30% to 60% experiencing continuing problems in reading and spelling. This can then lead to longer term problems in literacy, mental health, and employability’.

‘This screening project has grown from a Pilot project at several diocesan schools in 2024 which revealed that some cohorts of students showed significant speech sound disorders often presenting at school without prior intervention, whilst other students presented with some mild speech difficulties. 

‘The 2024 pilot project provided positive feedback on timely and supportive intervention planning for both students and class teachers.’

In 2025, the program will expand to support 47 diocesan schools, screening 1,347 Foundation students. This will strengthen collaboration between classroom teachers and speech pathologists, ensuring that students receive the support they require to develop strong speech skills and, if necessary, participate in additional speech sound programmes supported by the CEB Speech team.