Penrith
About Us
Early Start Australia | NSW | Penrith (formerly Skills for Kids) has been providing therapy services for over 20 years to the Penrith and Blue Mountains area. We provide Occupational Therapy and Speech Language Pathology services to children and young people (2 years to 18 years). Our therapy services are delivered in our clinic and in local schools, and also via Telehealth. Various group therapy programs are available during school holidays.
Services we deliver
Programs we deliver
- Getting ready for Kindergarten
- Getting ready for High School
- Language and Literacy Camp
- Playground Skills Camp
- Adventure Camp – Resilience
- Social Skills for Teens
- Conversation Club
- Lego Club
Meet Our Principal
Stephanie Baker graduated from the University of Sydney in 1989 as an Occupational Therapist and has worked with infants, children, and young people in a variety of settings. Stephanie has completed postgraduate study at The University of Sydney in the areas of Autism Spectrum Disorder, sensory processing, executive functioning (including the Perceive Recall Plan Perform System of Task Analysis), imaginative play, written expression and goal-directed training of hand function.
Meet Our Team
Our team are passionate about the importance of a collaborative, evidence-based approach to ensure therapy goals and strategies are meaningful and effective for maximising the participation of children and young people in their everyday environments. We work closely with parents and teachers to provide assessment and intervention aimed at increasing children’s confidence, enjoyment and independence in their home, classroom, playground, and community contexts.
Members of our team have completed additional training which includes It Takes Two to Talk – Hanen Program, Key Word Sign, Sounds-Write, Learn to Play (Stagnitti), The Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Approach to Feeding (Kay Toomey), Conquering the Wees and Poos (Rebecca Khan), Zones of Regulation (Leah Kuypers), Traffic Jam in my Brain (Gen Jereb), Goal-Directed Training of Hand Function (Sydney University), DCD / Dyspraxia and the Role for Occupational Therapy (Lisa Scott), Perceive Recall Plan Perform (PRPP) System of Task Analysis (Chris Chapparo).
Goals we frequently address are in the areas of:
- Play and social skills
- Emotional regulation
- Receptive and expressive language
- Speech sounds
- Fluency (stuttering)
- Literacy (including phonological awareness)
- Social communication skills
- Fine motor skills (including handwriting)
- Gross motor skills and coordination
- Self-care skills (feeding, toileting, sleep, dressing, personal hygiene)
- Executive functioning (e.g., cognitive strategy use for attention and planning)
- Sensory processing
Our therapists are experienced in working with children and young people with:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Developmental Coordination Disorder
- Developmental Language Disorder and language delays
- Speech sound disorders
- Childhood Apraxia of Speech
- Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder
- Fluency disorders (stuttering)
- Learning disorders (including impairments in reading and written expression)
- Developmental delay
- Intellectual disability
Occupational Therapists
Samantha
Occupational Therapist Team Leader
Ashleigh
Occupational Therapist - Team Leader
Bethany
Occupational Therapist
Emma
Occupational Therapist
Julianne
Senior Occupational Therapist
Kelly
Occupational Therapist
Rachel
Senior Occupational Therapist
Sara
Occupational Therapist
Bec
Senior Occupational Therapist
Speech Pathologists
Jackie
Speech Pathologist Team Leader
Emily
Speech Pathologist
Sarah
Senior Speech Pathologist
Linda
Speech Pathologist
Caitlin
Speech Pathologist
Therapy Assistants
Romaisa
Therapy Assistant
Clinic Admin
Nadine
Practice Manager
Josie
Clinic Administration
Karen
Senior Clinic Administration
Please call us on 02 4739 0267 if you would like further information.