Future is bright for Whyalla and speech pathologist Samara

Supporting a client with his literacy skills so he can open his own business is just one of the great examples of the services for the local community provided by Novita’s team in Whyalla.

Speech pathologist Samara Nield has been a member of the Whyalla team for about 18 months, and works with a broad range of people living with disability in the Whyalla community.

“One of my clients wants to open his own car detailing business. He’s in his 40s and has been working at Bedford and we’re supporting him to get into his own business by working on his literacy skills,” said Samara.

“We work on things like comprehending and filling out forms, which he’ll need to be able to do if he’s running his own business, as well as working through some sound and letter combinations to improve his language skills.

“I also work with a number of clients who are non-verbal or have limited speech. Some of the kids we work with may never be able to talk, so we work with them on using assistive technology – including eye gaze and switching systems – to communicate.”

Samara said Novita’s multi-disciplinary approach to therapy meant the Whyalla team worked closely together to get the best results for clients.

“I do a lot of joint sessions, especially with our occupational therapists. Speech and occupational therapy can be quite closely intertwined, so it works well doing joint therapy sessions, as well as having an overview from our physios,” she said.

“It’s really cool to be able to share our knowledge and learn from the other team members, which has been awesome for my own personal development.”