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Online with Dr Lauren Crumlish (PhD) Online, Australia wide, with Dr Lauren Crumlish (PhD), Certified Practising Speech Pathologist
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Dr Lauren PhD, Certified Practising Speech Pathologist

How it works

What Dr Lauren works on

All areas

By age

By difficulty

Fees and funding

Guides

Apply Now

Online Speech Therapy for Kids and Teenagers, Australia Wide

Speech Therapy By Video, With The Same Clinician Every Session

A private speech therapy service for children and teenagers up to 18, by video with Dr Lauren Crumlish (PhD), Certified Practising Speech Pathologist. Sessions happen at home, wherever your family lives in Australia.

Apply Now

Starts with an assessment from $590. Sessions are $193. Medicare rebates are available with a doctor's referral.

A mother and her young daughter sit together at a laptop at a table at home.

Dr Lauren's research
is published in

2024 Dean's Award The University of Queensland

A mother sits on a couch with her toddler on her lap, both looking at a tablet she is holding.

How It Goes

From Applying To Home Practice: One Family's Path

What happens, in order, when a family works with Dr Lauren online.

  1. Apply

    Tell us about your child in the application form. It takes about three minutes. Our team will review your application; a place cannot be guaranteed.

  2. Assessment

    Every family starts with an assessment by video: $590, $890 or $1,290, depending on what needs to be looked at. Dr Lauren then talks you through what she found and the plan.

    What an online assessment involves

  3. A session

    One hour of service: 45 minutes of therapy by video, and 15 minutes of preparation and notes. Who does what depends on age. A toddler's parent does the playing while Dr Lauren coaches, a school-age child works at the screen with a parent nearby, and a teenager usually attends on their own.

  4. Between sessions

    Between sessions, the family's part is short, guided practice that Dr Lauren shows step by step and checks at the next session.

How Online Speech Therapy Works

Three Questions Parents Ask

  • Does it work?

    The research is encouraging and not complete. The main studies, and where the evidence is thin, are set out further down this page.

    What the research shows

  • Will my child sit still?

    Often they do not need to. With a toddler, the parent is coached and the child plays; nobody asks a two year old to sit at a screen.

    Keeping children engaged on a screen

  • What do we need?

    A laptop or tablet with a camera, a steady internet connection and a quiet spot where your child's face can be seen. A phone is a last resort.

    What you need at home for a session

Online speech therapy is not the right choice for every child, and for some, in-person help is the better place to start. When video suits and when it does not .

By Video, Wherever You Live

What Dr Lauren Works On Online

All Areas

The evidence, in brief

What The Research Shows About Online Speech Therapy

The research on speech therapy by video is encouraging, and it is not complete. A 2017 systematic review (Wales, Skinner and Hayman, International Journal of Telerehabilitation) looked at seven studies of telehealth speech and language therapy for primary school children and found limited but promising evidence, with children seen by video and in person making similar gains on most measures. For early stuttering, a 2016 randomised trial of 49 preschool children (Bridgman and colleagues, Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research) compared the Lidcombe Program by webcam with the same program in a clinic and found insufficient evidence of a difference in stuttering between the two groups nine months later.

The evidence is thinner for children under three, for autistic children, and for school-age children and teenagers who stutter, and few studies follow children for long. The research, study by study

Dr Lauren Crumlish smiling in front of hexagonal shelves with toys and decor; wearing a sleeveless polka dot blouse.

One Clinician

Dr Lauren Crumlish (PhD), Certified Practising Speech Pathologist

Every session at Online Speech Therapy is with Dr Lauren Crumlish. The person who assesses your child is the person who works with them in every session after that. Dr Lauren holds a PhD from The University of Queensland; she is a speech pathologist, not a medical doctor. Dr Lauren works with a small number of families and has limited availability. About Dr Lauren

  • PhD, The University of Queensland
  • Certified Practising Speech Pathologist
  • 2024 Dean’s Award for Outstanding Higher Degree by Research Theses
  • Peer-reviewed research in international journals

Fees And Funding

What Online Speech Therapy Costs

Every family starts with an assessment, then sessions are one set fee. Both are published so you know the cost before you apply.

Therapy

Therapy Session

One hour of service: 45 minutes of therapy by video, and 15 minutes of preparation and notes

$193

Apply Now

First, an initial assessment

  • $590

    Short Assessment

    Usually for late talkers, stuttering and speech clarity

  • $890

    Mid-Length Assessment

    Usually for school-age language, literacy or social communication

  • $1,290

    Long Assessment

    Usually for both language and literacy in a school-age child

Medicare rebates are available with a doctor's referral, and private health cover may apply depending on your fund. Online Speech Therapy is not a registered NDIS provider: self-managed and plan-managed participants are welcome, and NDIA-managed funding cannot be used. Fees in full and how Medicare, the NDIS and private health apply to video sessions .

A boy with curly hair smiles at a tablet propped on a stand at home.

Wherever You Live

Speech Therapy For Rural, Remote And Travelling Families

A video session needs a device and an internet connection, not a clinic within driving distance. Families on properties, in small towns and on the road work with the same clinician as a family in a capital city, and keep her if they move. Where the connection is the weak point, the page for rural, remote and travelling families covers satellite and mobile data and what happens when a call drops.

  • No travel to a clinic

  • The same clinician if you move

  • Sessions at home, by video

Before You Decide

Guides For Parents Choosing Online Speech Therapy

Will it suit my child, who do we choose, how do we pay and how do we make it work: each question answered in full.

See All Guides
A mother and father sit either side of their young daughter at a tablet; she stretches her arms above her head and smiles.

Questions

Online Speech Therapy Questions, Answered

Do you offer in-person sessions?

Online Speech Therapy is an online service: every session is by video. For some children in-person help is the better place to start, and the guide “Is online speech therapy right for my child?” sets out when.

Do I need a referral?

No. You do not need a referral to apply or to start. A doctor's referral is only needed if you want to claim a Medicare rebate.

What ages does Dr Lauren work with?

Dr Lauren works with children and teenagers up to 18. Sessions run differently for toddlers, school-age children and teenagers, and this site has a page on each.

Is my internet good enough for online speech therapy?

If your family can hold a video call without it freezing, your connection is usually enough for online speech therapy. The technology and set-up page explains how to test it and what to do on satellite or mobile data.

Does my child see Dr Lauren every time?

Yes. Dr Lauren Crumlish is the only clinician at Online Speech Therapy, so she carries out the assessment and every session.

Is Online Speech Therapy a registered NDIS provider?

No. Online Speech Therapy is not a registered NDIS provider, so NDIA-managed funding cannot be used. Self-managed and plan-managed participants are welcome. It is not a Thriving Kids provider.

When do sessions run, and what happens if we miss one?

Session times are arranged with each family when a place is offered, and the application form asks which times could suit you. What happens with a missed or cancelled session is set out at the same time.

Is there a waiting list?

Dr Lauren works with a small number of families and has limited availability, so a place cannot be guaranteed. Our team will review your application, and if a place that suits your child is available, we will be in touch. Not every application receives an individual reply.

Is online speech therapy the same as telehealth speech pathology?

Yes. Online speech therapy, online speech pathology, telehealth speech pathology, virtual speech therapy and telepractice are names for the same thing: a speech pathologist working with your child by video call. In Australia the profession is called speech pathology, and many families say speech therapy.

A young person with curly hair and braces, wearing a denim shirt and white headphones around their neck, smiles at the camera while holding eyeglasses in one hand. A young boy in a white shirt smiles while looking to the left. A person with long brown hair wearing a blue shirt stands indoors, with a bright window and shelves with various items in the background.
A child reaches for a pink teddy bear placed on a table next to a rainbow-shaped wooden toy. Framed floral artwork is visible in the background. A person with curly hair smiles while wearing a white t-shirt and headphones. They are seated indoors with a light-colored background. A young girl with long blond hair and a light purple shirt smiles while sitting on a couch, gesturing with her hand. A woman and a young boy sit outside on a blanket. The woman shows the boy an object, and they both focus on it intently. The background is grassy and blurred.
A person with long hair is looking up and laughing outdoors, wearing a black and white striped shirt. Greenery is in the background. A young boy with brown hair and a grey t-shirt smiling while wearing white earphones. A young child wearing a yellow shirt holds a colored pencil above a piece of paper, appearing focused on drawing. Another person's hand is partially visible beside the child. Small toy vehicles, including two larger trucks and two mini cars, are scattered on a textured brown carpet.
A young child with Down syndrome, wearing a striped shirt, sits on a couch, smiling and raising a hand while looking at an open laptop. A young girl with braided hair sits on a couch, smiling at the camera. She is wearing a green shirt and appears relaxed. A man in a white t-shirt is smiling and looking to the side, surrounded by large green leaves.

Work With Dr Lauren

Apply To Work With Dr Lauren Online

Dr Lauren works with a small number of families and has limited availability. Tell us about your child, and our team will review your application.

Apply Now
  • Online, Australia Wide
  • One Clinician, Every Session
  • Children And Teenagers Up To 18
  • Fees Published
Online Speech Therapy

Your child Who would Dr Lauren be working with?

This takes about three minutes. Online Speech Therapy is online only, Australia wide, for children and teenagers up to 18. It starts with an assessment from $590; sessions are $193.