About Us

 

Paul and Christina Tyacke are the team at Jack and Jill Speech Pathology.  We both hold a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Sydney, and are current certified practising clinicians with Speech Pathology Australia.  

 

Since its inception in 2015, Jack and Jill has grown from a one-day-a-week solo operation, to a dual partnership operating five days per week, with a range of funding options including Medicare and NDIS, servicing clients in our clinic as well as a variety of local settings.  We place a strong emphasis on coaching parents and carers to be actively involved in their child's treatment.  

 

Paul has a particular interest in developmental assessments, early intervention and capacity building within preschools and schools.  He collaborates closely with local paediatricians to assist in the evaluation of children with suspected autism spectrum disorder, and uses gold standard assessment tools for this.  Paul provides a comprehensive and tailored report-writing service for people applying for access to the NDIS.  He is also a certified ESDM therapist.  He is dedicated to providing support for students in local preschools and schools, working in partnership with learning support teams.

 

Christina is passionate about literacy as well as early intervention, having worked in preschools in Western Sydney, with children with disabilities in Ireland, and with many young children from the Mid North Coast community.  She is also Sounds Write certified. Christina has also worked with people of all ages with neurological impairments at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Sydney.  These experiences called on her flexibility, creative clinical problem-solving, her strong advocacy and her teamwork skills, working jointly with families, paediatricians, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists and early educators.    

 

Dual-qualified with a postgraduate diploma in Communication Management, Christina feels strongly about empowering community groups with health knowledge through targeted healthcare communication.  She uses this background when linking with local health and education providers, for example to deliver workshops and inservices.

 

Together Paul and Christina share the trials and tribulations of parenting two young children.  Whilst maintaining a separate professional lens in the clinic, we harness the reality gained from parenting when working with our clients in as practical and compassionate a manner as possible.

 

 

 

What Makes Us Unique

Welcoming. People can expect a warm and open style of communication when working with us.  We accept a variety of referrals and are flexible in the format of treatment that most suits each client.  Our clients and families are respected as valued partners in their receipt of service.  

Empowering. We operate under a family-focused model to maximise effective communication in meaningful social contexts.  As such we are committed to working with parents throughout the assessment and treatment journey, providing the right information and skills to enable them to confidently carry out home practice.  We place heavy emphasis on developing a collaborative working relationship with clients and other relevant professionals.

Evidence-based. We employ a range of empirically supported interventions in our provision of services. We deliver treatment programs based on what works, a combination of research driven therapy approaches, clinical experience and a strong understanding of human social-communication development.  As members of Speech Pathology Australia we are dedicated to ongoing professional development.  

Honest. We provide effective, ethical treatment and are honest in discussing achievable goals with our clients and caregivers.  We work within each child’s zone of development and talk openly with parents about how their child’s unique zone might look.  We share confidential case discussions as part of our systematic, rigorous evaluation of therapy progress and outcomes for each client, and we share – celebrate - this progress with clients and caregivers.

Comprehensive. Our service begins with face-to-face assessment and therapy appointments targeting skill development, functioning, and participation across a range of domains. We offer detailed report writing with practical strategies for teachers and aides, and phone consultation.  We also support clients with referrals to other services and give tailored talks to groups on request.

Motivating. We use a select variety of fun toys – no broken bits or parts missing, to build children’s motivation during therapy sessions.  We provide children with appropriate reinforcers and work with parents and carers to continue this motivation into the home setting while practising new skills.

Dynamic. Our service is fresh and we continually revise the way in which we are driving the practice, evaluating any unmet needs and how we can better service our clients.  With two very different styles between us, our mix of analytical, creative and organisational skills combine to drive the ongoing quality improvement of Jack and Jill.

Ambience. Our clinic is located in a scenic setting in west Korora amidst open spaces and nature.  We don’t medicalise our appointments in a clinical setting, instead, provide most of our appointments in our home-based clinic, which is clean, uncluttered and fun.

 

 

 

 

We partner with

Coffs Harbour Paediatric Clinic

Schools and early education centres

Support workers

A range of local allied health providers

... to name a few.

©2024 Jack and Jill Speech Pathology ABN 68 658 806 071 All Rights Reserved

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