At Perth Speech Therapy, we know that every child learns differently. Some learn best by listening, others by seeing, moving, or touching. Multisensory therapy combines all these learning channels — auditory, visual, tactile, and kinaesthetic — to strengthen speech, language, and literacy skills.
By engaging multiple senses at once, our speech pathologists help children form stronger brain connections, improve attention and memory, and retain new skills more effectively (Birsh & Carreker, 2018). https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED529098
What Is Multisensory Therapy?
Multisensory therapy is an evidence-based approach that uses more than one sensory pathway to teach communication skills. For example, when learning a new speech sound, a child may:
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See how their mouth moves (visual cue)
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Hear the sound aloud (auditory cue)
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Feel airflow or tongue placement (tactile cue)
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Move their body in rhythm with the sound (kinaesthetic cue)
This method strengthens neural connections by linking hearing and sight with movement and touch (Shams & Seitz, 2008).
Benefits of Multisensory Therapy in Speech Pathology
Multisensory strategies are widely used in speech therapy to support:
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Speech sound production – using mirrors, gestures, and visual cues
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Phonological awareness & literacy – “jumping” sounds or spelling words through movement
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Language learning – pairing actions or visuals with new vocabulary
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Motor speech disorders (e.g. Childhood Apraxia of Speech) – integrating tactile and visual feedback for accurate motor planning
Children’s brains are designed to learn through interaction and play. By combining movement, visual feedback, and hands-on exploration, therapy becomes more engaging and motivating, which often leads to faster progress (Sousa, 2016).
The Role of the Speech Pathologist
At Perth Speech Therapy, our team tailors multisensory strategies to each child’s learning style. We carefully select activities that match a child’s strengths and challenges — whether that means using visuals to aid comprehension, movement to support focus, or tactile feedback to refine accuracy.
Our therapy is:
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Hands-on and play-based
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Individually tailored
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Designed to build confidence and independence
Introducing multisensory strategies early can accelerate development in speech, language, and literacy. Research consistently shows that structured, multisensory approaches improve outcomes for children with speech sound disorders, dyslexia, and other learning difficulties (Birsh & Carreker, 2018; Ritchey & Goeke, 2006).
With early and consistent support, children can build strong communication foundations that benefit them throughout school and life.
Why Choose Perth Speech Therapy?
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Experienced speech pathologists trained in evidence-based multisensory methods
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Play-based sessions that keep children motivated and engaged
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Tailored therapy plans for speech sounds, literacy, and language development
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Family support and strategies to carry over into everyday routines
At Perth Speech Therapy, our goal is simple: to help your child find their voice, build confidence, and thrive.
Frequently Asked Questions – Multisensory Therapy Perth
Q1: What is multisensory therapy in speech pathology?
Multisensory therapy is an evidence-based speech therapy approach that uses sight, sound, touch, and movement to teach communication skills. By engaging multiple senses, children build stronger brain connections, improve memory and focus, and make faster progress in speech, language, and literacy.
Q2: Who benefits most from multisensory therapy?
Multisensory therapy benefits children with speech sound disorders, literacy difficulties, or motor speech conditions such as Childhood Apraxia of Speech. It also supports children who struggle with memory, focus, or learning through a single channel, by engaging multiple senses to make communication and literacy development more effective.
Q3: How does multisensory therapy improve communication?
Multisensory therapy improves communication by combining visual, auditory, tactile, and movement-based cues. This approach helps children process information in multiple ways, leading to stronger brain connections, better memory, improved attention, and faster learning of speech and language skills in an engaging and lasting way.
Q4: Is multisensory therapy play-based?
Yes. At Perth Speech Therapy, multisensory therapy is interactive and play-based. We use games, movement, visuals, and hands-on activities to keep children engaged. This fun, motivating approach helps children build confidence, practise new skills, and make meaningful progress with speech, language, and literacy development.
Q5: How do I book multisensory therapy sessions in Perth?
Booking multisensory therapy with Perth Speech Therapy is simple. Families can contact us directly to arrange an initial consultation. Our speech pathologists will then assess your child’s needs and create a tailored therapy plan designed to support speech, language, and literacy development through multisensory strategies.