All posts by Evett Lattouf

Medicare M10 provides Medicare-supported allied health assessment and treatment services for eligible people under 25 with complex neurodevelopmental conditions or specified eligible disabilities. Occupational Therapy is one of the allied health professions that can provide services under this pathway.

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From 1 March 2026, Medicare expanded eligibility under the existing M10 item group. This change may give some children and young people greater access to Medicare rebates for speech pathology assessment and treatment.

Eligible people under 25 may be able to access Medicare rebates for specific speech conditions, including stuttering, speech sound disorders, childhood apraxia of speech, dysarthria and cleft lip and/or palate.

For families, this provides another possible Medicare pathway to help with the cost of speech pathology services.

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Pets and child development are often discussed in relation to communication, social interaction and emotional development. While having a pet does not automatically improve these skills, everyday interactions with pets can create enjoyable opportunities for shared attention and communication.

Activities such as feeding, brushing, playing with or talking about a pet can create natural opportunities for children and adults to communicate, take turns and talk about emotions and experiences.

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Taking turns with music can be a fun and natural way to support a child’s early communication skills. Songs, actions and familiar routines create repeated opportunities for children to listen, respond, anticipate what comes next and participate in back-and-forth interactions.

Turn-taking is an important foundation for communication because conversations involve sharing attention and giving another person an opportunity to respond. Children can begin developing these skills before they use spoken words, through sounds, movements, gestures, eye gaze or other forms of communication.

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Music and language development are closely connected through rhythm, sounds, repetition and shared interaction. Songs and musical activities can create enjoyable opportunities for children to listen, anticipate what comes next, take turns and communicate with other people. 

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