Kate Down

Kate Down has extensive experience across a diverse range of settings, including work within public hospitals, community health, and in private practice. Kate joined Melbourne Child Development in 2014, bringing with her a comprehensive work background and unique areas of special interest. Kate is passionate about working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), particularly young girls, and was the pioneer behind Robyn Stephen & Associates running the first and hugely successful ‘Girls Only’ Secret Agent Society group in 2016. Kate contributes her valuable expertise with ASD assessments and therapy, working with great dedication to help children and families with the process of diagnosis and early intervention. Kate has a warm and approachable nature, and brings a fun and friendly element to every area of her clinical work. Working with children across all ages, from 12 months old to adolescents, Kate assesses and provides intervention for speech, language, literacy, social skills, and stuttering, working in a range of kindergartens, primary schools and high schools across Melbourne. With her current therapy approach including individual, dyad, and group sessions, Kate genuinely cares for each individual client and is always aiming to ensure that every child receives the most beneficial therapy arrangement to help them achieve their goals. To add, Kate works in close collaboration with parents and families to enable the smooth transition of Speech Pathology strategies from the clinical environment into the home and school life. In addition to her ongoing clinical contributions, Kate continues to pursue her ongoing passion for research in the field of Speech and Language Development. Her works have been published in academic journals and presented at the Speech Pathology Australia National Conference in 2012 and 2016.