I’m Ben — a speech pathologist who believes that communication and connection grow best in the real world.

Since graduating from Sydney University back in 2010, I’ve worked with people of all ages and backgrounds — from kids and adults with developmental disabilities to people with lived experiences of trauma. Along the way, I learned that the most meaningful growth happens not in therapy rooms, but in everyday life — over coffee, in creative spaces, and out in the community.

That’s why I started Social Beings Speech Pathology — to build a flexible, person-led service that supports neurodivergent adults to communicate and connect in the places that matter most to them. My approach is grounded in neurodiversity-affirming practice, collaboration, and respect.

Experience and Foundations

Before founding Social Beings Speech Pathology, I spent over a decade working with a provider specialising in positive behaviour support services. During this time, I received specific training and supervision in the delivery of positive behaviour supports and trauma-informed practice — learning how communication, environment, and relationships interact to shape a person’s wellbeing.

I worked across Sydney, Melbourne, and regional areas of New South Wales and Victoria, always with a focus on supporting people’s communication and participation in everyday life. Much of my work involved supporting people with disability to transition from institutional large residential facilities into community-based living — conducting communication and mealtime assessments, developing and implementing detailed transition plans, training support teams, and helping to design whole communication environments that supported people to thrive in their new homes and communities.

These transitions were about far more than a change of address. They represented a complete shift in opportunity, autonomy, and dignity — moving from medical models of care toward social models that prioritise choice, skill-building, and inclusion.

Through this work, I saw first-hand how meaningful communication, supportive environments, and respectful relationships can transform a person’s quality of life. Those lessons now form the foundation of Social Beings Speech Pathology — a practice dedicated to connection, community, and real-world participation.