Wine with Wita

Get Rita's free speech pathology guide for parents: https://www.rsspeechpathology.com.au/free-training During a therapy session, a client looked up at Rita and said, “Rita, you’re an A.” Her mind went straight to the swear word. She kept playing. Then the dinosaurs clashed, he got frustrated, stood up and called her an F. Now she’s doing the clinician maths. Where did he learn this? Who said i...

Get Rita's free speech pathology guide for parents: https://www.rsspeechpathology.com.au/free-training In this episode of Wine with Wita , Rita sits down with comedian, former teacher and autism dad Jay Yoder for an honest conversation about raising his autistic daughter, Alicia. Jay shares how he navigated Alicia’s early autism diagnosis and the grief, comparison and isolation he experienced...

Get Rita's free speech pathology guide for parents: https://www.rsspeechpathology.com.au/free-training October is AAC Awareness Month. In this episode of Wine with Wita , Rita is joined by AAC communicator Siobhan Daley and Stephen from Liberator Australia. Siobhan is a writer, content creator and elite bocciaathlete with cerebral palsy. She shares how her communication device supports her ind...

Get Rita's free speech pathology guide for parents: https://www.rsspeechpathology.com.au/free-training Sara Ruggeri was told she had a perfect baby. She knew she didn't. Her daughter Valentina is the only person in Australia ever reported to have hyaline fibromatosis syndrome. It's an ultra-rare genetic condition with between one and 200 cases recorded worldwide. But the diagnosis took...

Get Rita's free speech pathology guide for parents 🍷 https://www.rsspeechpathology.com.au/free-training In this episode of Wine with Wita , Rita sits down with David Flood, co-author of A Kids Book About Autism , which he created alongside his autistic son, Justin. David shares his experience of Justin’s autism diagnosis at 18 months. He also reveals the moments that led him to become a passi...

Get Rita's free speech pathology guide for parents: https://www.rsspeechpathology.com.au/free-training In this episode of Wine With Wita, Rita sits down with Dr Mary Bourke to talk about chewing, airway health, and what a child's mouth can tell you long before anyone puts a name to it. You have watched your child sleep with their mouth open and wondered whether it means anything. You have...

Three paediatricians told Jo Diaz her son was fine. One toldher she could "tell she was a first-time mum." She knew something was different about Cruz from the time he was two and it took years, four paediatricians and a file full of evidence before anyone finally sat down and listened.   In this episode of Wine with Wita, Jo Diaz from JD Marketing shares the raw, honest story of getting...

Hey everyone, This week, I’m joined by speech pathologist, clinic owner and long-time friend Julia Orsini for a raw and honest conversation about the realities of building a business, leading a team and trying to hold everything together. Julia shares how the drive to grow a successful clinic eventually led to severe burnout and the moment she realised she could no longer keep going without asking...

Hey everyone, Part 2 of my conversation with Kathryn Denny is now live!​ We go deeper into Kathryn’s experience raising and advocating for her non-speaking autistic son, Jaska, and what it means to truly believe in a child’s ability to understand and communicate. ​In Part 2, we talk about: 💫 Presuming competence in non-speaking children 💫 Understanding versus being able to express 💫Modelling co...

Hey everyone, This week, I’m joined by Kathryn Denny, a mother of three,content creator and passionate disability advocate. ​Kathryn openly shares her journey raising her non-speaking autistic son, Jaska, from the early signs she noticed and the diagnosis that was initially missed, to learning how to understand and advocate for his unique way of communicating. She also shares how AAC has helped gi...

Hey everyone, This week, I’m joined by Julie O’Donovan, Founder and Director of Wonsie and her best friend Christy, whose son Zac inspired the very first design. ​ After Zac outgrew traditional bodysuits, Christy found herself using sticky tape to keep his clothing secure at night. Exhausted and desperate for a safer, more dignified solution, she turned to Julie for help. ​What began as a single c...

Hey everyone, This week’s episode was inspired by a very relatable moment in the car when I repeatedly asked my phone to call someone, only for it to misunderstand me every single time. I changed my tone, slowed down, repeated myself, tried a different accent and eventually spelled the name out. When the call finally worked, it made me think about how naturally we adjust the way we communicate wit...

Hey everyone,   This week, I’m joined by Nikolina Kharoufeh, a journalist,writer, podcast host and mother of three. Nikolina shares honestly about the identity shift she experienced after becoming a mother, the postnatal anxiety and sadness that followed, and how asking for help helped her begin to feellike herself again. ​ She also opens up about becoming pregnant with identical twins and the dev...

Hey everyone, This week, I’m joined by Pauline Sorell, an early years specialeducator, support worker and children’s book author. ​ Pauline saw a lack of autism awareness in schools and the wider community and began asking herself how she could help children better understand their autistic peers. ​ In this episode, we talk about: 💫 Why autism awareness should begin early 💫 Teaching children abo...

Hey everyone, This week’s episode is a solo episode, and it is all about two songs I cannot hear without thinking about communication. Whitney Houston’s How Will I Know and Justin Bieber’s What Do You Mean ​ Now, yes, they were written about relationships, but every time I hear them, I think about the children and families I work with because in therapy and at home, these two questions can be so p...

Hey everyone,   This week, I am joined by Maha Corbett, co-founder of SWIISH, wellness advocate, author and mum of two.  Together, we talk about motherhood, raising neurodivergent child and the practical and heartfelt lessons Maha has learnt while supporting her son Joshua, who has adiagnosis of level three autism. Maha shares openly about the early signs she noticed,including speech delay, sensor...

Hey everyone, This week, I am joined by women’s health expert, holistic wellness advocate and founder of Pagoda Tree, Natalie Kringoudis. ​Together, we explore how stress and nervous system regulation can impact our hormones, wellbeing and the way we show up as parents. Natalie shares why our hormones often follow the state of our nervous system, the importance of listening to the signals our bodi...

Hey everyone, This week’s episode is a solo episode celebrating four years of RS Speech Pathology and two years of Wine with Wita. ​But this is not just an episode about business. ​It is about motherhood, creativity, communication, consistency and the quiet moments that taught me how to show up long before I had a business. I share the story of entering competitions while breastfeeding my daughter...

Hey everyone, This week, I am joined by ⁠Anita⁠ and ⁠Valinda⁠ for a beautifulconversation about sisterhood, diagnosis, culture and the power of simply showing up. ​ Valinda is a client I have had the honour of working with, and Itreated both of her beautiful boys. In this episode, she shares what it was like coming to terms with diagnosis, navigating cultural expectations, and learning how to advo...

Hey everyone,This week’s episode is inspired by a phrase I use often in thetherapy room… teach, don’t test. ​We so often ask children questions like, “What’s this?”, “Who’sthat?” or “What colour is this?”… but sometimes, without realising, we are testing their communication rather than teaching it. ​ In this episode, I unpack how children learn language bestthrough natural, meaningful moments. Ins...

Hey everyone, This week, I am joined by Lael Stone , speaker, educator and author, for a beautiful conversation about connection, parenting, play and helping children feel truly seen. ​ I first met Lael at the Seen documentary, and what stood out to me straight away was how deeply aligned our messages are. ​ Connection is the key. ​In this episode, we talk about how parents can foster healthier, h...

Hey everyone, This week’s episode is inspired by a phrase I use often in thetherapy room… behaviour is communication. ​ We so often focus on stopping the behaviour… but not always on understanding what the behaviour is trying to tell us. In this episode, I unpack how children, especially those withcommunication difficulties, often use their behaviour to express what they need, feel, want, or canno...

Hey everyone, This week, I am joined by  Michael Sawan , host of  The Comeback Blueprint  Podcast , for a powerful conversation about survival, resilience, and rebuilding your life after everything changes. ​ At just 25, Michael was fit, active, and living what he believed was a healthy lifestyle, until subtle warning signs led to the discovery of a life-threatening heart condition. ​ What followe...

Hey everyone, This week’s episode is a very special one… because Wine with Wita has officially reached 100 episodes. 🥹🤍 ​ And for this milestone, I am doing something a little different. Instead of being the one asking the questions, my beautiful best friend Voula sits down to interview me. ​ In this episode, we talk about where Wine with Wita began, why I started sharing family stories and how...

Hey everyone, This week’s episode is inspired by something I use often in the therapy room… a simple reminder that communication is more than words. ​ We so often focus on what children say… but not always on what they are showing us. ​ In this episode, I unpack how much meaning is carried through tone, gestures, and facial expression, and how these can completely change the way a child understand...