Melody Hear For You is led by clinical audiologist and rehabilitation counsellor Melody Cao, who brings together her background in paediatric and adult audiology, counselling, and rehabilitation to support clients with real-world listening and learning difficulties.

Rather than focusing only on test scores, Melody takes a person-centred, whole-of-life approach. She works alongside families, teachers and other health professionals to understand each person’s goals, strengths, challenges and everyday environments, so that assessment and therapy feel relevant, collaborative and hopeful.

Earlier, Inclusive and Person-Centred APD Service

Most audiologists only assess auditory processing disorder from about six years of age and usually exclude children or adults with hearing loss. At Melody Hear For You, we:

Assess from 3½ years of age and see both children and adults.

Include clients with or without hearing loss, so APD is not overlooked simply because a hearing loss is present.

Use a combined, evidence-based pathway — Auditory Skills Assessment™, the Buffalo Model™, Acoustic Pioneer™ and SoundScouts™ — to profile listening skills in depth, identify where the real bottlenecks are, and start the right help early.

Because Melody is also trained in rehabilitation counselling, appointments are not just “testing sessions”. She takes time to listen to each client’s story, validate their frustrations, and build a strong therapeutic alliance based on respect, empathy and clear communication. Together, you set priorities for what to work on first — whether that is hearing in background noise, following classroom instructions, managing listening fatigue at work, or rebuilding confidence after years of being misunderstood.

Our Assessment and Therapy Toolkit

We use a structured yet flexible toolkit so that each assessment and therapy plan is tailored to the individual, not a one-size-fits-all protocol.

• Buffalo Model™ Evaluation and Therapy
  Developed by Professor Jack Katz, a pioneering university professor and leader in APD who created cornerstone tools such as the SSW (Staggered Spondaic Word) and the Phonemic Synthesis Test. We use this model to pinpoint specific listening weaknesses (for example decoding, tolerance-fading memory, integration or organisation) and to guide targeted, step-by-step therapy that is easy to explain to families, teachers and clients themselves.
• SoundScouts™ APD Suite
  Co-developed with Professor Harvey Dillon, one of Australia’s most respected hearing scientists and former Director of the National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL). His work brings strong research rigour to this engaging, game-style screening and APD tool. We use the APD suite within SoundScouts™ to efficiently screen, then follow up with more detailed tests where needed.
• Gamified APD Tests and Therapy (Acoustic Pioneer™ and related tools)
  Co-developed by Professor Suzanne Purdy (University of Auckland), a leading researcher in central auditory processing and brain–behaviour measures. These tools offer child-friendly, game-like tasks that still deliver reliable clinical data and effective therapy outcomes. They are well suited to children with ADHD, autism, dyslexia and language-based learning difficulties who may struggle with more traditional test formats.

Throughout assessment and therapy, Melody explains results in plain language (“what this means in the classroom / at work”) and checks in regularly with clients and families. This collaborative style helps shape a therapy plan that is deficit-targeted but person-centred — we work on the skills that matter most to you, in the contexts that matter most to you.

Good outcomes depend not only on the right tests, but also on the right relationship. Drawing on counselling and rehabilitation training, Melody:

• Takes time to understand each person’s history, strengths, worries and goals.
• Involves parents, carers and, where appropriate, teachers and employers in planning supports.
• Uses motivational and strengths-based strategies to help children and adults stay engaged with therapy.
• Provides written summaries, practical strategies and encouragement between sessions to keep everyone on the same page.

For children, small rewards, visual trackers and positive feedback are often used to keep therapy fun and motivating. For adults, sessions may also explore coping strategies, communication repair tactics and workplace or study accommodations, so that listening becomes easier and less exhausting in daily life.

Flexible delivery — in person or online

Getting tested and supported in familiar spaces can reduce stress (especially for children with ADHD, autism or learning needs), reveal natural listening behaviours, allow short breaks, and often leads to more accurate, meaningful results.

• In person
  Mobile visits at your Sydney home, school or workplace (quiet room required). This allows us to observe and discuss real-world listening challenges in context and to collaborate directly with teachers or employers where appropriate.
• Online
  Convenient APD screening, consultations, results reviews and therapy sessions Australia-wide. Online sessions are structured, interactive and relationship-focused — not just “talking at a screen”. We use screen-sharing, digital therapy tools and clear follow-up notes so clients and families know exactly what to practise between sessions.