If you've ever visited a country where you can't speak the language you'll know it's very difficult to ask for help, order food or find directions.
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That's what Wagga speech pathologist Anneka Freckmann says everyday life is like for someone with a communication disability.
"They're not able to understand and experience the world in the way they want to and need to," Ms Freckmann said.
The work of Ms Freckmann and her colleagues is being celebrated this Speech Pathology Week, the theme of which is 'Communicating with Confidence'.
Ms Freckmann said there was a "massive need" for speech pathology in the Riverina.
"It's one of those things you might not notice if you're just chatting casually to someone," she said. "But we know that in the Riverina it's very common for children to have difficulties with their communication."
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She said those with communication difficulties could experience stigma around their perceived intelligence.
"[But] we know that lots of children who have delays with their language ... they're just as intelligent as other children," she said.
Ms Freckmann usually works with children, such as Wagga's Sophie Lanham, aged four, and her little brother Jack, aged two.
Jack and Sophie's mother Melinda Lanham is also a speech pathologist in Wagga.
"It's a great opportunity for me to know exactly how our families feel when they bring their kids in," she said.
"It's really helpful for me to be able to go through that range of emotion, of frustration ... and then enjoyment and exhilaration ... when you do see that progress."