Here are some of the current statistics:
- ISI impact factor: 1.176 (2012), 1.000 (2011), 1.120 (2010)
- Abstract views: 62,231 (2013, Jan-Sept), 71,902 (2012)
- Full text downloads: 32,971 (2013, Jan-Sept), 33,315 (2012)
Sharynne McLeod is Professor of Speech and Language Acquisition at Charles Sturt University, Australia. This blog records the work of her team to support multilingual children's speech acquisition throughout the world. The associated Multilingual Children's Speech website contains resources for over 60 languages: http://www.csu.edu.au/research/multilingual-speech
Kate and Sarah with some of the data they have collected |
There is still much to be learned with regard to meeting the needs of our multilingual clients, but this text can make a substantial contribution to our practice based on the knowledge available today. Not all languages commonly spoken by multilingual children are covered but details on some of the most frequently occurring are addressed while the general principles are relevant to all. In combination with The international guide to speech acquisition (McLeod, 2007), which provides information on the sound systems of a range of the world’s languages, this text is a must-read for all those clinicians working with multilingual children.
Almost 7000 languages are spoken throughout the world and 23.2% of Australians over 5 years speak a language other than English at home (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012). Additionally, 21.9% of preschool children in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children are regularly spoken to in a language other than English and 12.2% speak languages other than English, commonly: Arabic, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Greek, and Mandarin. Approximately a quarter of Indigenous preschool children in the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children speak an Indigenous language and are supported by family and community members. Educators and speech pathologists have critical roles to play in supporting children to be competent communicators in the languages of their communities. Recent international collaborations undertaken as part of Sharynne McLeod’s ARC Future Fellowship have resulted in the development of practical and accessible resources for working with multilingual children. For example, the Multilingual Children’s Speech website www.csu.edu.au/research/multilingual-speech provides resources and information regarding over 30 languages. These international collaborations have been established with the goal of enhancing multilingual children’s participation in society.
She is looking forward to attending 2 conferences and collecting data in Asia and North America over the next 2 months.1. McLeod, S., Verdon, S., & Bennetts Kneebone, L. - Celebrating Indigenous Australian children’s speech and language competence.2. McLeod, S. & Verdon, S. - A review of speech sound assessments in 18 languages other than English.3. Verdon, S., McLeod, S., & McDonald, S. - A geographical analysis of speech-language pathology services to support multilingual children.4. Verdon, S., McLeod, S., & Winsler, A. - Language maintenance and loss in a population study of young Australian children.5. Verdon, S., McLeod, S., & Wong, S. - Reconceptualising practice with multilingual children with speech sound disorders: People, practicalities, and policy.
Sarah Verdon (R) discussing her research with Priscilla Maihame (L) and Lucia A'latri (centre) at the IALP conference in Turin |
The RIPPLE team: Jo Masters, Andrew Stockman, Kim Woodland, Michelle Wilkinson, Vanessa McFarland |
Murrumbidgee River in Wagga Wagga |