Today Sarah Masso presented her PhD proposal at Charles Sturt University during her endorsement for candidature session. Sarah is a PhD candidate and
research officer on our Australian Research Council Discovery Grant
(DP130102545) (2013-2015) titled A sound
start: innovative technology to promote speech and pre-literacy skills in
at-risk preschoolers. Her PhD is designed to answer (in part) the second
aim of the Sound Start Study: Use psycholinguistic theory, to
a. determine the relationship between children’s speech errors
(developmental versus disordered), emergent literacy, and phonological
processing skills.
b. test whether promotion of input processing skills alone will
enhance speech and emergent literacy skills.
In true CSU style, her presentation occurred in 4 cities via video conference: Sydney, Bathurst, Albury and Wagga Wagga. Her presentation was well received by the invited panel members and audience.
Here is her abstract
Children who have difficulty talking and
making speech sounds may constitute up to 20% of preschool children in
Australia (McLeod, Harrison, McAllister, &
McCormack, 2013; McLeod & Harrison, 2009). Preschool-age children
who have speech sound disorders are at significant risk of literacy
difficulties (Lewis, Freebairn, & Taylor,
2002). Anthony et al. (2011) found that between 30% and 77% of children
who have an ongoing difficulty with speech sound production when they start
school will have difficulties learning to read. Identification of those
children who will go on to have literacy difficulties is fundamental to
providing targeted, effective and efficient early intervention. Children’s
ability to store phonological representations, access/process phonological
information (known as phonological processing), and complete phonemic-level
tasks may be key to understanding their risk of literacy difficulties (Anthony,
2010). It has
been suggested that the specificity of children’s phonological representations
may be inferred from children’s accuracy of polysyllable productions (James et
al., 2008; James, 2006).
However, recent studies into the capacity of children to change the accuracy of
their polysyllables suggest that this may not be a simple, linear relationship (Gozzard, Baker, & McCabe, 2008; Masso, McCabe, et
al., in press).
Thus, the relationship between children’s ability to say polysyllables and
process phonological information needs to be explored. It is also necessary to
determine whether the accuracy of children’s polysyllable production correlates
with their ability to complete emergent literacy tasks. The body of work
presented in this research proposal is designed to close a number of key gaps
in the current evidence regarding the relationships between polysyllable speech
production, phonological processing, and emergent literacy skills in preschool
children who have speech sound disorders. Further, this research proposal
outlines a body of work which will provide practical, evidence-based solutions
to change how speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and early childhood education
and care (ECEC) professionals identify and engage preschool-age children at a
high risk of literacy difficulties in the years prior to commencing formal
literacy education.
Over the past 9+ years I have edited the International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Much of the editorial work has occurred on weekends and evenings. I have thoroughly enjoyed this role as we have been able to support the development of high quality research into high quality publications. I have appreciated the unwavering support of the associate editor (Dr Angela Morgan), the staff and national council of Speech Pathology Australia (particularly Gail Mulcair), informa Healthcare (particularly Håkan Pårup, Therese Franzen, Marie Larsson), the executive board, editorial consultants, reviewers, authors, and readers. Through small steps we have been able to create an international venue for promoting world-class research to support people with speech, language, communication, and swallowing needs.
