Waiting for Speech Pathology website is launched

Over the past few years we have been working on developing and testing a new website to support families while they are waiting for speech pathology. The research was funded by a NSW Health Translational Research Grant and undertaken via collaboration with speech pathologists from Western NSW Local Health District and Charles Sturt University. Our randomised controlled trials have now ended, we have made a few final revisions to the website as a result of feedback during the research, and the website is now live:

https://wnswlhd.health.nsw.gov.au/our-services/speech-pathology

It will be launched at the Speech Pathology Australia National Conference in Brisbane next week.

The NSW Health TRGS Team in March 2019:
Sharynne, Angela, Emily, Sally, Nina, Kate, Katrina and Nicole

International handbook of language development

Today I received my copy of the International handbook of language development. It was a privilege to be invited to write the following chapter and to work with Dr Sarah Masso. We are amongst prestigious company in this book!

McLeod, S. & Masso, S. (2019). Speech sound disorders in children. In J. S. Horst & J. von Koss Torkildsen (Eds.). International handbook of language development (pp. 362-386). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

Back to work full time

Today marks the end of my first week of working full time since I went on sick leave in July 2018. I have worked part time in between medical treatments over the past year. It has been a long journey and I am very grateful to my magnificent family, friends, colleagues, and the medical team who have supported me on the road to recovery. I look forward to getting back to full steam ahead as a Charles Sturt University Senior Research Fellow.

Final Australian Government briefing before heading to the United Nations in NY

Today we had our final briefing with the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Australian Government (Mika Kontiainen, DFAT and George Sotiropoulos, DSS) before departing for the United Nations Conference of States Parties 12.

We met the new Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Ben Gauntlett via teleconference. He will be attending COSP12.

The Australian Government will support 12 Civil Society events during the UN meetings, including the one by Speech Pathology Australia/International Communication Project.

We were encouraged to remember that attendance at COSP is about encouraging and influencing governments about the global implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons of Disabilities (download here) and we are there to represent the views and rights of people with disabilities.

Relevant Twitter hashtags and handles: #COSP12 #UNCOSP #CRPD #COSP12Aus
International Communication Project member associations at COSP12: @SpeechPathAus @IcommunicationP @RCSLT @ASHAWeb
#SpeakUp4CommRights
Australian delegation: @SharynneMcLeod @GailMSpa @SPAPresident @TheraBees @JessMcLeod4

Early storybook research profiled at three conferences

Over the next 2 months Dr. Michelle Brown (my postdoc) is presenting her research at three conferences as part of her CSU Senior Research Fellowship postdoc:

• Speech Pathology Australia National Conference (SPA)- Brisbane, 3-5 June - "Reading with babies impacts literacy, language, and numeracy skills at 8-9 years"
• Australian Literacy Educators Association (ALEA) - Melbourne 9-12 July - "Reading with young children promotes literacy and language development nine years later "
• Macquarie University Infants and Toddlers Conference - Sydney 19 July - "Reading during infancy strengthens academic achievement" (Brown, Wang & McLeod)

Additionally, Michelle's research will be profiled in a Speech Pathology Australia SpeakUp podcast. Congratulations Michelle!

Lectures in Linguistic Diversity - Macquarie University

Dr Van Tran will be presenting a lecture at Macquarie University in the Lectures in Linguistic Diversity series https://www.languageonthemove.com/lectures-in-linguistic-diversity-2019-term-
Her presentation will be based on work from our VietSpeech ARC Discovery grant.

Factors affecting home language proficiency and use among Vietnamese-Australian children 
Tuesday, June 04, 2:00-3:00pm, AHH 1.602, Dr Van Tran, Charles Sturt University 

Abstract: The Vietnamese language is spoken by 300,000 people in Australia, equivalent to 1.2% of the country’s population and Vietnamese is in the top four most common languages other than English spoken in the country. Studies in home language maintenance show a tendency of language loss from the second generation onwards. With the first wave of Vietnamese immigrants coming to Australia in the 1970-80s, the Vietnamese community in Australia is experiencing a critical time in terms of maintaining their home language. Home language maintenance can be observed through indicators including language use and language proficiency (with speaking and understanding as oral proficiency and writing and reading as written proficiency). This study surveyed a total of 271 Vietnamese-Australian families regarding their children’s language proficiency and use and associated factors. Factors under examination belonged to four groups: child, parent, family, and community factors. Bivariate analyses including Pearson correlation and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were conducted to explore the associations between language proficiency and use and a range of child, family and community factors. Multiple regression was later conducted to further explore the relative associations of significant bivariate factors and language proficiency and use. Notably, this study has found that factors significantly associated with child language proficiency and use are more related to parents than to children, family, or community. Moreover, no significant correlation was found between child language proficiency and use and a range of factors including children’s Vietnamese community language school attendance, parents’ gender and education, presence of relatives, and availability of community meeting places. 

About Dr Van Tran

Preparation for the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons

It is not long until we will be attending the United Nations 12th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons (CRPD) on 10-13 June 2019 at the UN Headquarters, New York.

The International Communication Project will be presenting a side event during the Conference. Our presentation is titled: "People with Communication Disability Speak Up for Inclusion and Participation: How the Implementation of the CRPD and the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) can Support this Right". Our side event will be held on Wednesday 12th June 8:15 am - 9:30 am and live streamed throughout the world. The speakers are: Gail Mulcair (CEO, Speech Pathology AUstralia), Sharynne McLeod (Charles Sturt University), Meredith Allan, and Miles Forma, chaired by Derek Munn (RCSLT) (see concept note). The event will be sponsored by the Australian Government.

We have been working towards this event for a long time.

• In 2016 I approached Prof Kirrie Ballard, the Editor of the International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology about publishing a special issue of the journal to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 2018. 
• In 2017 Gail Mulcair and I met with the International Communication Project in Los Angeles to discuss the possibility of presenting at the UN.
• In 2018, the special issue of IJSLP was published to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (table of contents) and events were held around Australia and the world to promote the event (Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Bathurst, Albury, Malta, USA) and special webpages were set up to focus on the event:
• SPA - https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/SpeakUp
• ICP - https://internationalcommunicationproject.com/70th-anniversary-universal-declaration-human-rights/
• ASHA - https://blog.asha.org/2018/08/27/speak-up-for-communication-rights-speakup4commrights/
• In 2018, Speech Pathology Australia and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists gained NGO  accreditation status with the United Nations, allowing them to attend the Conference of States Parties and apply to present a side event in 2019.
• We are having regular meetings with the International Communication Project and Australian Government (DFAT, DSS) and the Australian Human Rights Commission to prepare for the event.

CSU Research and Graduate Studies Management Committee

Van Tran is the Higher Degree Research Student representative on the CSU Faculty of Arts and Education Research and Graduate Studies Management Committee. Her first meeting was on 22nd May. Thanks for representing all of higher degree students in the faculty.

Animations and Graphics for Researchers

Today members of the SLM team attended an online workshop provided by Charles Sturt University titled "Animations and Graphics for Researchers" presented by Dr. Tullio Rossi from Adelaide. He described that "visible or vanish" now sits alongside "publish or perish". He addressed:

• Video abstracts = the "movie trailer" for your journal article
  (e.g., an abstract created with VideoScribe: https://youtu.be/g3cIr9RomPM)
• Graphical abstracts using Powerpoint or Canva
• Posters and how to make them more engaging.

Happy International Day of Families

Today is International Day of Families https://www.un.org/en/events/familyday/
Thanks to all of our families for their support, encouragement and love.

Anna lectures at UTS

Anna Cronin provided a lecture to the Masters of Speech Pathology students at the University of Technology in Sydney on 14th May. Her lecture was part of Helen Blake's speech sound disorders subject and was titled: "Cleft palate, velopharyngeal insufficiency and the role of the speech pathologist". Congratulations Anna.

Planning for our presentation to the United Nations Conference of States Parties (CoSP) to the Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons

This morning the International Communication Project met via teleconference (Australia, UK, US) to prepare our presentation to the United Nations 12th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons (CRPD) on 10-13 June 2019 at the UN Headquarters, New York. Our presentation is titled: "People with Communication Disability Speak Up for Inclusion and Participation: How the Implementation of the CRPD and the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) can Support this Right" and will be held on Wednesday 12th June 8:15 am - 9:30 am.
Details are here: https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/conference-of-states-parties-to-the-convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities-2/cosp12.html

A birthday present

A while ago, I was contacted by speech-language pathologist Rebecca Reinking because she had decided to spend her birthday money from her mother on a book to support her work with children with speech sound disorders. I was honoured that she chose "Children's Speech". Here is her recent Instagram post: https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/q5rFC81Zj6t48xQLsna23K?domain=instagram.com It brings me joy to think of the children who will be impacted by her birthday present.