Communication disability in low- and middle-income countries: A call to action

The following manuscript has been accepted for publication:

Marshall, J. E., Wylie, K., McLeod, S., Barrett, H., McAllister, L., Atherton, M., Hettiarachchi, S., Owusu, N. A. (2024, in press May) Communication disability in low- and middle-income countries: A call to action. BMJ Global Health.

Summary: 

• "Communication disability is a common but under-reported and often neglected part of health, rehabilitation and disability services, despite communication being a human right.
• Communication disability has far-reaching impacts throughout life.
• Innovation is required in contexts where services for people with communication disability are limited - particularly low and middle-income countries.
• Local and national governments, funders/commissioners, communication disability experts, universities, non-government organisations, communities, health, social care, rehabilitation services and education sectors all have a role to play in putting communication disability on the global disability/ (re)habilitation agenda.

This paper took many years to write and get published - mostly because it is not easy to distill important research with clarity. I worked on a version while at Manchester Metropolitan University last year. I am very glad it has been accepted and thank Julie Marshall and Karen Wylie for leading this paper.

This work speaks to the World Health Organization's Global report on health equity for persons with disabilities https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240063600

Copyediting The Oxford Handbook of Speech Development in Languages of the World

Thank you to Mark Filmer from the Charles Sturt University Research Office who has completed copyediting 47 chapters (of 80) for The Oxford Handbook of Speech Development in Languages of the World:

1.    Articulatory and phonological foundations of children’s speech development
2.    Afrikaans speech development
3.    Akan speech development
4.    Arabic (Egyptian) speech development
5.    Arabic (Lebanese) speech development
6.    Azerbaijani/Azeri Turkish speech development
7.    Bulgarian speech development
8.    Cantonese speech development
9.    Danish speech development
10.    Dutch speech development
11.    English (Appalachian) speech development
12.    English (Cajun) speech development
13.    English (Fiji) speech development
14.    English (Irish) speech development
15.    English (New Zealand) speech development
16.    English (South African) speech development
17.    English + French speech development
18.    Finnish speech development
19.    Flemish speech development
20.    French (Canadian) speech development
21.    French (France) speech development
22.    French (Swiss) speech development
23.    German speech development
24.    Hebrew (Israeli) speech development
25.    Icelandic speech development
26.    Irish speech development
27.    Italian speech development
28.    Jamaican Creole speech development
29.    Japanese speech development
30.    Kurdish speech development
31.    Laki speech development
32.    Maltese speech development
33.    Māori speech development
34.    Norwegian speech development
35.    Persian/Farsi speech development
36.    Portuguese (European) speech development
37.    Samoan speech development
38.    Sesotho speech development
39.    Setswana speech development
40.    Slovak speech development
41.    Spanish (Peruvian) speech development
42.    Swedish speech development
43.    Tok Pisin speech development
44.    Urdu speech development
45.    isiXhosa speech development
46.    Zapotec speech development
47.    isiZulu speech development

Friends and colleagues (old and new) at the Speech Pathology Australia National Conference

The Speech Pathology Australia National Conference was a great time of connecting in person with my team (since we all live in different cities), as well as with friends and colleagues (old and new). I particularly enjoyed meeting current and past students and hearing about how they have been using our research and books in their work. I had many rich conversations and learned a lot.

Some of the attendees at the IALP session

The SLM team at the end of the conference:
Sharynne McLeod, Emily-Jane Woodhead, Sarah Bartlett, Kate Margetson, Sarah Faulks

Kate Margetson, Emily-Jane Woodhead, Beth Armstrong, Mitchell Walley, Sarah Bartlett, Megan McAllister, Sharynne McLeod

Sharynne and Louise Brown with Hana Richmond an enthusiastic student volunteer

Prof Natalie Munro sharing wisdom with Sharynne and Sarah Bartlett

Sharynne and Alice Lans from Noah's Inclusion Services

Sharynne and Caroline Tiong

Sharynne with Dr Mary Claessen

Sharynne with our CSU student

Prof Bronwyn Hemsley and Sharynne
with Laura and Hana - student volunteers from WA

Sharynne with Dr Sarah Masso

Sharynne with A/Prof Elise Baker

Sharynne with helpful student volunteer Emily Candy

Prof Anne Whitworth, Prof Andrew Whitehouse, Prof Sharynne McLeod

Reconciliation week at the Speech Pathology Australia National Conference

Reconciliation week occurred at the same time as the Speech Pathology Australia National Conference. Members of our team attended and learned from these and other sessions: 

• Elizabeth Usher address: Speech Pathology practice in Aboriginal spaces: A journey of learning and unlearning - Elizabeth Armstrong

"Key messages 1. Aboriginal leadership and collaboration is central to any clinical or research endeavour aiming to be culturally secure for Aboriginal peoples. 2. Only Aboriginal clients and research participants can ultimately judge the cultural security of a service or project practices. 3. Cultural immersion is the optimal way to learn about Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing and develop a critical perspective on current clinical practices"

• What does a culturally secure speech pathology space for Aboriginal clients with brain injury and their families look like? [Workshop] - Elizabeth Armstrong and Kerri Colegate
•  Yarning together: Incorporating telehealth into the provision of culturally secure speech pathology services for Aboriginal Australians after brain injury - Natalie Ciccone and Mitchell Walley

JUST PUBLISHED - Early Childhood Voices: Children, Families, Professionals

Early Childhood Voices: Children, Families, Professionals 

Editors: Linda Mahony, Sharynne McLeod, Andi Salamon, Jenny Dwyer 

Publisher: Springer 

Publication date: 2024 

URL: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-56484-0

Springer's description of the book:

"Offers real life evidence-based examples and application to professional practice Brings together professionals across multiple disciplines from 17 countries Enacts the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

This revolutionary book explores theoretical and practical issues of listening to children, families, and professionals who advocate for and work with young children to promote social justice and improve their lives, and to ensure no one is left behind. Listening to children is explored across multiple disciplines internationally and highlights the practical application of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in the context of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The work explores innovations, theories, and partnerships, and draws on the voices of children, families, early childhood educators, speech-language pathologists, and multidisciplinary teams from across 17 countries to provide a shared vision for equity, peace and justice for all while integrating social environmental, economic, and dimensions of sustainability. Topics include giving children a voice; methods for listening to and documenting young children's perspectives; listening to and working in partnership with families, educators, and professionals; and wellness and wellbeing of young children and their families across multiple dimensions."

This book was the result of collaboration and mentoring with members of the Early Childhood Interdisciplinary Research Group (ECIR) after the Early Childhood Voices Conference 2020 (ECV2020). It has been an absolute pleasure working with my co-editors, the chapter authors who presented papers at ECV2020 and our reviewers.

PPI = CCI Consumer and commuity involvment

Recently I wrote about PPI in the UK (https://speakingmylanguages.blogspot.com/2024/05/patient-and-public-involvement-ppi.html)

Today, at the Speech Pathology Australia Conference, I had a conversation with Prof Deborah Hersh from Edith Cowan University who wrote this paper (among others): 

Hersh, D., Israel, M., & Shiggins, C. (2021, in press). The ethics of patient and public involvement across the research process: towards partnership with people with aphasia. Aphasiology. https://doi.org/10.1080/02687038.2021.1896870

She informed me that PPI in the UK = CCI in Australia

In 2016, the NHMRC published the "Statement on consumer and community involvement in health and medical research" https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/statement-consumer-and-community-involvement-health-and-medical-research and define the elements of CCI as:

"Community – a group of people sharing a common interest (e.g. cultural, social, political, health, economic interests) but not necessarily a particular geographic association. Different types of communities are likely to have different perspectives and approaches to their involvement in research." (p. 6)

"Consumer – patients and potential patients, carers, and people who use health care services." (p. 6)

Collectively, ‘consumers’ and ‘community members’ may be referred to as ‘the public’." (p. 6)

"Stakeholder - An individual or group from within or outside research organisations with a key interest in research. This might include members of consumer organisations, professional bodies, government agencies, non-government organisations, industry, or research funders as well as consumers and community members. Stakeholders can provide support or expertise and may influence decisions about the research and its findings." (p.7)

NHMRC are currently undertaking a review of this document.

SPA Life and Fellow Members recognition

During the Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) conference I was delighted to celebrate with other Life and Fellow Members.

Speech Pathology Australia recognises the enormous contribution made to the profession by Life and Fellow Members of the Association. Accordingly, I wish to invite you to join us for lunch during the Speech Pathology Australia 2024 Conference in Boorloo | Perth. The event will also allow an opportunity to welcome new Life and Fellow members and to network with your peers. We would be delighted if you would join us.

Sharynne with Prof Deborah Hersh

I really enjoy this annual lunch. I had a rich conversation with colleagues, including Prof Deborah Hersh, about PPI - public patient involvement(aka CCI consumer community involvement in Australia).

Speech Pathology Australia National Conference

Our team is in Perth this week for the Speech Pathology Australia National Conference. Here are our presentations:

1. How can I assess children’s speech in a language I do not speak? Insights from VietSpeech research - Kate Margetson and Sharynne McLeod
2. Assessing the language skills of multilingual Vietnamese-Australian children - Sarah Faulks, Sarah Verdon and Sharynne McLeod
3. Caregivers’ insights into supporting late talkers using Target Word™ Hanen Program® for parents  - Sarah Bartlett and Sharynne McLeod
4. Supporting 2-yearold’s communication: Collaborations between rural health professionals and early childhood education services - Cathie Matthews, Sharynne McLeod, et al.
5. Children Draw Talking: Insights from 200 children from 24 countries - Sharynne McLeod, Carolyn Gregoric, Jessamy Davies, Lysa Dealtry, Laura Delli-Pizzi, Belinda Downey, Sheena Elwick, Suzanne C. Hopf, Nicola Ivory, Holly McAlister, Elizabeth Murray, Azizur Rahman, Shukla Sikder, Van H. Tran, Cherie Zischke, Julian Grant
6. International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders (IALP): Making global and professional connections - Brian B. Shulman, Sharynne McLeod and Emily Hunt
   

Sharynne presenting Cathie Matthews' research

SLM team at SPA2024 - Sarah F, Kate M, Sharynne, Sarah B, Emily-Jane

Sarah Faulks presenting her honours research

Sarah Bartlett

Kate Margetson introducing the SACHL

Some attendees at the IALP session

IALP president Brian Shulman, Emily Hunt, Sharynne McLeod

Kate Margetson

Sharynne presenting about the Children Draw Talking research

Charles Sturt University in Perth for Speech Pathology Australia National Conference

It is fantastic to attend the Speech Pathology Australia National Conference each year because it is a rare chance to see my Charles Sturt University colleagues in person. CSU has several campuses with hundreds of kilometres between them - so most of our work is done online.  We enjoy each others' company - have fun, progress projects, and learn a lot when we are together. We met up the day before the conference began to watch the sun set over the ocean (something we never see on the eastern side of Australia).

Sarah Faulks, Kate Margetson, Sharynne McLeod,
Sarah Bartlett, Emily-Jane Woodhead

Kate, Sharynne and Sarah F watching the sun set over the ocean

RHRI Project 8 meeting and planning in Perth

Our RHRI Project 8 began earlier this year and is progressing very well. We met in Perth on the Sunday before the Speech Pathology Australia National Conference to progress our research to the next stage of data collection. 

We are presenting three papers from our research undertaken as part of this grant:

1. How can I assess children’s speech in a language I do not speak? Insights from VietSpeech research - Kate Margetson and Sharynne McLeod
2. Caregivers’ insights into supporting late talkers using Target Word™ Hanen Program® for parents  - Sarah Bartlett and Sharynne McLeod 
3. Supporting 2-yearold’s communication: Collaborations between rural health professionals and early childhood education services - Cathie Matthews, Sharynne McLeod, et al.

We have arranged a number of meetings to progress our research. Additionally, there are many papers on the conference program that are very relevant to our work - so we are learning a lot.

Emily-Jane, Sharynne and Sarah B discussing our research

Hello Perth

I have traveled from Bristol to Perth to attend the Speech Pathology Australia National Conference with my students and research team. Perth was much warmer than Bristol  - even though it is nearly summer in Bristol and nearly winter in Perth.

A huge sculpture at Elizabeth Quay

Kangaroo paws growing in the centre of the city

Black swans are symbolic of Perth

The sun setting over the ocean

Thank you Prof Yvonne Wren and Bristol Benjamin Meaker Visiting Distinguished Professor program

Thank you Professor Yvonne Wren and the Bristol Dental School who have sponsored my Bristol Benjamin Meaker Visiting Distinguished Professorship over the past 5 weeks. I have worked with Prof Yvonne Wren and her team to support their research, capacity building endeavours, and to write up research from the Cleft Collective Cohort. I have enjoyed learning from Yvonne and her teams and to contributing to the research and life of the University of Bristol. We have forged many new research agendas and I look forward to returning. It has been an inspirational and productive visit. 

 

Here is the summary of the outcomes from my visit

As Bristol Benjamin Meaker Visiting Distinguished Professor, Sharynne McLeod collaborated with colleagues in the Bristol Dental School, the Faculty of Health Sciences, and the wider University of Bristol community to advocate for communication for all, acknowledging the untapped potential of those who are underrepresented in society's conversations. Prof. McLeod was hosted by Prof. Yvonne Wren, who leads the Cleft Collective Cohort Study, a national longitudinal cohort study with over 11,000 participants from over 4000 families in the United Kingdom. The Cleft Collective uses the Intelligibility in Context Scale (ICS), an outcome measure developed by Prof. McLeod and team, that is also recommended in the International Consortium of Health Outcome Measures (ICHOM) Set of Patient-Centered Outcome Measures for Cleft Lip & Palate. During this visit, Prof McLeod worked with the Cleft Collective team to generate reference data at ages 3 and 5 years and found significant differences based on cleft type and whether a syndrome was present. Despite being available in over 70 languages, this is the first time the ICS has been studied longitudinally. In addition to her well-received lectures, Prof. McLeod undertook capacity building workshops and mentoring to support students and staff across the wider University of Bristol community.

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/international-research-development/visiting-researchers/visitors-for-202324/sharynne_mcleod/

 

Here are Yvonne's current roles that I have participated in during my visit:

• Professor of Speech and Communication, University of Bristol
• Professor of Speech and Language Therapy, Cardiff Metropolitan University
• Director, Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit, North Bristol NHS Trust www.speech-therapy.org.uk
• Chief Investigator – Cleft@18-23, NIHR Programme Grant, Bristol Dental School, University of Bristol
• Chief Investigator - The Cleft Collective, Bristol Dental School, University of Bristol, www.cleftcollective.org.uk
• Chief Investigator - MISLToe-SSD, North Bristol NHS Trust, MISLToe SSD | North Bristol NHS Trust (nbt.nhs.uk)

I have provided the following lectures as part of the visit:

1. Open Lecture at Southmead Hospital: Communicating with Children and Families in a Multilingual World
https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/bristol-speech-language-therapy-research-unit/about-bsltru/bsltru-events
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/northbristolnhstrust/1140990
https://speakingmylanguages.blogspot.com/2024/05/invited-lecture-all-children-should-be.html

2. Bristol Dental School seminar: Speech, Language and Communication: An Overview for Dentists
Recent evidence-based techniques will enable dentists to be better equipped to work with individuals with speech, language and communication needs including those with oral structural alterations (tongue tie and cleft palate)
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/international-research-development/diary/2024/dental-school-talk-by-professor-sharynne-mcleod.html  
https://speakingmylanguages.blogspot.com/2024/04/invited-lecture-speech-language-and.html
 

3. Faculty of Health Sciences lecture: Multilingual Children’s Speech
Aimed at students and staff in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Presentation of the benefits of multilingualism and insights from an international research program into how monolingual professionals can successfully work with multilingual children and families.
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/international-research-development/diary/2024/health-sciences-talk-by-professor-sharynne-mcleod.html
https://speakingmylanguages.blogspot.com/2024/05/university-of-bristol-health-sciences.html

 I also provided the following lectures and workshops:

4. Communicating with children and families in a multilingual world - Cardiff Metropolitan University Centre of Hearing, Language and Communication Research Lecture Series

5. Communication rights and social justice: Enhancing communicative participation for children with speech, language and communication needs - University of Cambridge Faculty of Education

6. Communication professionals need to advocate for communication rights and the Sustainable Development Goals  - Cylch Ieithyddiaeth/Bangor Linguistics Circle, Bangor University

7. Research wellness retreat - Cardiff Metropolitan University Centre of Hearing, Language and Communication Research Lecture Series

https://speakingmylanguages.blogspot.com/2024/05/writing-research-papers-in-bristol.html

Seldom heard voices in service user involvement

While at BSLTRU I had a chance to learn more about the work of Dr Kath Broomfield and her new book that she edited with Anna Volkmer: Seldom heard voices in service user involvement: The how and why of meaningful collaboration https://www.jr-press.co.uk/product/seldom-heard-voices/. Here is the description from the publisher's website:

Many communities are often excluded from research, service development and public consultations because they are considered too difficult to engage with. This list of seldom heard voices includes people with communication difficulties and/or mental health diagnoses, children and young people, minority and ethnic groups, and many more. Increasingly, there is a drive to be more inclusive and what sparse guidance there is suggests there should be engagement and communication with the relevant community, involving them in decision-making, co-design or co-produce at all levels. But how is this carried out?

Seldom Heard Voices in Service User Involvement is the first book that shares experiences and examples of service user involvement with communities of seldom heard voices. As well as being a practical resource for clinicians, it will provide a resource for future health and social care professionals and researchers. Additionally, it will bring together expertise and experience from across a range of seldom heard voices, ultimately sharing and maximizing the transfer of knowledge and resource.

There are many synergies with our new Children's Voices Centre and our book Listening to Children and Young People with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (https://www.jr-press.co.uk/product/communication-needs). Kath gave me a copy of her book and I have already enjoyed reading it.

Thank you Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit (BSLTRU)

Thank you to the Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit (BSLTRU) https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/bristol-speech-language-therapy-research-unit/bsltru-research who have welcomed me, inspired me, and provided me with good coffees during my 5 week visit to Bristol. Today I was able to join the team meeting. The BSLTRU team include the following people:

• Prof Yvonne Wren (Director)
• Dr Samantha Harding
• Dr Sam Burr
• Dr Katherine Broomfield
• Caitlin Holme
• Dr Lucy Southby
• Charlotte McCarthy 
• Dr Rhonwen Lewis
• Shani Ackford
• Dominika Kruszynska

BSLTRU has been directed by Prof Pam Enderby, Prof Sue Roulstone, and Prof Karen Sage and I have been honoured to visit BSLTRU in 2010, 2013 and undertake projects with the team over many years.

Sam Burr, Kath Broomfield, Yvonne Wren, Dominika Kruszynska
(online Sam Harding, Caitlin Holme)

Here are some of the projects that they are working on at the moment:

• Cleft Collective - Cleft Speech & Language Study | North Bristol NHS Trust (nbt.nhs.uk);  Bristol Dental School | University of Bristol 
• MISLToe - MISLToe SSD | North Bristol NHS Trust
• Prosiect Pengwin - Prosiect Pengwin - Early Years Co-design Panel | Early Years Wales 
• Understanding the causal pathways for persistent speech sound disorder | North Bristol NHS Trus
• Investigating the impact of COVID 19 on language development in children born with cleft palate 
• The CHATTER study  | North Bristol NHS Trust
• Exploring access to SLT for stroke survivors who speak Welsh Exploring access to Speech and Language Therapy for Welsh speaking survivors of stroke | North Bristol NHS Trust
• Unspoken Voices project Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) | North Bristol NHS Trust
• Working closely with ALSPAC and have been involved in developing and using the speech and language data with international collaborators - https://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/

On my final day, they gave me a lovely gift listing women who changed the world.

Visiting Oxford University Press to discuss The Oxford Handbook of Speech Development in Languages of the World

Today I had the privilege of visiting Oxford University Press in Oxford (UK) to discuss The Oxford Handbook of Speech Development in Languages of the World. I met with Julia Steer, the Senior Acquisitions Editor (Linguistics) (https://academic.oup.com/pages/contact-us/find-an-editor/linguistics) and Vicki Sunter, Senior Assistant Commissioning Editor (Linguistics). I have been working with 216 authors on 80 chapters - and it is close to submission. Julia was very encouraging about our work to date and that the Handbook will be a great resource for the world. I look forward to finalising the content after making Julia's minor suggestions, then working with Vicki as we go into production. 

Julia Steer, Sharynne McLeod and Vicki Sunter at OUP