The Journal of Child Language Teaching and Therapy invited me to present their 2024 Summer Lecture.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/child-language-teaching-and-therapy-annual-summer-lecture-2024-tickets-882052130667
Do we really listen to children?
Distinguished Professor Sharynne McLeod, Charles Sturt University, Australia
- Wednesday, 26 June Child Language Teaching and Therapy Annual Summer Lecture 2024
- Date and time: Wed, 26 Jun 2024 19:00 - 20:30 AEST
- Location: Online
- About this event: 1 hour 30 minutes
I was delighted to see it was sold out - with 250 free tickets registered from people in United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Ireland, Ghana, United States, New Zealand, Philippines, Isle of Man, Fiji, Sweden, Greece, Canada, Switzerland, South Africa, Portugal, Morocco, Kenya, Japan, Indonesia, India, Egypt, Dominica, Czech Republic, Brazil, Bangladesh, Algeria.
Do we really listen to children? Abstract. Communication is a human right for all; and ALL includes children with speech, language, and communication needs, including those who speak/sign non-dominant languages (McLeod, 2018). Aligning with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations, 1989) we have given attention to the “voice” of children. For example, we have creatively engaged in child-friendly arts-based methods to provide children with the “right to freedom of expression… regardless of frontiers” as outlined in Article 13. However, do we REALLY listen to children? As we become more accustomed to including children’s perspectives in our professional practices, it is time to reflect on whether some of our inclusion of children’s voices could be perceived as “tokenistic” (Hart, 1992). As communication specialists, we have the power to support children’s voice and to assist others to listen. How can we mature in our practices to enhance children’s participation within democratic processes in their families, schools, communities, and society?
Biography. Sharynne McLeod, PhD is a Distinguished Professor at Charles Sturt University, Australia specialising in speech and language acquisition. Her transformative research has reframed the profession by foregrounding communication rights and social justice, and by enhancing equitable participation for multilingual children with speech, language and communication needs. She has advocated for communication rights at the United Nations and the World Health Organization. She is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, and Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales. She has been an Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Benjamin Meaker Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Bristol, and Visiting Professor at Manchester Metropolitan University. She served as editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, and has received Honors of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and Life Membership of Speech Pathology Australia. The Australian Newspaper named her Australia’s Research Field Leader and Best in the World in Audiology, Speech and Language Pathology based on the “quality, volume and impact” of her research.
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