Dr Carolyn Gregoric, Dr Belinda Downey and I have been doing a lot of work to prepare for presenting the Children Draw Health research at the World Health Organization meeting next week. Here are the finalised pull-up banners:
This morning Dr Kate Margetson, Dr Helen L. Blake and I were invited to present a 3-hour live session to the Canadian Speech and Stuttering Institute (SSI) (https://ssitraininghub.ca/) and speech-language pathologists across Canada and the USA (n = 25). Our presentation was titled "Multilingual Children's Speech Acquisition and Therapy".
Children learn to communicate in one or more of the world’s 7000 languages. Assessment and intervention for multilingual children’s speech can be challenging, especially if children do not speak languages that are familiar to speech-language pathologists (S-LPs). This workshop will provide a cross-linguistic account of monolingual and multilingual and children’s speech development.
Part 1 of the workshop, will begin with an overview of (mostly free) resources that are available to support children’s speech acquisition, assessment, and intervention in over 130 of the world’s languages and dialects on the Multilingual Children’s Speech website https://www.csu.edu.au/research/multilingual-speech/home
Part 2 of the workshop will present the Speech Assessment of Children’s Home Language(s) (SACHL), a practical evidence-based protocol for assessing children’s speech in unfamiliar languages. The step-by-step protocol includes: comparing languages with English; identifying and using SLPs’ existing skills; identifying areas requiring support from families/interpreters; locating and using assessments in a range of languages; taking a collaborative approach to transcribing and analyzing multilingual speech; considering reasons children’s speech may not match standard targets; and implications for diagnosis of speech sound disorder.
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| SSI organisers and presenters |
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| Kate presenting part 2 |
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| One attendee sharing her "favourite book" |
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| We reported on the VietSpeech research in part 2 |
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| Padlet answers |
We had another wonderful meeting with Dr Mélanie Gréaux from the World Health Organization to update everyone on the huge amount of work that we have done over the past month.
This has included being certified as a Member of the WHO Disability Health Equity Network. We learned that to date, 1088 expressions of interest were received, 261 were full applications and 141 have been approved. The deadline has been extended for Member States. The launch will be held from 12-13 November in Geneva.
We also have finished our Children's Voices Centre Children's Advisory Group analysis of 126 drawings from 18 countries to provide an overview of children's recommendations about health and access to healthcare. Our recommendations are ready to present in Fiji in a few weeks' time.
Our scoping review is in full swing with full text data extraction continuing being led by Dr Kate Freire.
Thanks team!
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| Sharynne, Mel, Helen, Belinda, Carolyn |
Thank you to Abbey from the CSU Brand team who has been working with Carolyn Gregoric and Belinda Downey to create the booklet we will present to the World Health Organization later this month. It is looking great!
We were invited to present a Speech Sound Disorders Series for Bright Ideas Media in the US.
This morning Dr. Kelly Farquharson and I presented a live 90 minute session to over 100 speech-language pathologists across the United States. Our presentation was titled: "Clinical Use of Speech Sound Acquisition Data"
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| "Don't ask when should a child say /s/ - instead ask what sound is the child making instead of /s/" |
Dr Helen L. Blake and Dr Kate Margetson and I were invited to present a 2-hour online session titled "Multilingual Children’s Speech Assessment: A Contemporary Global Update"
Welcome to the Speech Sound Disorders Series for 2025—a fresh look at how we treat speech sound disorders, grounded in what we know now. This year, we’re placing a strong focus on updated, evidence-based practices that reflect the evolving landscape of our field.
Joining the series are international experts Drs. Kelly Farquharson and Sharynne McLeod, bringing global insights and current research to deepen our understanding. From the nuances of treating R to conducting effective multilingual assessments, they’ll guide us through practical strategies that are informed, inclusive, and responsive to today’s clinical challenges.
The series includes:
* The 90-min live session, and the replay, co-presented by Drs. Sharynne McLeod and Kelly Farquharson: "Clinical Use of Speech Sound Acquisition Data"
* A 60-min on-demand course by Dr. Farquharson: "/ɹ/ you frustrated by working on /ɹ/? Try facilitative contexts!"
* An 120-min on-demand course by Drs. McLeod, Kate Margetson, and Helen Blake: "Multilingual Children’s Speech Assessment: A Contemporary Global Update"
This year's series is designed to challenge outdated assumptions and provide clear answers to common questions.
Our presenters are passionate about helping clinicians grow in confidence and competence. With their support—and expertise —you’ll walk away with sharper tools, broader perspective, and renewed clarity in how you treat speech sound disorders today.
Both on-demand courses will be available after the live event on Oct. 8 at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Lorraine Bennett and I appreciate advice from the CSU Finance team: Michael Woolnough and Gil Burmeister.
The news story was syndicated across the Australian Community Media network in the wider NSW Central West, including The Oberon Review: (Oberon), The Central Western Daily (Orange), The Lithgow Mercury (Lithgow), and The Daily Liberal (Dubbo). One interview, five newspaper stories!
From What's New and News today
Subject: Meet The New Cultural And Linguistic Diversity Champions And Be An Ally For Cultural Inclusion
Message:
The Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (CALD) Network has new Champions and a refreshed vision for inclusion and you are warmly invited to be part of it. Come along on Tuesday 21 October at 2pm and meet our new Champions Koshila Kumar, Jelena Bogdanovic and Salma Arabi and help build a vision for this important employee network.
In 2025:
- 13% of Charles Sturt staff speak a language other than English at home
- 10% of Charles Sturt staff come from an ethnic minority background
- More than 56 languages other than English are spoken at home by Charles Sturt staff
Networks aim to:
- unite people who share lived experience of inequity, and those who support them
- create a forum to raise issues of importance for gender equity
- allow members to draw on personal experience of gender inequity to provide feedback and guide decisions around University priorities and initiatives
- provide a safe place for employees to connect and create dialogue around diversity, workplace inclusion and belonging
Come along and share your experiences, show your allyship and help to create a truly inclusive culture in our workplace.
Find the calendar invitation here:https://www.csu.edu.au/division/people-culture/current-staff/respect-equity-and-diversity/diverse-faiths-cultures
For more information contact edi@csu.edu.au
We look forward to seeing you there.
Today Dr Carolyn Gregoric led a meeting with our CVC affiliates titled "Widening children's participation in research scoping review project". Claudio Dionigi provided advice on scoping reviews and Covidence.
How exciting - this paper has just been published.
McCormack, J., Cronin, A., McLeod, S., Ireland, M., Wang, C., & Tiong, C. (2025). Children’s drawings of intervention for childhood apraxia of speech: Place, people, activity, and emotion. Child Language Teaching and Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1177/02656590251375340
Exiting for two reasons - summarises our Once Upon a Time research grant + first paper to be accepted for our Child Language Teaching and Therapy special issue!
Here are the drawings that have been included as figures in our paper. These depict the participants' insights into undertaking DTTC intervention.
This morning I met with Marie Ireland and LaVae to discuss the data analysis for our nine tensions paper. 1011 responses submitted, 885 responses completed (and not duplicated) after data cleaning by Kate Crowe. Now the fun begins as we find out what they said. Marie has submitted an abstract for a conference in 2026 in Australia - hope it is accepted - so she can come and present this work.
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| Marie, Sharynne and LaVae |
All of the copyedited chapter files (80 chapters) and figure files arrived this week! There is a lot of work to be done to finalise these in the next two weeks. Thank you Helen Blake for your assistance - we make a great team!
I am mentoring Dr Ros Cox in the writing and publication of her book "Vaccination is under threat: Communication is the solution". She pitches the book with the publishers today. Best wishes Ros! Can't wait to work with you on this.
Today we received the welcome news that we have been accepted as a member of the WHO Disability Health Equity Network.
We are pleased to welcome Charles Sturt University as a member of the WHO Disability Health Equity Network. Please find attached the Disability Health Equity Network membership certificate for your entity, and a copy of the Terms of reference for the Network.
CSU's application was focused on the work of the Children's Voices Centre. We are proud to work with WHO to change the lives of children and others with disabilities and the workforce, families and communities who support them.
We have added this partnership to our CVC website: https://www.csu.edu.au/research/childrens-voices-centre/engage-with-us
Terms of Reference
The WHO Disability Health Equity Network (hereinafter referred to as the Network)
envisions health equity for all persons with disabilities in support of the implementation of the WHA74.8 Resolution on the Highest attainable standard of health for persons with disabilities and advance WHO’s work on closing the avoidable health gaps between persons with disabilities and the broader population. The Network aims to advance the GPW14 Strategic Objective 4: Improve health service coverage and financial protection to address inequity and gender inequalities; more specifically:
• 4.1. Equity in access to quality services improved for noncommunicable diseases, mental health conditions and communicable diseases, while addressing antimicrobial resistance; and
• 4.2. Equity in access to sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, adolescent,
and older person health and nutrition services and immunization coverage improved. It also advances the goal of leaving no one behind.
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| Cheers from our team: Sharynne, Suzanne, Holly |
Today Sarah Bartlett and I visited the Orange Aboriginal Medical Service (OAMS) to discuss the outcomes of the research we have undertaken with them since March 2023 (officially from 2024-June 2025). We are writing four journal articles with the team. What a warm and encouraging discussion about the findings. Jamie Newman, the CEO said "we will speak for you and you can speak for us". Thank you Jamie and congratulations on the wonderful care you and your team show for the families in our region.
Our Children's Voices Centre Newsletter - Edition 1 - was released during our launch on 1st October 2025. It contains 28 pages of wonderful work of the whole CVC family.
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| CEO Jamie Newman, Orange Aboriginal Medical Service reading about our collaborations on pages 4 and 21 |
Yesterday (1st October 2025) we launched the Children's Voices Centre (CVC). What a landmark moment in my life. Thank you to Associate Professors Tamara Cumming and Kathy Cologon, Dr Carolyn Gregoric, Lorraine Bennett and CVC affiliates, and everyone who has helped us build the CVC.
Here is the LinkedIn post from our Deputy Vice Chancellor - Research, Professor Neena Mitter, who opened the Centre:
Yesterday’s launch of the Children’s Voices Centre in Bathurst was one of those rare moments that stays with you.
To see children, families, researchers, and the community gathered together to celebrate the power of children’s voices was deeply moving. It reminded me how research is not just about data or outcomes — it is about people, connections, and creating spaces where every voice matters.
The Children’s Voices Centre is already making an extraordinary impact:Congratulations to Distinguished Professor Sharynne McLeod Associate Professors Tamara Cumming and Kathy Cologon, and Dr Carolyn Gregoric, Lorraine Bennett and affiliates on bringing this vision to life. As the children who spoke at the launch emphasised, the Children’s Voices Centre will be a beacon for children and families, amplifying voices that too often go unheard.
- Children from 18 countries have contributed to the Children Draw Health project, sharing their perspectives on wellbeing.
- Researchers have produced a landmark 1,000+ page Oxford Handbook with 173 authors across 49 languages, reshaping how the world understands multilingual children’s speech.
- Collaborations with the World Health Organization are ensuring children’s voices influence health equity on a global stage.
- Collaborations with families and professionals in 100+ languages and dialects.
I feel grateful to have witnessed this beginning and look forward to seeing the journey ahead.
Read more in the Children’s Voices Centre newsletter https://www.csu.edu.au/research/childrens-voices-centre/news-and-events #CharlesSturtResearch #ChildrensVoicesCentre #RegionalImpact #CommunicationRights
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| CVC staff: Tamara, Sharynne, Kathy, Carolyn (Lorraine) |
Here is the CSU media release before the launch:
Shaping a better world for children ─ innovative new research centre opens in Bathurst
Thank you to our amazing CVC staff who orchestrated the entire event: A/Prof Tamara Cumming, A/Prof Kathy Cologon, Dr Carolyn Gregoric and Lorraine Bennett (this accomplishment is even more remarkable because they are all part time – between them they only work 2.6FTE!).
Special moments at the launch included:
Here are some more photos from the launch
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| Professor Tony Dreise, Pro Vice Chancellor (First Nations) |
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| Associate Director, A/Prof Tamara Cumming |
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| Director, Distinguished Professor Sharynne McLeod |
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| Charlie the Cockatoo (Felix) with Sharynne |
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| Charlie the Cockatoo (Felix) with Lorraine Benett, Sharynne McLeod and Dean of FOAE Andrew Hope |
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| Pat McKenna, Sharynne Prof McLeod, Prof Neena Mitter, Prof Andrew Hope |
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| Prof Tony Dreise, Prof Sharynne McLeod, Prof Neena Mitter, A/Prof Kathy Cologon |
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| Prof Tony Dreise, Sarah Bartlett, Dr Carolyn Gregoric, Prof Neena Mitter |
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| A/Prof Tamara Cumming |
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| Adam and Chloe preparing to present a speech |
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| A/Prof Kathy Cologon, Chloe, Zach and Finbar |
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| Finbar's speech |
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| Chloe's speech |
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| The attentive VIPs |
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| Some of the crowd |
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| Children playing at the back of The Treehouse during the launch |
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| A/Prof Tamara Cumming and Prof Neena Mitter |
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| CVC song being lead by Zach, David, Finbar, Brendon and Kathy |
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| Activities for children and adults after the launch |
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