Preparing for ICPLA

Today Helen Blake and I spent the day preparing for ICPLA. We worked on the feedback from the International Expert Panel on Multilingual Children's Speech (IEPMCS) in preparation for tomorrow's meeting, the changes necessary to the 3 hour presentation on multilingual children's speech due to presenters not being able to attend due to the world's conflicts, ordering the cake for the launch of The Oxford Handbook of Speech Development in Languages of the World, networking with colleagues who have arrived at the conference hotel and answering and sending numerous emails. We are almost ready for ICPLA (and have such a wonderful view as our backdrop).

 

Research productivity

What a joy it is to work closely with Dr Helen Blake. We are so productive on so many different aspects of our research. Thank you Helen.

Thank you Dr. Helen L. Blake

 What would I do without Helen Blake working with me. She is magnificent. Here are a few of the thinks she has accomplished this year. Wow!

1.    Conduct ethical, high-quality research through scholarship, publication and presentation:

• Co-author of Persian chapter and Australian English chapter of The Oxford Handbook of Speech Development in Languages of the World
• Co-editor of Multilingual Matters book, initial communication with authors
• Co-author of journal articles/book chapters
• Co-author of Vietnamese English chapter in Linguistic Varieties in North America: A Primer for Speech and Language Practitioners
• Co-editor of Early Childhood Voices Conference Proceedings (ECV2024)

2.    Work closely with the Professorial Fellow to organise and take part in research initiatives, events, mentorship:

• Assisted with The Oxford Handbook of Speech Development in Languages of the World as required – chapters (Slovenian, Hungarian), co-editing, QA of author submitted PowerPoints and video and audio recordings, and associated presentations
• Assisted with update of Multilingual Children’s Speech website https://www.csu.edu.au/research/multilingual-speech/home
• Managing requests to translate the Intelligibility in Context Scale (ICS) and Speech Participation and Activity Assessment of Children (SPAA-C) into other languages

3.    Identify and create opportunities for collaborative research projects:

• Participate in Rural Health Research Institute: Project 8

4.    Establish and maintain strategic relationships and networks:

• Preparation/presentation of conference presentations: ECV24, ASHA, IALP symposium, ICPLA, ISB15, ISMBS
• Member of scientific review committee for ECV24 and ICPLA25

5.    Provide leadership and manage small research teams:

• ECV2024 Multilingual Speech and Publications committee co-chairs, attend meetings
• PhD co-supervision – Sara Kablaoui

New door sign

A nice surprise!

Bristol Benjamin Meaker Distinguished Visiting Professor

Today began my visit to the University of Bristol as the Bristol Benjamin Meaker Distinguished Visiting Professor (20 April - 26 May 2024). I am based in the Bristol Dental School with Professor Yvonne Wren: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/international-research-development/visiting-researchers/visitors-for-202324/sharynne_mcleod/

I am honoured to be working with Professor Yvonne Wren, PhD, MEd, BSc (Hons), FRCSLT

• 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 https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/bristol-speech-language-therapy-research-unit/bsltru-research/misltoe-ssd

Here is the project we are working on together:

Children born with cleft palate: Intelligibility and participation

Up to 1 million people in the UK have a communication disability which affects their ability to express themselves or to understand others. Our ability to communicate is impacted by our intelligibility and if we cannot make ourselves understood, then we will struggle to function in society. In particular, the impact on activities and participation, as defined by the World Health Organization can be significantly diminished, leading to social isolation and the potential for an impact on wellbeing and mental health, educational and occupational outcomes. Rarely will a clinician be aware of these difficulties as individuals can become quite adept at hiding their difficulties. Professor McLeod’s work has helped to draw attention to communication rights of all people with communication impairment and the difficulties that children with speech sound disorder in particular face in terms of everyday life as a child. Children born with cleft palate are at particular risk of communication disability as a consequence of problems with intelligibility. Using data from The Cleft Collective, the large-scale national cohort study of over 10,000 participants led by Dr Yvonne Wren at Bristol Dental School, Professor McLeod and Dr Wren will explore intelligibility in affected children using the Intelligibility in Context Scale. The Scale was developed by Professor McLeod and has now been translated in over 60 languages and is used worldwide. The outputs will provide unique reference data for children born with cleft, taking into account additional factors such as cleft subtype and syndromic status. Further analysis will enable us to determine the impact that differences in intelligibility in this population has on children’s levels of activity and participation. 

During her visit and through her planned talks, Prof McLeod will raise awareness of communication disability and highlight additional challenges and benefits when working with multilingual individuals. Professor McLeod is hosted by Dr Yvonne Wren from the Bristol Dental School. 

Lectures and seminars include: 

• Open Lecture "Communicating with Children and Families in a Multilingual World"
• Departmental seminar "Speech, Language and Communication: An Overview for Dentists"
• Faculty of Health Sciences lecture: "Multilingual Children’s Speech"

Accommodation at The Principal's House, University of Bristol

Prof Yvonne Wren and Prof Sharynne McLeod at Oakfield House, University of Bristol

Prof Sharynne McLeod and Prof Yvonne Wren celebrating our first day at Lido

Announcement of the first Charles Sturt Distinguished Professors

The Vice Chancellor has announced the first Charles Sturt Distinguished Professors in her Vice-Chancellor's Message | 17 April 2024:

I am pleased to announce that Professor Sharynne McLeod, Professor Geoff Gurr, and Professor Chris Blanchard have been appointed as Charles Sturt Distinguished Professors. The development of the Distinguished Professor Scheme is an important objective within the Research Strategy to help us attract and retain the highest-calibre academic staff and produce world-class research. These long-standing, high achieving Charles Sturt academics are our first internal appointments. They join external appointments of Distinguished Professors Muhammad J A Shiddiky, Sarah O’Shea, Alan Cooper, Jing Sun, and Stan Grant who has recently returned to Charles Sturt. I have recorded a message to congratulate and thank our first internal appointments (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eBy31PEJZk). I will be profiling the achievements of each of the Distinguished Professors in my Message over future issues.

I am honoured to be in such distinguished company and look forward to continuing my work at Charles Sturt in this role. 

Here is the Vice Chancellor's announcement:

Professor Sharynne McLeod is a remarkable person who embodies the transformative power of education and research. I am pleased to announce her appointment as a Charles Sturt Distinguished Professor. Professor McLeod’s interdisciplinary research foregrounds communication rights and social justice and enhances equitable participation for all children, particularly multilingual children with speech, language, and communication needs. She has presented her research to thousands of people worldwide, including the Australian Government Senate Inquiries, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations. She was named Australia’s Research Field Leader for Audiology, Speech, and Language Pathology in The Australian newspaper’s supplement Research 2024 and best in the world in 2023. Professor McLeod joined Charles Sturt 25 years ago as a lecturer. In that time, she has led countless research programs, but for every piece of work, she asks, ‘Will this make a difference to the lives of children and families across the world? ' On receiving the University’s highest promotion, Professor McLeod said, ‘My students and colleagues have inspired, encouraged, challenged, and mentored my growth, and now it is a great honour to be recognised.’ “I am excited to begin my next phase at Charles Sturt, leading a new interdisciplinary centre focused on children’s research and communication. The centre will be located in The Treehouse, which will be a beacon of innovation and inclusivity, revolving around empowering children to communicate, collaborate, and create a world worth living in." Professor McLeod’s first encounter with (what is now) Charles Sturt University was as a child at West Bathurst Public School, when the school choir was invited to sing on campus. No one in her family had attended university, but the encounter inspired Sharynne to keep doing her best at school. This moment shaped the focus of her academic life, recognising potential in all children and supporting them to participate fully in society regardless of their postcodes, abilities, culture, languages spoken, family and economic circumstances. Congratulations, Professor McLeod, and thank you for your selfless commitment to the greater good.

Appointment to Charles Sturt University Distinguished Professor

I just received the following news:

"On behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, it is my pleasure to advise that your nomination for Charles Sturt University Distinguished Professor has been approved. The appointment as a Charles Sturt University Distinguished Professor is a highly prestigious appointment and I congratulate you on being recognised for your outstanding contributions."

Nominations for Charles Sturt University Distinguished Professor are considered with reference to the following criteria:

• An international reputation for exceptional research and scholarship
• Professional peer recognition of significant achievements at a state, national and international level
• Research/research team leadership
• Outstanding community engagement

I am grateful for the support and encouragement of CSU during my 25+ years of employment and am so pleased that I have been able to work with many great students and colleagues to make a difference in children’s lives throughout the world.

ECIR colleagues surprising me with flowers to celebrate the announcement