Help! How can I support multilingual children? Speech assessment of children’s home language(s) (SACHL)

Today Dr Kate Margetson and I presented a 2-hour invited seminar titled "Help! How can I support multilingual children? Speech assessment of children’s home language(s) (SACHL)" at the Central West Speechies' PD Day in Orange.

Karen Trengove (Learn2Communicate), Dr Kate Margetson (CSU), Prof Sharynne McLeod (CSU), Dr Rebecca Sutherland (The University of Sydney)

Dr Kate Margetson describing data from our research

Dr Kate Margetson describing the SACHL

 

This presentation was a really important day for Kate's postdoctoral research. We have had a 18month grant from the Rural Health Research Institute (RHRI) to consider how speech pathologists can support multilingual children, particularly in rural areas. Kate presented our work on the SACHL:

https://www.csu.edu.au/research/multilingual-speech/speech-assessments/sachl

The attendees both provided a wonderful audience for research translation, but also for providing advice about how to make the SACHL better for all.

Great strides made at OAMS today

Today was a wonderful day of big steps towards pulling together some of the threads of our research. 

• First, we had a wonderful meeting with our research partner Ebony Hay where we worked together to create/trial/assess the first set of resources we have purchased for OAMS using our RHRI grant money (and advice from listening to staff at OAMS, other ACCHOs and others who are supporting Indigenous children's speech, language and communication). 
• Next we had lunch with Liz Pressick to talk about the overarching research at OAMS regarding continuous quality improvement. 
• Then we met with Anna Blackie (OAMS-Allied Health) and Bonnie from SARRAH about the Allied Health Assistant program.

Emily-Jane Woodhead, Anna Blackie, Sharynne McLeod, Sarah Bartlett (online)

Emily-Jane Woodhead, Liz Pressick, Sharynne

Emily-Jane Woodhead, Ebony Hay, Sharynne McLeod

Visiting RHRI CSU and OAMS in Orange

Today was Emily-Jane Woodhead's first visit to the Rural Health Research Institute (RHRI) at Charles Sturt University in Orange and the Orange Aboriginal Medical Service. We were made to feel so welcome in both locations. It was great to meet with Dr Hazel Dalton and Dr Liz Pressick at RHRI. They then accompanied us to OAMS where we were welcomed by Jamie Newman (CEO), Sarah Griffiths-Lanser (Medical Administration Lead) and Ebony Hay (Child Health Navigator).

Charles Sturt University Orange Campus

Sharynne McLeod, Jamie Newman, Hazel Dalton, Liz Pressick, Emily-Jane Woodhead, Sarah Griffiths-Lanser, Ebony Hay

CSU RHRI: Liz, Sharynne, Hazel and Emily-Jane

CSU Summer 2023 Research Retreat

Over the past two days I have attended the Summer 2023 Research Retreat hosted by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) in Orange addressing the following:

1. First Nations Research - Sue Green and Mark Evans

• First Nations Research Retreat Outcomes
• Barriers to implementing the First Nations Retreat Outcomes
• Living Yindyamarra

2. Vice-Chancellor’s Research Excellence Awards

3. Proposal for the Establishment of ARC/NHMRC Bid Accelerators - Mark Evans

4. Research Services Retreat Outcomes - Jason White

5. Implementation of the HDR Review - Sarah O’Shea

Accepting Kate Smithers' ECR award

Some key points about First Nations Research

• "It was agreed that Yindyamarra values could be used to drive First Nations research activity on Wiradjuri, Gundungarra and Ngunnawal/ Ngambri country as the values would not require translation due to clan ties, but the values would need to be translated meaningfully for research on Biripai country."
• "Charles Sturt’s First Nations engagement framework will follow the AIATSIS National Framework with country specific protocols to be developed by Biripai, Ngunnawal/ Ngambri, and Wiradjuri Gateway Groups. The objective of this framework is to provide a comprehensive guide for research practices that respect the values and cultural beliefs of First Nations communities."
• "First Nations IP will include authorship in publications, and remuneration for research participation. These expenses will need to be included in project costings. Data Sovereignty principles will be adopted following the Lowitja model. https://www.lowitja.org.au/icms_docs/328550_data-governance-and-sovereignty.pdf"

Four Principles that will underpin the Wiradyuri Research Gateway

1. Yindyamarra – Respect & Honour - kindness, politeness, gentleness, slowness, and patience
2. Winnanga-gi-gilanna – People & Country - caring for people & Country
3. Ngungillanna – People - sharing resources & knowledge with each other
4. Muldanngilana – Working Together - equality, equity, honesty, and integrity 

Congratulations to my colleagues who won Research Excellence Awards. I was invited to collect the award for Kate Smithers who was awarded the Early Career Researcher Award for the Faculty of Arts and Education.

 

Inspiring Orange

Yesterday I had a series of inspiring meetings in Orange, NSW - my neighbouring city. First I met with Asta Fung and we shared wonton soup and our research journeys. I was Asta's lecturer at The University of Sydney in the 1990s. She is undertaking a PhD at the University of Newcastle about breathing and pain control using her speech pathology expertise. Next I met with four fourth year speech pathology students undertaking their fieldwork placements at Orange Community Health/Hospital. I loved their enthusiasm and we talked about how their professional (and personal) futures are an adventure. I believe that they have chosen a fantastic profession to be part of. Finally I spent the afternoon with Cathie Matthews, a speech pathologist and colleague who has worked in the Central West for many years. She is undertaking the NSW Health Rural Research Capacity Building Program and has invited me to be on her mentoring team. What an inspiring day.

Year 4 speech pathology students from The University of Sydney

Cathie Matthews and Sharynne