American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention, Washington DC

This week Dr Helen Blake and I are attending and presenting at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention in Washington DC. This year ASHA is celebrating its centenary - 100 years.

Here are our presentations:

• Invited 2-Hour Short Course - Culturally Appropriate Assessment of Multilingual Children in International Contexts - Thu 10:30 am SC03 - Sharynne  McLeod, Helen L. Blake, Kate Margetson, Krisztina Zjado
• Technical Research - Community Support For Indigenous Children’s Speech, Language and Communication - Fri 9:30 am 4602L 
• Technical Research - Children’s experience and understanding of intensive speech intervention: "...made my tongue dry up" - Sat 3:00 pm 4734L  

Culturally Appropriate Assessment of Multilingual Children in International Contexts - Helen L. Blake, Sharynne  McLeod,  Krisztina Zjado

Culturally Appropriate Assessment of Multilingual Children in International Contexts

 

ASHA is always a time of catching up with friends and colleagues from across the world - and making new friends and colleagues. 

Sharynne McLeod, Gregg Lof, Rhea Paul

Sharynne  McLeod, Rebecca McCauley, Lynn Williams

Helen Blake and Sharynne  McLeod on day 1

 

Prof Karla Washington, Sharynne McLeod, Nicole Bazzocchi, Helen Blake

Current and Past ASHA staff: Brooke Hallowell, Vicki Deal-Williams (ASHA CEO) Lynn Williams, Arlene Pietrantron, Sharynne  McLeod

Getting over jetlag in Washington DC before the ASHA convention

We arrived in Washington DC last night to prepare for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association convention to be held this week. Today was spent visiting important sites in Washington DC, soaking up some sunshine to get over jetlag, seeing some squirrels, and catching up on work.

The White House

Washington Monument

Capitol Building

Capitol Building

Capitol Building

A squirrel!

 

Helen Blake and I had fun creating these photos in Washington DC

Data analysis about speech-language pathologists in US schools

 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.

Marie, Sharynne  and LaVae

 

 

OUAT - publication preparation

Our Once Upon a Time grant data collection is finished - and today we met to continue working on the data analysis, publications and presentations from this important work.

Sharynne, Jane McCormack, Anna Cronin

Future collaborations

This morning I met with my wonderful colleague from the US - Professor Lynn Williams - to discuss future collaborations. Lynn and I have a rich past of very productive and impactful collaborations. It is exciting to now discuss new areas of work. 

 Here are some of the things we have published together: 

• Williams, A. L., McLeod, S., & McCauley, R. J. (Eds.). (2010). Interventions for speech sound disorders in children. Paul H. Brookes Publishing. 
• Williams, A. L., McLeod, S., & McCauley, R. J. (Eds.). (2021). Interventions for speech sound disorders in children (2nd ed.). Paul H. Brookes Publishing. 
• Baker, E., McCauley, R. J., Williams, A. L., & McLeod, S. (2020). Elements in phonological intervention: A comparison of three approaches using the Phonological Intervention Taxonomy. In E. Babatsouli & M. J. Ball (Eds.), On under-reported monolingual child phonology (pp. 375-399). Multilingual Matters. http://www.multilingual-matters.com/display.asp?isb=9781788928946 
• Baker, E., Williams, A. L., McLeod, S., & McCauley, R. (2018). Elements of phonological interventions for children with speech sound disorders: The development of a taxonomy. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 27(3), 906–935. https://doi.org/10.1044/2018_AJSLP-17-0127 

ASHA friends

 Each year at ASHA I connect with many friends - and make many new ones. Here are a few photos.

Dr. Lynn Williams (USA)

Dr. Kelly Farquharson (USA)

Dr. Leah Fabiano and Dr. Katie Hustad (USA)

Past ASHA Presidents Dr. Tommie Robinson and Dr. Elise Davis-McFarland with current SPA President Kathryn McKinley

Prof. Seyhun Topbas and Prof. Ilknur Mavis from Turkiye

Dr. Lilly Cheng, Dr. Carol Westby and Lesley Magnus (updating Barbara Hodson's book)

Dr. Mark Guiberson

Dr. Scott Yaruss and Holly McAlister

Dr. Rebecca McCauley, 

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) convention

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) convention is held in Seattle this week. At the opening ceremony they announced that there were 13,005 registrations from 58 countries and all 50 states of the US https://convention.asha.org/.

Here are our presentations:

• Culturally Appropriate Assessment in International Contexts: Assessing Children's Speech in Their Home Language(s) (1 hour session)- Sharynne McLeod, Helen L. Blake, Kate Margetson
  
• Services for Children With Pacific Islander Heritage: Practices and Aspirations of Speech-Language Pathologists (30 minute technical session) - Holly McAlister, Suzanne C. Hopf, Sharynne McLeod
  
• Children Draw Talking: Understanding Children's Functioning with Arts-Based Methods (1 hour session)- Sharynne McLeod, Marie Ireland, Jane McCormack, Anna Cronin, Cen Wang, Carolyn Gregoric, Holly McAlister, Suzanne C. Hopf, Van H. Tran, Karla N. Washington, Nicole Bazzocchi, Lauren Choi, Katarina Miletic, Andrea A.N. MacLeod, Jessica A. Harasym
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Our session titled "Culturally Appropriate Assessment in International Contexts: Assessing Children's Speech in Their Home Language(s)" was selected for live-broadcast:

Congratulations! Your in-person, 1-hour oral seminar (listed below) has been selected by the 2024 ASHA Convention Co-Chairs to be live-broadcast as part of the Virtual Program. During the submission process you indicated that you would agree to have your slides and audio broadcast to the virtual platform in real-time if selected. Only 77 sessions were chosen to be broadcast live, with consideration given to the overall strength and value to virtual-only participants and alignment with our 2024 theme, ELEVATE!...The live broadcast is a real-time feed of your presentation onsite in Seattle. Your session will not be recorded and will not be available as an on-demand Virtual Program session after it concludes.

Congratulations to Holly McAlister who is presenting her PhD and attending ASHA for the first time. I am so proud of how well she is networking and making the most of this unique opportunity.

I was also invited to host an ASHA Research Round Table - “Engaging in International Research Collaborations” with Dr. Giang Pham

Beautiful Seattle - home of the Coast Salish people, innovation, and fun

I have enjoyed exploring Seattle while getting over jetlag with Holly McAlister, my PhD student and my husband. I have enjoyed and learning more about the traditions of the Coast Salish people - particularly at the Seattle Children's Museum. Seattle has gorgeous scenery and is also the home of many innovative companies including Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, and Alaska Airlines.

The Fish! Philosophy (https://fishphilosophy.com/what-is-fish/) is also from the Pike Place Fish Market Seattle. The central four ideas are:

• play
• be there
• make their day
• choose your attitude

Note the shadow of the Space Needle -
looking towards the University of Washington

Planning an extension of Marie's research

Tonight I met with Dr Marie Ireland, A/Prof Kate Crowe, and LaVae Hoffman to plan an extension of the research undertaken during Marie's PhD where she identified nine tensions in eligibility decision-making in schools in the United States. 

It will expand on the knowledge from this paper:

Ireland, M. C., McLeod, S. L., & Verdon, S. (2024). Eligibility determinations for speech and language services in United States public schools: Experiences and tensions. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 55(1), 181-198. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_LSHSS-23-00039

Marie, Sharynne, LaVae, Kate meeting in the USA/Iceland/Australia

Invited lectures in 2024 (so far)

I am very honoured to be speaking to a wide range of people across the world during 2024. Here is my invited lecture/keynote schedule so far (in reverse chronological order): 

1. McLeod, S., Blake, H. L., Margetson, K., & Verdon, S. (2024, December). Culturally appropriate assessment in international contexts. [Invited 1-hour session]. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention, Seattle, WA, USA. https://convention.asha.org/ 
2. McLeod, S. & Margetson, K. (2024, Oct 19-20). Multilingual speech development, assessment, analysis and intervention [Invited workshop]. Hong Kong, SAR China. 
   
3. McLeod, S. (2024, September 12-14). Multilingual children’s speech development, assessment and interventions [Invited keynote]. 23rd Congress of Otorhinolaryngology Foundation [23o Congresso da FORL], Sao Paulo, Brazil https://www.congressoforl.org/ 
4. McLeod, S. (2024, September 12-14). Communication rights and the Sustainable Development Goals [Invited keynote]. 23rd Congress of Otorhinolaryngology Foundation [23o Congresso da FORL], Sao Paulo, Brazil https://www.congressoforl.org/ 
5. McLeod, S., Blake, H. L. & Margetson, K. (2024, June 27-29). Multilingual speech development and disorders: A contemporary perspective of children’s speech development in languages of the world [Invited presentation]. 100th Anniversary Celebration of the International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders (IALP), Vienna, Austria (online). https://ialp-org.com/event/9853/ 
6. McLeod, S. (2024, June). Are we really listening to children? [Invited keynote]. Child Language Teaching and Therapy 2024 Summer Lecture, London, UK (online). 
7. McLeod, S. (2024, May 23). Multilingual children’s speech. [Invited lecture]. Bristol Benjamin Meaker Distinguished Visiting Professor Presentation. Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. https://www.bristol.ac.uk/international-research-development/visiting-researchers/visitors-for-202324/sharynne_mcleod/ 
8. McLeod, S. (2024, May 15). Communication professionals need to advocate for communication rights and the Sustainable Development Goals. [Seminar]. School of Arts, Culture and Language, Bangor University. Bangor, UK. https://www.bangor.ac.uk/arts-culture-language/dlelb 
9. McLeod, S. (2024, May 3). Communication rights and social justice: Enhancing communicative participation for children with speech, language and communication needs. [Seminar]. Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge. Cambridge, UK. https://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/ 
10. McLeod, S. (2024, April 30). All children should be seen AND heard: The importance of communication so children can thrive. [Invited lecture]. Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit and Underwood Trust Annual Lecture, Bristol, UK. https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/Bristol-Speech-Language-Therapy-Research-Unit 
11. McLeod, S. (2024, April 29). Speech, language and communication: An overview for dentists. [Invited lecture]. Bristol Benjamin Meaker Distinguished Visiting Professor Presentation. Bristol Dental School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. https://www.bristol.ac.uk/international-research-development/visiting-researchers/visitors-for-202324/sharynne_mcleod/ 
12. McLeod, S. (2024, April 24). Communicating with children and families in a multilingual world. [Invited lecture]. School of Sport and Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University Lecture, Llandaff, Wales, UK. 
13. McLeod, S. & Margetson, K. (2024, April 18). Assessing children’s speech in unfamiliar languages: Insights from Vietnamese-English children [Invited keynote]. XI LLDI Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.  
14. McLeod, S. (2024, February). Supporting monolingual and multilingual children’s phonological development. [Invited keynote]. 2024 Nancy McKinley Lecture organised by the American Board of Child Language & Language Disorders (online).  https://www.speechpathology.com/slp-ceus/course/supporting-monolingual-and-multilingual-children-10849 
15. McLeod, S. (2024, February). PhD by Publication (or prior publication). [Invited presenter] Charles Sturt University Faculty of Arts and Education, Canberra

PhD by prior publication - thesis now available

Congratulations to Marie Ireland whose thesis titled "Evaluation and Eligibility of Students with Communication Disorders in Public Schools in the United States" is now available for download on CRO: https://researchoutput.csu.edu.au/en/publications/evaluation-and-eligibility-of-students-with-communication-disorde 

Here is her abstract 

Communication is an essential human right that, beginning early in a child’s life, provides the foundation for interaction with others. Communication is the underpinning for success in school and untreated communication disorders may impact children’s futures. In the United States, students with disabilities in public schools receive free speech and language evaluations and, if needed, services from speech-language pathologists (SLPs). In U.S. public schools this process is regulated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and services are only available to students who meet specific eligibility criteria. An educational disability must result in an educational impact and is decided by a team that includes SLPs. Private speech-language pathology services are also available using a fee for service model decided by individual service providers. As parents and some educators may desire free services for students under IDEA, there is pressure to identify students as disabled who do not meet eligibility criteria. Misidentification due to cultural or linguistic differences also occurs. There are potential negative consequences to inappropriate disability identification such as: segregation from typically developing peers, violating the child’s rights with decreased expectations or limited educational opportunities, increased caseloads for SLPs resulting in recruitment and retention issues, and violation of state and federal regulations. While service options exist outside of IDEA, inconsistency in evaluation practices and eligibility decision-making has been documented and creates tensions for families, educators, and SLPs. 

This thesis presents work for a PhD by Prior Publication to explore and describe evaluation and eligibility of students with communication disorders in U.S. public schools using quantitative and qualitative research and publications (presented as chapters) over the span of a career drawn together through an exegesis. Part 1 includes 7 chapters and provides an introduction and literature review that examines the SLPs’ practice patterns and documents the unique requirements for public-school practice in the United States. Chapter 2 reviews public policy and Chapter 3 discusses educational requirements and provides the context of public policy in the United States. A review of evaluation and eligibility requirements under IDEA and research on evaluation practices focusing on students from diverse backgrounds, test accuracy, and state differences are included in Chapter 4. Clarification regarding regulations, guidance and information to support understanding of guidelines and severity rating tools used by states as they implement IDEA is presented in Chapter 5. Options for services to support students with language differences, not disorders, outside of IDEA are detailed in Chapter 6. Chapter 7 integrates research and policy in the United States and addresses the implementation of research on children with speech sound disorders in the context of IDEA. Part 2 includes six chapters and addresses the complex activity system involving team decision-making regarding evaluation and eligibility for speech-language pathology services in U.S. schools. Chapter 8 presents the theoretical framework that was used as the unifying approach to this thesis and for the study reported in Chapter 9. The chosen theoretical framework, Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) by Engström (1987, 2015), was used to explain the complex activity system of speech-language pathology services in U.S. schools. Chapter 9 investigates the team decision-making activity system for determining student eligibility for speech or language services in U.S. schools and documents nine major tensions related to the team decision-making activity system. Chapters 10, 11, and 12 document SLPs’ use of evidence-based practices and language sample analysis techniques. 

Variations in evaluation and eligibility decision-making often are attributed to the SLP, rather than the team decision-making system. The impact of differences in state and local regulations and policy, input from other members of the team, and variations in requirements for use of specific tools for evaluation were identified. Knowledge of the individual elements within the team decision-making activity system and the interactions and tensions that arise between elements may assist in understanding practice patterns of SLPs in U.S. schools. There are common tensions experienced by school SLPs regarding evaluation and eligibility of students. Using the CHAT framework enables acknowledgment of the interplay of elements within the broader activity system (beyond the SLP) and promotes the importance of teamwork and advocacy by SLPs at the local, state and national level. 

Inconsistency and tensions in school team decision-making are well documented in the research literature. Once identified, information on inconsistency and tensions can be used to develop strategies to improve practice. The findings identify needs and solutions to strengthen school teams’ and SLPs’ knowledge of the regulations, research, and advocacy to address challenges in the school setting. Use of evidence-based practices for evaluation and compliance with IDEA regulations for data collection and decision making will reduce mis- and overidentification and protect students’ civil rights. Improving consistency by school decision-making teams will enable all students to receive quality evaluations and appropriate decision-making regardless of where they live or attend school. Consistency in evaluation and eligibility processes is essential to advance SLPs’ professional practice and build or maintain trust between families, students, and public-school professionals across the United States. 

Qualification: Doctor of Philosophy 

Awarding Institution: Charles Sturt University 

Supervisors/Advisors:  

• McLeod, Sharynne, Principal Supervisor 
• Verdon, Sarah, Co-Supervisor 
• Crowe, Kate, Co-Supervisor 

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention, Boston, MA, USA

It is exciting to be in Boston for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention. Our team is presenting a number of papers and seminars, including:

1. McLeod, S., Blake, H. L., Crowe, K., Louw, B., Farquharson, K., Bérubé, D., Goldstein, B., Babatsouli, E., Kakia Petinou, Zajdó, K., Washington, K. N., Auza, A, Buntová, D., Oravkinová, Z., & Masdottir, T. (2023, November). Children’s speech development in 70+ languages and dialects. [1-hour oral presentation]. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention, Boston, MA, USA. 

2. Ireland, M., Verdon, S., & McLeod, S. (2023, November). Team decision making for SLPs in schools: Tensions and the impact of rules. [Oral presentation]. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention, Boston, MA, USA. 

3. McLeod, S. & Marshall, J. E. (2023, November). Speech-language pathologists and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. [Oral presentation]. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention, Boston, MA USA. 

4. Washington, K., Crowe, K., McLeod, S., Margetson, K., Kokotek, L., van der Straten Waillet, P., Masdottir, T., Volhardt, M. (2023, November). Methods for accurate differential diagnosis of speech sound disorder in multilingual children. [1-hour oral presentation]. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention, Boston, MA USA.  

 The final attendance numbers are: 15,904 (1,458 – Virtual Only 14,446 – In Person)

 

Once Upon A Time Foundation meeting in Fort Worth, TX

Today I attended a meeting at the Once Upon A Time Foundation Fort Worth, TX to discuss our grant to consider children's perspectives of speech intervention for childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). It was a very collegial meeting to ensure high quality research is undertaken as part of their large-scale CAS intervention research agenda.

Hello USA

I have just arrived in USA for meetings and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention. American culture is so familiar due to the movies, TV and other images that are broadcast around the world. Here are a few that I think are quintessentially American:

Pumpkin pie with loads of cream

Cowboy hat in the middle of town in Texas

Longhorn cows and cowboys/cowgirls in Texas