Speech Pathology Australia National Conference

This week I am co-presenting the following papers at the Speech Pathology Australia National Conference on the Gold Coast https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/Public/Public/CPD-events/SPA-conference/2026/Home.aspx

1. Marie Ireland and Sharynne McLeod: School speech pathologists’ navigation of nine tensions regarding evaluation and eligibility in USA 
2. Kate Margetson and Sharynne McLeod: Assessing children’s speech in unfamiliar languages: Acceptability of the Speech Assessment of Children’s Home Language(s) (SACHL) 
3. Sharynne McLeod and Helen L. Blake: Resources in 131 languages and dialects: Multilingual minds have unlocked global knowledge about children’s speech 
4. Sarah Bartlett, Sharynne McLeod: Implications of caregiver-implemented intervention for three underserved communities

CSU speech pathologists at SPA2026: Sarah Bartlett, A/Prof Suzanne Hopf, Prof Sarah Verdon, D/Prof Sharynne  McLeod, Dr Marie Ireland

Keynote speaker Dr Anita Heiss with CSU delegates at the SPA2026 conference

Sarah B and Sharynne  having a PhD meeting at SPA2026

Marie Ireland presenting her research 

 

Children's Voices Conference (CVC2026) team meeting

It is so wonderful to have Emma Hayes working with us as a member of our Children's Voices Conference (CVC2026) team. Today we had our first CVC2026 organising committee team meeting with Emma. 

We also learned that even though we only have been online for a couple of weeks, we already have:

• 137 registrations from 23 countries
• 7 abstracts submitted
• 4 accepted keynotes 

CSU media and social media have contacted us. 

Thanks Carolyn for leading us so well as our conference secretary. 

 

Speech Pathology Australia National Conference submission outcomes for 2026

We have just learned the outcome of our Speech Pathology Australia National Conference submissions for 2026. In the letter they wrote

"This year we received 326 submissions, reflecting a 22% increase on last year. With limited presentation space available, only around one-third could be included in the final program"

While some of our papers were not accepted for presentation - the following papers were accepted:

• Assessing children’s speech in unfamiliar languages: Acceptability of the Speech Assessment of Children’s Home Language(s) (SACHL)
• Resources in 131 languages and dialects: Multilingual minds have unlocked global knowledge about children’s speech
•  Implications of caregiver-implemented intervention for three underserved communities
•  School speech pathologists’ navigation of nine tensions regarding evaluation and eligibility in USA

I am glad that two of my PhD students' papers were accepted.  

Asia Pacific International Conference on Speech, Language, and Hearing

Holly McAlister and Sarah Verdon have just returned from presenting papers at the 12th Asia Pacific International Conference on Speech, Language, and Hearing held at the Grand Richmond Stylish Convention Hotel, Bangkok - Nonthaburi, Thailand from December 12–14, 2025. 

Congratulations Holly on presenting your PhD research - and making some good contacts within our region

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

Planning CVC2026

Today our CVC team held the first planning meeting for our next conference: CVC2026.

We have held ECV2020, ECV2022, and ECV2024 in the past. Now, with the launch of the Children's Voices Centre we have transitioned beyond working only with early childhood, to all of childhood - so our name has had to transition too. We are moving from the Early Childhood Voices conferences (ECV2024) to the Children's Voices Conference (CVC2026). Here are our decisions from today:

• Name: Children's Voices Conference (CVC2026)
• Dates: 1, 2, 3 September 2026
• Venue: hybrid (online and Bathurst campus of Charles Sturt University)
• Cost: Free
• Conference chairs: A/Prof Kathy Cologon, D/Prof Sharynne McLeod, A/Prof Tamara Cumming
• Conference secretary: Dr Carolyn Gregoric
• Conference organiser: Lorraine Bennett
• Scientific review committee chair: Dr Helen L. Blake

Sharynne, Tamara, Camilla, Carolyn, Lorraine, Kathy, Helen planning CVC2026

Networking with IALP friends and colleagues in Malta

While at the International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders (IALP) Congress in Malta I have had the chance to network with and learn from so many colleagues from across the globe (58 countries are represented).

With IALP President Elect Professor Tamer Abou-Elsaad

A colleague from Mexico who chose to buy our books on the first day of the conference

With Dr Eleftheria Geronikou from University of Patras, Greece

Enjoying chatting IALP's youngest delegate (10 weeks old!) with Prof Joanne Cleland

I appreciated the graphic illustrating the Global South - as well as the thoughtful presentations

Exploring the conference venue with Krisztina Zjado (Hungary) and Carol To (Hong Kong, SAR China)

Friends from Ireland and Australia

Tommy Robinson in Mdina

Joanne Cleland (Scotland), Eleftheria (Greece), Sharynne 

International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association (ICPLA) 20th conference, Patras, Greece

This week the 20th conference of the International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association (ICPLA) is held from the 24th to 27th of June 2025 at the University of Patras, Conference and Cultural Centre, Greece, hosted by Dr Eleftheria Geronikou https://logoth.upatras.gr/en/icpla2025/

There are four of us representing Charles Sturt University: Dr Helen L. Blake, Dr Suzanne Hopf and Dr Kate Margetson - everyone has multiple roles during the conference. Here are the presentations I am involved in:

1.  McLeod, S. & Blake, H. L. (2025, June). Children’s speech development around the world: A transformative paradigm shift. [3-hour symposium presentation]. International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association Conference, Patras, Greece.
2. Blake, H. L. & McLeod, S. (2025, June). Children’s speech development around the world in 170+ recordings. [Oral presentation]. International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association Conference, Patras, Greece.
3. Margetson, K. & McLeod, S. (2025, June). Developing a clinical protocol for assessing speech in languages that you do not speak: The Speech Assessment of Children’s Home Language(s) (SACHL). [Oral presentation]. International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association Conference, Patras, Greece.
4. Davies, A., Wren, Y., & McLeod, S. (2025, June). Understanding intelligibility in children born with cleft lip and/or palate: Findings from the Cleft Collective Cohort Study. [Oral presentation]. International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association Conference, Patras, Greece.

I am the President of ICPLA so have a busy week of duties. 

• Tuesday - I am chairing the International Expert Panel on Multilingual Children's Speech and opening the conference
• Wednesday - I am chairing sessions, co-presenting a paper with Kate Margetson and Yvonne Wren, and I am receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Patras.
• Thursday -  I am launching The Oxford Handbook of Speech Development in Languages of the World, co-chairing and presenting in a session with 16 presentations from around the world on multilingual children's speech (1:30-6:15pm), chairing the business meeting, and attending the conference dinner
• Friday -  I am co-presenting a paper with Helen Blake, presenting at the awards ceremony and farewell ceremony.

Sharynne  with conference chair Eleftheria Geronikou

CSU attendees: Dr Kate Margetson, Dr Helen L. Blake, Dr Suzanne Hopf, Prof Sharynne McLeod

Sharynne  opening the conference as ICPLA President

Sharynne with ICPLA founders: Martin J. Ball and Nicole Muller

Keynote speaker: George

Kate and Karla with a conference fan and hat to keep us cool since it was 40oC on one of the days!

Sharynne with Annette Fox-Boyer's current and ex-PhD students from Germany

Presidents

HDR students from Edinburgh and Sydney

Helen Blake presenting one of our papers

Conference dinner with keynote speaker Frank Guenther

Kristian Kristofferson (Norway) at the poster session

ICPLA colleagues at the conference dinner

Colleagures from Poland: Agetha and Paulina

ICPLA conference organising committee and students

Last day: Helen, Kate, Sharynne  and Anniek

Spanish/USA contingent: Chelsea Sommer, Angela, Tania Flores

ISBMS in Crete concludes

The International Society of Bilingual and Monolingual Speech (ISMBS) conference has just concluded with a conference dinner and networking day exploring western Crete. We were able to have many rich conversations and create new friendships and collaborations. I have enjoyed being keynote at ISMBS and look forward to ongoing opportunities to work with attendees from across the world.

Prof Elena Babatsouli (ISMBS conference chair) with Sharynne 

ISMBS colleagues from Greece, Poland, and Moldova

Consonant cluster researchers: Sharynne McLeod with Paulina Zydorowicz, and Katarzyna Dziubalska-Kołaczyk, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań

Conference dinner with chair Prof Elena Babatsouli, Dimitri, David, Helen, and friends from Italy and Moldova