Lecture to fourth year Bachelor of Dental Science (BDSc) students

Tonight it was my pleasure to give a lecture to the fourth year Bachelor of Dental Science (BDSc) students. Dr Winey Wan invited me - and is an enthusiastic supporter of her students learning about speech, language and communication.

Thank you Prof Yvonne Wren and Bristol Benjamin Meaker Visiting Distinguished Professor program

Thank you Professor Yvonne Wren and the Bristol Dental School who have sponsored my Bristol Benjamin Meaker Visiting Distinguished Professorship over the past 5 weeks. I have worked with Prof Yvonne Wren and her team to support their research, capacity building endeavours, and to write up research from the Cleft Collective Cohort. I have enjoyed learning from Yvonne and her teams and to contributing to the research and life of the University of Bristol. We have forged many new research agendas and I look forward to returning. It has been an inspirational and productive visit. 

 

Here is the summary of the outcomes from my visit

As Bristol Benjamin Meaker Visiting Distinguished Professor, Sharynne McLeod collaborated with colleagues in the Bristol Dental School, the Faculty of Health Sciences, and the wider University of Bristol community to advocate for communication for all, acknowledging the untapped potential of those who are underrepresented in society's conversations. Prof. McLeod was hosted by Prof. Yvonne Wren, who leads the Cleft Collective Cohort Study, a national longitudinal cohort study with over 11,000 participants from over 4000 families in the United Kingdom. The Cleft Collective uses the Intelligibility in Context Scale (ICS), an outcome measure developed by Prof. McLeod and team, that is also recommended in the International Consortium of Health Outcome Measures (ICHOM) Set of Patient-Centered Outcome Measures for Cleft Lip & Palate. During this visit, Prof McLeod worked with the Cleft Collective team to generate reference data at ages 3 and 5 years and found significant differences based on cleft type and whether a syndrome was present. Despite being available in over 70 languages, this is the first time the ICS has been studied longitudinally. In addition to her well-received lectures, Prof. McLeod undertook capacity building workshops and mentoring to support students and staff across the wider University of Bristol community.

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/international-research-development/visiting-researchers/visitors-for-202324/sharynne_mcleod/

 

Here are Yvonne's current roles that I have participated in during my visit:

• 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 (nbt.nhs.uk)

I have provided the following lectures as part of the visit:

1. Open Lecture at Southmead Hospital: Communicating with Children and Families in a Multilingual World
https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/bristol-speech-language-therapy-research-unit/about-bsltru/bsltru-events
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/northbristolnhstrust/1140990
https://speakingmylanguages.blogspot.com/2024/05/invited-lecture-all-children-should-be.html

2. Bristol Dental School seminar: Speech, Language and Communication: An Overview for Dentists
Recent evidence-based techniques will enable dentists to be better equipped to work with individuals with speech, language and communication needs including those with oral structural alterations (tongue tie and cleft palate)
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/international-research-development/diary/2024/dental-school-talk-by-professor-sharynne-mcleod.html  
https://speakingmylanguages.blogspot.com/2024/04/invited-lecture-speech-language-and.html
 

3. Faculty of Health Sciences lecture: Multilingual Children’s Speech
Aimed at students and staff in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Presentation of the benefits of multilingualism and insights from an international research program into how monolingual professionals can successfully work with multilingual children and families.
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/international-research-development/diary/2024/health-sciences-talk-by-professor-sharynne-mcleod.html
https://speakingmylanguages.blogspot.com/2024/05/university-of-bristol-health-sciences.html

 I also provided the following lectures and workshops:

4. Communicating with children and families in a multilingual world - Cardiff Metropolitan University Centre of Hearing, Language and Communication Research Lecture Series

5. Communication rights and social justice: Enhancing communicative participation for children with speech, language and communication needs - University of Cambridge Faculty of Education

6. Communication professionals need to advocate for communication rights and the Sustainable Development Goals  - Cylch Ieithyddiaeth/Bangor Linguistics Circle, Bangor University

7. Research wellness retreat - Cardiff Metropolitan University Centre of Hearing, Language and Communication Research Lecture Series

https://speakingmylanguages.blogspot.com/2024/05/writing-research-papers-in-bristol.html

Extraction of primary maxillary incisors and children’s speech production: A case series

The following manuscript has been accepted for publication: 

Hurley, C. R., McLeod, S., & Anthonappa, R. P. (2024, in press). Extraction of primary maxillary incisors and children’s speech production: A case series. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699206.2024.2355481

Here is the abstract:

Dental caries (tooth decay) is a disease with a significant global burden. Management may necessitate the extraction of teeth to restore oral health. The association between dental extractions and children’s speech is unclear, with clinical implications for speech-language pathologists and dentists. This case series describes a prospective study reporting the impact of primary maxillary incisor teeth extraction on speech sound accuracy for three children (C1 aged 5;6 (years;months), C2 aged 4;6, C3 aged 3;10). Their speech was assessed using the Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology (DEAP) and the Intelligibility in Context Scale (ICS) before (T1) and 1 month after dental treatment (T2). Speech analysis included the percentage of consonants correct (PCC) and error type analyses. Caregiver and child perception of the child’s oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) were assessed pre-and post-operatively using a modified Scale of Oral Health Outcomes for 5-year-old children (SOHO-5). At T1 all three children scored >1 standard deviation below the mean on normative data in the DEAP. There was no clinically significant change in PCC for any child (C1 T1:89.6%, T2:90.6%, C2 T1:78.0%, T2:75.9%, C3 T1:56.1%, T2:63.1%). OHRQoL measures were improved for C1 by the carergiver report and remained stable for C2 and C3 and all child reports. Speech sound difficulties were present before dental treatment in all participants and extraction of primary maxillary incisors did not significantly impact speech production. Dental extractions appear to be independent from speech production in this case series of preschool children.

This paper documents part of the research undertaken by Caitlin during her Doctorate of Clinical Dentistry at the University of Western Australia supervised by Robert Anthonappa and myself. She presented this work at the International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association Conference in Salzburg last year. Congratulations Caitlin!

Invited lecture at Bristol Dental School: Speech, Language and Communication: An Overview for Dentists

Today, as part of my role as the Bristol Benjamin Meaker Visiting Distinguished Professor, I presented a guest lecture to the School of Dentistry titled "Speech, Language and Communication: An Overview for Dentists" https://www.bristol.ac.uk/international-research-development/diary/2024/dental-school-talk-by-professor-sharynne-mcleod.html. The lecture was held at the Bristol Dental School, Temple Quay Room

Here is the abstract: 

Most speech, language and communication is produced using the mouth. Dentists are frequently asked about the association between oral structures and communication. This presentation will describe how speech is produced using ultrasound and electropalatography images and will demonstrate the impact of oral structural alterations (e.g., tongue tie and cleft palate) on speech. Recent evidence-based techniques will be described to enable dentists to be better equipped to work with individuals with speech, language and communication needs.

Prof Sharynne McLeod and Prof Yvonne Wren

 

Speech and teeth: Working with Caitlin in three countries

I am co-supervising Caitlin Hurley's research for her Doctorate of Clinical Dentistry that she is undertaking at the University of Western Australia. Over the past two months we have worked together in three countries: Australia, Austria and New Zealand.

Analysing speech data at The University of Auckland, NZ

Guest lecture for CSU Dentistry students - Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics

Tonight I gave a 2-hour guest lecture (online) to the 4th year Bachelor of Dental Science students at Charles Sturt University in their subject Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics. I was invited by Dr Winey Wan, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Dentistry l Specialist Paediatric Dentist, Centre for Rural Dentistry & Oral Health, School of Dentistry & Medical Sciences on the Orange campus at CSU. I really enjoyed the evening.

We discussed Speech Pathology Australia's position on tongue ties. Here is their Fact Sheet

Seeing Speech is an excellent website to see the oromusculature working during speech production

ICPLA19 - Poster presentations

Australians have presented three posters at the International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association (ICPLA) symposium:

• Poster #17 Caitlin Hurley, Sharynne McLeod and Robert Anthonappa: Children’s speech and premature loss of primary maxillary incisors
• Poster # 27 Sharynne McLeod and Julie Marshall: Accomplishment of the Sustainable Development Goals requires communication
• Poster #36 Kate Crowe, Harpa Stefánsdóttir, Egill Magnússon, Mark Guiberson, Thora Másdóttir, Ösp Vilberg Baldursdóttir and Inga Ágústsdóttir: How is speech intelligibility measured for children who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing

Caitlin Hurley and Sharynne

Kate Crowe

Kate Crowe and Sharynne

Congratulations Caitlin Hurley - Morita Prize for research - 29th International Association of Paediatric Dentistry congress

Congratulations to Caitlin Hurley who was awarded the Morita Prize for research at the 29th International Association of Paediatric Dentistry congress in Maastricht. Her research is quite uniqe as she used her professional expertise in both dentistry and speech pathology by undertaking speech assessments with the children - then extracting their teeth! Here is Caitlin's response to receiving the award:

It was such a surprise to receive the Morita Prize for research at the 29th IAPD congress in Maastricht yesterday. The congress is the largest meeting of paediatric dentistry and was attended by over 1200 delegates representing over 78 countries! They had received over 500 abstracts, and so I was already honoured to have my poster selected to be one of around 30 to be considered for this prize. During the presentation the judges were very interested in the IPA transcription on the poster, and also asked me what's next... we will see! This award really does mean a lot to me, and I know that without yourself and Robert this would not have been possible. I've attached a photo from the opening ceremony, and another with Prof Figen Seymen, the incoming president of the association who presented the award.

(I am intrigued by the trombones and sousaphone at the opening ceremony!)

Stats meeting between surgery

Thanks Caitilin for a very efficient quick meeting in between your surgical patients today! It is fun working with a person who is a speech pathologist and a dentist and a researcher. The data look great. The reliability looks great. We are almost ready to present this at our upcoming international conference.

Guest lecture - University of Sydney DClinDent (Paediatric Dentistry) - May 2023

Today I gave a 2-hour guest lecture to the University of Sydney DClinDent (Paediatric Dentistry) students. It was organised by Dr Winey Wan who lectures at The University of Sydney and Charles Sturt University. The DClinDent students were undetaking the subject titled "Child assessment and Treatment Planning (DENT503). They had an interesting morning:

• 08:30 - 10:00: Lactation - face to face with Helen Mercieca (CHW lactation consultant) and Mikaela Bow (CHW speech pathologist speaking on lactation specific to craniofacial/CLP infants) 
• 10:15 - 12:30: Speech, language and communication - via Zoom with speech pathologist Prof Sharynne McLeod (speech pathologist) 

I really enjoyed discussing mouths, speech, language, communication and teamwork between dentists and speech pathologists.

Data collection finished

Congratulations to Caitlin Hurley who has finished collecting data for her Doctorate in Clinical Dentistry. Ten children have received dental surgery (teeth extractions) and have had their speech tested before and after surgery. Perceptual data also have been collected from families and children. Now for data analysis.

Caitlin Hurley with her supervisors Sharynne and Robert

First participant recruited

I was so excited to receive your email this evening:
"Exciting update ... first participant recruited! ... I’m excited we’re going to get this started... 😊

This is so exciting! Caitlin Hurley is about to begin her data collection for her doctoral research. I’m really looking forward to delving into the results and discovering new knowledge<23072662 student.uwa.edu.au=""> as w<23072662 student.uwa.edu.au="">e begin to scientifically understand the association between speech and dentition.

University of Bristol Benjamin Meaker Visiting Professorship

I was delighted to receive the University of Bristol Benjamin Meaker Visiting Professorship in 2019 for travel in 2020 – and at that time we had no idea what the following years would bring. Since 2020, I have been able to have a productive online relationship with Dr Wren and her team that has included: 

1. Keynote address to the Craniofacial Society of Great Britain and Ireland Virtual Conference 
2. Writing and publication of the following paper:
   Seifert, M., Davies, A., Harding, S., McLeod, S., & Wren, Y. (2021). Intelligibility in 3-year-olds with cleft lip and/or palate using the Intelligibility in Context Scale: Findings from the Cleft Collective Cohort Study. The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal, https://doi.org/10.1177/1055665620985747 
3. Presentation of conference papers based on the paper above. 

Today I had to reliquish this Visiting Professorship as it had to be undertaken prior to the end of July 2022, which is not allowed within the current COVID-19 travel arrangements for Charles Sturt University. I look forward to the opportunity visit The University of Bristol and any opportunity to take up elements of the Benjamin Meaker Visiting Professorship in the future.

PhD and research students in 2022

I am very fortunate to be working with a cadre of wonderful research students in 2022:

• Van Tran - CSU (PhD)
  
• Marie Ireland - CSU (PhD)
• Kate Margetson - CSU (PhD)
• Belinda Downey - CSU (PhD)
• Holly McAlister - CSU (PhD)
• Sarah Faulks - CSU (Honours)
  
• Anniek van Doornik - Utrecht University, The Netherlands (PhD)
• Caitlin Hurley - University of Western Australia (DClinDent)
• Nguyễn Thị Anh Thủ - Hanoi National University of Education, Viet Nam (PhD)

Belinda Downey (CSU). Supervisors A/Prof Will Letts and Sharynne

Caitlin Hurley (UWA). Supervisors A/Prof Robert Anthonappa and Sharynne

Kate Margetson (CSU). Supervisors Sharynne and A/Prof Sarah Verdon

Marie Ireland (CSU). Supervisors Sharynne and A/Prof Sarah Verdon

Dr Van Tran (CSU). Supervisors Sharynne and A/Prof Sarah Verdon

Sarah Faulks (CSU). Supervisors A/Prof Sarah Verdon, Dr Van Tran and Sharynne

Holly McAlister (CSU). Supervisors Dr Suzanne Hopf and Sharynne

Nguyễn Thị Anh Thủ (HNUE). Supervisors Dr Ben Pham and Sharynne

Dr Anna Cronin, lecturer at ACU

How wonderful to catch up with my graduated PhD students to see how they have blossomed. Today I had virtual "lunch" with Dr Anna Cronin who is working as a lecturer at Australian Catholic University (ACU) in Brisbane as well as as a specialist speech pathologist in the cleft palate team at the Children's Hospital. I am so proud of her.

Dr Anna Cronin at ACU

Keynote address to the Craniofacial Society of Great Britain and Ireland Virtual Conference

The Craniofacial Society of Great Britain and Ireland Virtual Conference is being held on 9-10 September 2021 https://cfsgbi21.online/. It is a pleasure to be invited to present at the 2021 virtual conference whose theme is "Making a Difference". There were 163 people online during my keynote address.

Originally, I was invited to present the keynote address in Cardiff Wales in April 2020. However, the 2020 conference was postponed due to COVID restrictions.

My 2021 presentation is titled: "Making a difference to children's ability to communicate and participate" and profiles my work of Dr Anna Cronin, Dr Sarah Verdon and Dr Yvonne Wren and colleagues:

1. Cronin, A., Verdon, S., & McLeod, S. (2021). Persistence, strength, isolation and trauma: An ethnographic exploration of raising children with cleft palate. Journal of Communication Disorders, 106102. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2021.106102 
2. Cronin, A., Verdon, S., & McLeod, S. (2020). Working with toddlers with cleft palate: Learning from clients and families Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology, 22(2), 101–107. https://speechpathologyaustralia.cld.bz/JCPSLP-Vol-22-No-2-2020/30/ 
3. Cronin, A., McLeod, S., & Verdon, S. (2020). Holistic communication assessment for young children with cleft palate using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health:Children and Youth. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 51(4), 914–938. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_LSHSS-19-00122 
4. Cronin, A., McLeod, S., & Verdon, S. (2020). Applying the ICF-CY to specialist speech-language pathologists’ practice with toddlers with cleft palate speech. The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal, 57(9), 1105–1116. https://doi.org/10.1177/1055665620918799 
5. Seifert, M., Davies, A., Harding, S., McLeod, S., & Wren, Y. (2021). Intelligibility in 3-year-olds with cleft lip and/or palate using the Intelligibility in Context Scale: Findings from the Cleft Collective Cohort Study. The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/1055665620985747

 

My presentation is available here: https://prod-stitched-screen-recordings.s3-ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/recordings/ebfddbf0-0420-11ec-b585-7f7404f40a84/c1929699-6b74-4af3-907f-636ab4c61c7e/ebfddbf0-0420-11ec-b585-7f7404f40a84_80aedccb.mp4

The Informed SLP reviews our paper on assessments for toddlers with cleft lip and palate

The Informed SLP has just published a review that includes our LSHSS paper on assessments for toddlers with cleft lip and palate. Their review is titled Under pressure: Looking beyond oral pressure consonants in children with cleft palate https://www.theinformedslpmembers.com/peds-under-review/under-pressure-looking-beyond-oral-pressure-consonants-in-children-with-cleft-palate

Our paper that they reviewed is here:

Cronin, A., Mcleod, S., & Verdon, S. (2020). Holistic Communication Assessment for Young Children With Cleft Palate Using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health:Children and Youth. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_lshss-19-00122

Congratulations Anna on your PhD submission

Today Anna Cronin submitted her PhD. Her thesis is titled: "Toddlers with Cleft Palate: Enhancing Communication through Holistic Child- and Family-Centred Practice". It was submitted as a series of two encyclopaedia entries, one book chapter, four journal articles and an exegesis. Anna was in Brisbane and was cheered on by her supervisory team: myself in Bathurst, Dr Sarah Verdon in Albury, members of the Speech-Language-Multilingualism team (in Shepparton, Sydney, Newcastle), her family and friends and received congratulatory messages from Sydney, Iceland, and Fiji. Her PhD scholarship was from Charles Sturt University.

The moment of submission

Congratulations Anna and best wishes for your examination!
Here is Anna's abstract:

Cleft palate with or without cleft lip (CP±L) is one of the most common congenital conditions affecting children across the world. Although high quality surgical and specialist multidisciplinary intervention for children with CP±L is available in many countries, this condition continues to impact children’s speech, early expressive language, feeding, middle ear function, appearance, and daily life. This thesis considered the views of international specialist speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working with toddlers with CP±L primarily in medical settings, as well as educators, families and toddlers with CP±L using a holistic child- and family-centred model. Demands resulting from diagnosis and intervention often have a significant impact, so families were given control and agency over their stories with the goal of informing and ultimately transforming SLPs’ practice. The thesis is innovative, theoretically driven, purposeful and sequential in its approach to recommending a shift in the way SLPs approach practice with children with CP±L.
The research presented in this thesis, known as the Toddlers with Cleft Palate Study, consisted of two parts presented as a series of seven publications: two encyclopaedia entries, one book chapter and four journal articles. Three theoretical frameworks underpinned the thesis: International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF-CY; WHO, 2007), Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations, 1989), and family-centred practice (Dunst, 2002; Espe-Sherwindt, 2008). Combining these lenses provided unique insights and enabled holistic consideration of toddlers with CP±L, their rights, and their families’ experiences. Part One of the thesis provided definitions and outlined current practices with toddlers with CP±L. Drawing on the literature, the encyclopaedia entries outlined common craniofacial conditions and the impact of CP±L on speech. In the Toddlers with Cleft Palate Study 1: Specialist SLPs’ Perspectives, semi-structured interview data from the author’s Churchill Fellowship visits with six international specialist SLPs were analysed using directed content analysis framed by the ICF-CY. The findings indicated the ICF-CY had utility in describing specialist SLPs’ practice and that specialist SLPs do consider all components and contextual factors of the ICF-CY. However, there was less focus on Activities and Participation than on Body Structures and Functions and Environmental Factors (e.g., health services and geographic location).
Part Two of the thesis examined toddlers with CP±L and their families’ lived experiences, and how SLPs could best support them in the early years of life. A literature review outlined recommendations for supporting young children’s speech, language and communication to uphold their human rights in transnational early childhood education and care contexts. An innovative, ethnographic methodology was taken in the Toddlers with Cleft Palate Study 2: Toddlers’ and Families’ Experiences. This study involved observation, collection of speech and language data, interviews, photos, video data, and researcher reflection with seven toddlers with CP±L, 13 parents, and 12 significant others (e.g., educators and grandparents) around Australia. Speech and language data were evaluated to present a tutorial outlining a holistic communication protocol for SLPs to use with toddlers with CP±L. Interview data and 84 artefacts from the study (18 interviews, 29 videos, one extended audio recording of a mealtime, seven photos contributed by families, seven case history questionnaires, 18 field notes, four research reflections) were analysed inductively and revealed three themes in families’ experiences of raising toddlers with CP±L: the impact on the whole child, family strength and support, and family isolation and trauma.
The findings of the two parts of the study were synthesised to present how generalist SLPs working with toddlers with CP±L could learn from clients and their families and best support them in their early years, representing a shift away from the traditional professional-centred medical model of treatment. Overall, there were three main findings from the thesis: (1) having CP±L affects many aspects of toddlers’ lives and development, not just their speech, (2) children and families’ voices should be privileged in co-creating the intervention journey in collaboration with professionals, and (3) non-specialist medical, allied health, and education professionals need to understand that the impact of CP±L extends beyond speech, and know how to support toddlers and families holistically. The thesis contributes to the literature on the impact of CP±L on toddlers and their families and is significant in terms of its ethnographic methodology and shift towards a collaborative, family-centred approach to speech-language pathology practice. 

The following papers have been published to date (more to come):

• Cronin, A., & McLeod, S. (2019). Craniofacial anomalies. In M. J. Ball & J. S. Damico (Eds.), The SAGE encyclopedia of human communication sciences and disorders (pp. 515-519). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. 
• Cronin, A., & McLeod, S. (2019). Cleft lip and palate: Speech effects. In M. J. Ball & J. S. Damico (Eds.), The SAGE encyclopedia of human communication sciences and disorders (pp. 348-351). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. 
• Cronin, A., McLeod, S., & Verdon, S. (2020). Applying the ICF-CY to specialist speech-language pathologists’ practice with toddlers with cleft palate speech. The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal. Advance online publication.doi:10.1177/1055665620918799 
• Cronin, A., McLeod, S., & Verdon, S. (in press). Holistic communication assessment for young children with cleft palate using the ICF-CY. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools.

International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP) World Congress in Taiwan

This week (18-22 August, 2019) is the 31st World Congress of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP) in Taipei, Taiwan (http://www.ialptaipei2019.org/). IALP is auspiced by the World Health Organization, and most professional associations across the world that are associated with speech, language and hearing attend. The 2019 Congress has been attended by 961 delegates from 46 countries. 2024 will be the 100th anniversary of IALP.

I am the deputy chair of the IALP Child Speech committee. Dr Yvonne Wren, the chair, is unable to attend, so I have chaired our tri-annual meeting, and presented and chaired sessions on behalf of the committee. I also represented Speech Pathology Australia in the voting during the General Assembly.

Our Speech-Language-Multilingualism team are presenting the following papers:

1. Cronin, A., McLeod, S. & Verdon, S. (2019, August). Holistic assessment of young children with cleft lip and palate using the ICF-CY 
2. McLeod, S. (2019) Transcription of adults’ and children’s speech when you don’t speak their language 
3. McLeod, S., Verdon, S., Wang, C., & Tran, V. H. (2019) Factors supporting language maintenance amongst the Vietnamese community in Australia 
4. Pham, B. & McLeod, S. (2019, August) Assessing Vietnamese children's intelligibility and speech sounds 
5. Pham, B. & McLeod, S. (2019, August) Transcription of tone. 
6. Wren, Y. (presented by S. McLeod) Place of automatic speech recognition for assessing speech disorders. 
7. Tran, V. H., Verdon, S., McLeod, S., & Wang, C. (2019, August). Maintaining children’s home languages to support communicative participation (URL below)
8. http://miceposter.com/poster/display_poster/710

IALP group photo (sourced from IALP's Facebook page)
More IALP photos are here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/IALP-Taipei-2019-1378164912312556/photos/?ref=page_internal

The conference venue (left) near the East Gate (right)

IALP Child Speech Committee Meeting (Susan Rvachew, Helen Grech, Sharynne McLeod, Sarah and Sadie Verdon) (unfortunately 8 members of our committee were unable to attend)

Belinda Hill (Vice President, Speech Pathology Australia) bearing the Australian flag at the opening flag ceremony

Australians at IALP in Taiwan

Sadie and Ben Pham

European Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association (ECPCA) conference

My colleagues from the UK are presenting a poster at the European Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association (ECPCA) www.ecpca.eu in The Netherlands this week (12-15 June). The poster is titled "Parents’ ratings of intelligibility in 3-year-olds with cleft lip and/or palate using the Intelligibility in Context Scale: Findings from the Cleft Collective Cohort Studies" and the authors are: Miriam Seifert, Yvonne Wren, Amy Davies, and Sharynne McLeod.
Here is the take home message on the poster:

A sample of 175 3-year-old children with cleft palate from The Cleft Collective study had a mean average ICS score of 3.57 “sometimes understood” on the Intelligibility in Context Scale