CSU Faculty of Education Supervisor Seminar Series: Maximising your HDR students’ potential

Today Suzanne Hopf (my PhD student) and I presented a seminar titled:  “Maximising your HDR students’ potential”. The presentation occurred simultaneously in Bathurst, Dubbo, Sydney, Albury, Wagga Wagga and with 5 people on the phone in other locations. 

Here is the information sent to the Faculty about the presentation:

Sharynne was the recipient of the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Supervision Excellence in 2010 and 2013, and has long been known for supporting her HDR candidates to reach their maximum potential throughout their candidature and beyond. Come along (bring your lunch) and discuss with Sharynne and colleagues her strategies and approaches to supervision. All welcome!

I described a process of Get ready - Get set - Go - Run - Win - and Keep going...

I found it interesting to document the process I go through initiating a working relationship with my students and setting up their candidature, even before they begin.

Families’ communication choices for children with hearing loss

This week Charles Sturt University published a media release profiling Kate Crowe's research into families' communication choices for children with hearing loss. http://news.csu.edu.au/latest-news/education/ripple/families-communication-choices-for-children-with-hearing-loss. She found that parents' choices are influenced by advice from professionals, their children's access to hearing aids and cochlear implants, children's intervention experiences, children's future opportunities, practicalities of communication, and creating a sense of belonging for their children. The research was published in an article titled Communication choices: Translating research to practice for professionals working with children with hearing loss which recently won the  Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology (JCPSLP) Editor's Prize for 2014.
The story has been picked up on the HealthCanal

JCPSLP Editor Dr David Trembath with
Kate Crowe and Sharynne McLeod

Seeing Speech website

Six Scottish universities have created an amazing website dedicated to seeing speech: http://www.seeingspeech.ac.uk. My favourite feature is the real time movies of each consonant of the world created using MRI technology: http://www.seeingspeech.ac.uk/ipachart/display.php?chart=1&datatype=1&speaker=1. The site also includes Dynamic Dialects (http://www.dynamicdialects.ac.uk/) portraying ultrasound movies of speakers from around the world producing the same list of words.

Sound Start Study: Stages 1, 2, and 3 are complete

Stages 1, 2, and 3 of the 3-year Sound Start Study are now complete. Stages 4, 5,  and 6 will be completed in the second half of the year. Kate Crowe and Sarah Masso have done an amazing job over the three years with 1214 children being screened in stage 1. Charlotte Howland and Felicity McKellar have supported the study as our competent research assistants.

Sarah Masso working on the data files with
our research assistant Felicity McKellar

Dr Kate Crowe - Master of Special Education

Recently Dr Kate Crowe has been working to add to her qualifications. She submitted her thesis to finalise her Master of Special Education (Sensory Disabilities) from The University of Newcastle. Her thesis was titled: "Professionals' perspectives on spoken language multilingualism for children with hearing loss." Congratulations Kate!

Kate Crowe and Dr Breda Carty

Marra Marra Badhang exhibition

Today we attended the opening of the Marra Marra Badhang exhibition at Charles Sturt University. The exhibition was launched with a smoking ceremony by Wiradyuri Elders and opened by the Bathurst Mayor and Charles Sturt University Vice-Chancellor. The exhibition includes the Bathurst Wiradyuri and Aboriginal community possum skin cloaks, alongside Indigenous artwork from the CSU art collection.  The exhibition is part of the 2015 NADIOC celebrations and the Bathurst Bicentenary. 

Sarah Verdon and Ben Pham with the Wiradyuri possum cloak

Smoking ceremony

Wiradyuri elders presenting the Vice Chancellor with the new flag

Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS)

In much of our research we have used the Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) as a screening tool. A new PEDS website has just been launched http://www.rch.org.au/ccch/peds/ and it includes a table that mentions the research of the Sound Start Study and the Sound Effects Study.

Research assistant update

Alice Whitfield was my research assistant a few years ago: http://www.speakingmylanguages.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/essential-support.html
She has now completed her degree and has been volunteering Namibia. I am so grateful for the work my research assistants have done over the years.

Alice was profiled in the Forbes Advocate recently
(there's even a mention of her research assistant work with me)

Alice in Namibia this month

Introduction to Speech, Language and Literacy: Page proofing underway

Introduction to Speech, Language and Literacy is in the page proofing stage. Oxford University Press has recently begun advertising the book: http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780195527926.do

Jane has written a blog post about the development of our book here

First meeting of the Speech, Language and Literacies Research Stream of RIPPLE

On Thursday and Friday 27-28 May, the Speech, Language and Literacies research stream of RIPPLE met for the first time. Christine Edwards-Groves and myself have been appointed the coordinators of the stream. RIPPLE members and PhD students who have undertaken and are undertaking research in this area are members. The synergies between the participants was explored and future networking and collaboration was planned.

L-R: Speech, Language and Literacies: Kasey Garrison, Noella Mackenzie, Sarah Verdon, Natalie Thompson, Christine Edwards-Groves, Sharynne McLeod, Stephanie Garoni, Sarah Hayton, Christina Davidson (+ Helen Blake, Kate Crowe, Brooke Scriven, Sarah Masso, Ben Pham, Suzanne Hopf, Jane McCormack, Linda Harrison)

RIPPLE Strategy Meeting in Wagga Wagga

The Research Institute for Professional Practice, Learning and Education met in Wagga Wagga on 27-28 May to discuss future strategy and to celebrate current successes for the institute. This was the first meeting where the new research streams met and discussed future collaborations and strategy. It was also a time to farewell three RIPPLE researchers: Jane McCormack, Stephen Kemmis, and Rozzie Brennan-Kemmis. This was Helen Blake's first RIPPLE meeting as a new PhD student at CSU.

Helen Blake, Sarah Verdon, Tamara Cumming, Jennifer Sumsion (Director of RIPPLE),
Audrey (Cen) Wang, Graham Daniel, Helen (Jinjin) Lu

Sharynne, Jane McCormack, Sarah Verdon

International Phonological Development website

The International Phonological Development website has been developed by researchers at the University of British Columbia. http://phonodevelopment.sites.olt.ubc.ca/. It includes:

• free assessment tools in many languages
• nonlinear scan analysis tutorials with English, French (in French) and Spanish examples
• fun-ological therapy activities
• feature and phonetic transcription tutorials by Joe
• links
• long words analysis by Glenda Mason
• secret bonus footage
  

Creating the Vietnamese Speech Assessment

This week Lê Thị Thanh Xuân (Xuân) is visiting Charles Sturt University in Bathurst. One of the major aims of her visit is to work on developing the Vietnamese Speech Assessment with my PhD student, Phạm Thị Bền (Bền) and myself. We started the visit with imagining what the best assessment could look like by viewing my collection of speech assessments from around the world and considering the following article:
McLeod, S., & Verdon, S. (2014). A review of 30 speech assessments in 19 languages other than English. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 23(4), 708-723.
The collaboration between Ben and Xuan has been exceptional and I know that a great resource will be created.

Ben and Xuan considering the merits of speech assessments from around the world

Xuan and Ben discussing words that work across Vietnamese dialects and contexts

Sharynne, Xuan, and Ben at CSU

Visiting Bathurst in Autumn

This week Xuan Le is visiting Bathurst and Ben Pham and I have enjoyed showing her the beauty of Bathurst in autumn (fall). It is a lovely city to visit - especially at this time of year.

Xuan amongst the autumn leaves in Machattie Park

The curious local possum (in the tree) welcoming Xuan

Visiting a local farm with views of Bathurst in the background

Sharynne and Xuan at the Court House

Speech Pathology Australia National Conference in Canberra

This year's Speech Pathology Australian National Conference was held in Canberra. There were over 600 delegates, with keynote addresses from Nicola Nelson, Jay Rosenbek, and Pam Snow. Many of my students and colleagues attended and presented papers. In addition to the Sound Start Study symposium, we presented the following posters and papers:

• Hopf, S. C. & McLeod, S. (2015, May). Agents of intervention for people with communication disability in Fiji.
• Pham, B. T. & McLeod, S. & McCormack, J. (2015, May). Comparison of consonants, vowels, and tones across three dialects of Vietnamese. 
• Verdon, S., McLeod, S., & Wong, S. (2015, May). Universal principles, individual approaches: The provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate speech pathology services to diverse populations.

Suzanne Hopf and Ben Pham with their posters

Current and past PhD students: Ben Pham, Helen Blake and Sarah Verdon

Xuan Le (visiting from Vietnam) and Ben Pham

Sound Start Study at Speech Pathology Australia National Conference

The Sound Start Study team presented a symposium at the Speech Pathology Australia National Conference this week in Canberra. It was well attended and we received great feedback from the delegates. Here are the presentation titles:

Baker, E., McLeod, S., Masso, S., Crowe, K., McCormack, J., Wren, Y., & Roulstone, S. (2015, May). Sound Start Study: The home literacy environment and print knowledge of preschool children with speech sound disorders.

Baker, E., McLeod, S., Masso, S., & Wren, Y. (2015, May). Sound Start Study: Dummies, bottles and thumb sucking in preschool children with speech sound disorders.

Crowe, K., Cumming, T., McCormack, J., McLeod, S. Wren, Y., &  Roulstone, S. (2015, May). Sound Start Study: Educators’ perceptions of supporting speech pathology intervention in preschools.

Masso, S., Baker, E., McLeod, S., McCormack, J., & Crowe, K. (2015, May). Polysyllable production in preschool-aged children with speech sound disorders.

McCormack, J., Baker, E., McLeod, S., Crowe, K., Masso, S., Wren, Y., & Roulstone, S. (2015, May). Sound Start Study: How do children with speech sound disorders feel about their talking?

McLeod, S., Baker, E., McCormack, J., Wren, Y., Roulstone, S., Crowe, K., & Masso, S. (2015, May). Sound Start Study: A community-based randomized controlled trial for preschoolers with speech sound disorders. 

McLeod, S., Crowe, K., White, P., Masso, S., Baker, E., McCormack, J., Wren, Y., & Roulstone, S. (2015, May). Sound Start Study: Preschool children’s speech and language is of concern for more parents and teachers than other aspects of development. 

Sharynne McLeod, Elise Baker, Kate Crowe, Jane McCormack

Sarah's poster presentation: Jane, Elise, Debbie James, Kate and Sharynne

Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology (JCPSLP) Editor's Prize for 2014

At the Speech Pathology Australia National Conference, the article written by Kate Crowe and myself titled Communication choices: Translating research to practice for professionals working with children with hearing loss won the  Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology (JCPSLP) Editor's Prize for 2014. The award was presented at the Speech Pathology Australia AGM on 18^th May. This article translated Kate’s PhD research to a professional audience – so the award is not only for her article, but also for her outstanding PhD research.

Life Member of Speech Pathology Australia

I have been nominated to be transferred to Life Member of Speech Pathology Australia. Here is the letter I received:

It is with great pleasure that I am emailing to inform you of a successful nomination to transfer you to Life Membership of the Speech Pathology Association of Australia.
The Board of Speech Pathology Australia recognise the outstanding leadership and committed service to the Association and the profession that you have provided over many years. Therefore we would like to award you with the highest honour that we can provide; Life Membership of the Association.
Congratulations and thank you for your ongoing service to the Association and the profession in Australia and across the world.

Gaenor Dixon, Vice President, Communications, Speech Pathology Australia

The award was conferred at the Speech Pathology Australia Annual General Meeting in Canberra on 18th May. I hold the association and profession in such high esteem, and have been privileged to work with so many inspiring speech pathologists, teachers, children and families over the years.It is a great honour to receive this award.
The SPA Life Members are listed here.
My acceptance speech is reproduced here.

Lindy McAllister, Sharynne and David McLeod

Celebrating with my colleagues: Elise Baker, Jane McCormack, Sharynne McLeod,
Kate Crowe, Xuan Le, Sarah Verdon, Ben Pham, Lindy McAllister