Speak Out August 2013

2013 National Conference News 23-26 June 2013 Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Broadbeach QLD

review of literature on dysphagia screening and compared the existing practice guidelines in various countries, presenting evidence supporting reliable and valid tools along with emerging evidence that screening benefits patient health and overall recovery.

Professor Sharynne McLeod , recipient of the 2013 Elizabeth Usher Memorial Award, provided a passionate account of information gathered from her recent international collaborations framed around the World Health

T he Conference Planning

Committee was delighted to welcome over 750 attendees to Broadbeach for SEA change :

Organisation’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. These collaborations have been established with the goal of supporting multi-lingual children to participate in society and have resulted in innovative and practical strategies to support speech pathologists during assessment, intervention and collaboration with families, communities and other professionals.

Synthesize, Evaluate, Act! SEA change : Synthesize, Evaluate, Act! provided a platform for delegates to reflect on, and discuss high quality keynote presentations and workshops, as well as the many clinical and research papers, workshops and poster presentations and to provide insights and impetus for reflection on current clinical practice. Sunday Workshops Amy Rodriguez et al kicked off the workshops prior to the official Conference opening with their workshop – Intensity and aphasia rehabilitation: Who, what, when and how. Dr Cori Williams and Chris Lyons then presented their workshop – You can be a researcher too: Identifying, analysing, applying and gathering evidence in everyday clinical practice. Both of the workshops were clinically relevant, providing attendees with current research into assessment and treatment principles in the clinical field of aphasia rehabilitation and in the formal gathering of evidence within clinical practice. Opening Address

Dr Tiffany Hogan presented a keynote address and workshop focused on the pathways to reading comprehension impairment. In her workshop she was able to expand on evidence-based approaches to working with language skills to improve reading comprehension for students presenting with reading

difficulties through a ‘simple view of reading’.

Posters There was an impressive array of 58 posters on display during the Conference. These were universally well received and represented a very diverse range of clinical and research topics. Many poster authors were engaged in deep discussion during the formal poster sessions. Congratulations to all authors on the high calibre of the work presented.

Dr Michelle Owens, a medical practitioner, provided personal insights in regard to loss of function and the process of rehabilitation following severe brain injury – this personal account of Michelle’s own journey was highly relevant and engaging.

Pre-registration Many delegates took the opportunity to register, enjoy a ‘cocktail’ and catch up with friends and colleagues while visiting the exhibitors’ stands. The exhibition hall for this year’s Conference was again filled with a range of novel, intriguing and high quality

Keynote and Invited Presenters

Dr Rosemary Martino explored the perspectives of clinicians, caregivers and patients in the dimension of medical consequences for those with dysphagia, through presenting the findings of her research. In her workshop, Rosemary presented a

products and services. Thank you to the exhibitors for their ongoing support of our National Conference – and for the wonderful prizes donated that were drawn at the Conference Dinner. Congratulations to the lucky winners. We would also like to congratulate Safe Swallowing for winning The Best

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Speak Out August 2013

Speech Pathology Australia