Speak Out August 2018

Best Poster – Stephanie Bates • Modified diet prescription in a geriatric evaluation and management setting Best Poster – Carolin Jentzsch, Lisa Totten, Lauren Constantine, Katiane Martinez, Raana Walsh and Dianne Chambers • Investigation of the use of Milo™ (humanoid robot) as a tool to develop social skills in children with autism spectrum disorders People’s Choice Poster – Rosemary Roberts and Myfanwy Shefford • Inspiring changed teacher beliefs and practices: Supporting schools and trial a systematic synthetic approach to teaching phonics for all students in their first year of school Student Oral Presentation – Marie Atherton (Note: Co-authored with Bronwyn Davidson and Lindy McAllister) • Engaging in collaborative research to inform speech- language pathology service development in Vietnam

After a full day it was fabulous to see so many stay on for the AGM and awards presentation. It is always a wonderful occasion to recognise and celebrate the inspiring achievements of our colleagues. Read all about the award recipients on pages 12-14. Tuesday Many had an early start at either the IDDSI or Student and Early Career breakfasts. Then it was into the plenary hall to hear Professor Sharynne McLeod talk about the special edition of the IJSLP on communication rights in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At morning tea there was an opportunity to meet with some of the authors. The Elizabeth Usher Memorial

Lecture is an honour of the Association and this year it was awarded to Professor Elizabeth (Liz) Ward. Her presentation,"Expanding scope of practice: Inspiring practice change and raising new considerations", was on pointe. She reflected that it’s

The conference culminated in the ‘Reach for the Stars’ themed dinner in the Panorama Ballroom at the ACC with its outlook across the River Torrens. It was wonderful to see everyone embracing the theme and turning out in their sparkly and imaginative attire. A few went somewhat "lateral" with the theme so we saw a storm trooper and Darth Vader there! Many took the opportunity to capture their style (with a few embellishments) and memories of a wonderful conference in the very popular photo booth which

important to go to conferences to understand where your full scope of practice is and when embarking on change you need to have your ‘ducks lined up’. The day concluded with another capacity session where attendees heard about and gave input to the development of the association’s Reconciliation Action Plan. Again, it was so fitting this happened during Reconciliation Week. Wednesday

Dr Ron Gillam commenced the day’s program with his keynote address on "Cognitive predictors of language comprehension in school- age children: New findings and their clinical implications". The address demonstrated what Ron does so well, that is, venture into new areas and link research and practice. The content was relevant to those in the audience who work with adults as well as children. Ron then co-presented an engaging

was kept busy for the entire night. The dance floor didn’t take long to get started thanks to the wonderful music and energy of The Flaming Zambucas. Overall there was a fantastic celebratory atmosphere and a good number stayed right to the end of the night enjoying every minute. Conference app The conference app was popular and from the feedback delegates appreciated this year’s new format and features. Delegates were able to view the sessions, speakers, their bio, social events, posters, exhibitors and keynote speaker handouts, as well as vote for the People’s Choice Poster Prize. Delegates could also collect points in the Game Zone. Congratulations to Lauren MacDonald from Canberra, who ended up ‘top of the ladder’ and won a complimentary registration to the 2019 Joint Conference in Brisbane. Thank you to Colleen Moloney, Caitlyn Rustem, Lisa Petrov and Bethany Mills for doing a great job to produce the app. Conference proceedings Under the co-editorship of Jane Bickford and Joanne Murray, the keynote presentations and selected research papers will comprise the Conference Proceedings to be published in the International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. The papers from the 2018 conference will appear in the 2019 Volume 21 Issue 3. Articles will appear early online as soon as they have been accepted.

keynote seminar with Dr Sandra (Sandi) Gillam on, "Supporting knowledge in language and literacy: A narrative-based language intervention program". Again it offered a lot that was practical, together with the research journey and learning along the way. At the final session delegates were treated to a bonus ‘What inspires you?’ video before Rosalie (Rosie) Martin, 2017 Tasmanian of the Year, introduced and chaired the Inspiring the Future panel discussion. Rosie and the other panel members – Dr Sebastian Doeltgen, Darryl Selwood, Pamela Hewavasam and Cezanne Green – covered a diverse range of areas as we looked to the future where communication is a realised human right for all. It was a fitting, thought all. It was a fitting, thought-provoking and inspiring end to the I N S P I RE conference program. Presentation Prizes At the close of the conference Jane Bickford, Scientific Program Chair, congratulated the winners of the various prizes awarded at the conference. Thank you to all the judges and also the delegates who voted for the People’s Choice Poster via the conference app.

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August 2018 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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