Speak Out August 2020 1-18

SPEAKOUT AUGUS 2020 THE MAGAZINE FOR AUSTRALIAN SPEECH PATHOLOGISTS

Embracing new ways of working

New feature: Member research Information for new graduates and more... RETURNING TO IN-PERSON WORK ETHICS AND TELEHEALTH

IT'S TIME TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP

Connect

National Office Level 1/114 William Street Melbourne VIC 3000 T 1300 368 835 F 03 9642 4922 E office@speechpathologyaustralia.org.au Chief Executive Officer Gail Mulcair T 03 9642 4899 E execassist@speechpathologyaustralia. org.au Speech Pathology Australia Board Tim Kittel - President Chyrisse Heine – Vice President Communications Maree Doble – Vice President Operations Copyright © 2020 The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Speak Out is the official bi-monthly magazine of The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Ltd. Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) owns the copyright to Speak Out and no part of this magazine may be reproduced without the explicit permission of SPA. Write to us Letters can be sent to publications@speechpathologyaustralia.org. au Letters may or may not be published in future issues of Speak Out magazine at SPA’s discretion. Advertisements Please refer to the 'Publications' menu at www.speechpathology australia.org.au to view the 2020 Speak Out ad kit. Any queries may be directed to SPA Publications Manager T 1300 368 835 E publications@speechpathologyaustralia.org.au Advertising booking dates for October 2020 Speak Out . The official booking form must be received at national office by COB 10 September, 2020. Disclaimer To the best of The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited’s (‘the Association”) knowledge, this information is valid at the time of publication. The Association makes no warranty or representation in relation to the content or accuracy of the material in this publication. The Association expressly disclaims any and all liability (including liability for negligence) in respect of use of the information provided. The Association recommends you seek independent professional advice prior to making any decision involving matters outlined in this publication. Print Post Approved PP349181/01711 Print ISSN 1446-053X Digital ISSN : ISSN 2208-7125 We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of lands, seas and waters throughout Australia, and pay respect to Elders past, present and future. We recognise that the health and social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are grounded in continued connection to culture, country, language and community. Speak Out Branch Editors Please see the website for Branch Editor contact details. Brooke Sanderson – Director Bronwyn Sutton – Director Kathryn McKinley - Director Alison Smith - Director

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Speech Pathology Australia

Do you have an idea for a story?

If you have an idea for a story that you think may be of benefit to the profession it could be suitable to publish in Speak Out. We'd love to hear from you. To receive the editorial/contributor guidelines please contact the Publications Manager Rebecca Faltyn. Have a question about your membership? Speech Pathology Australia supports a number of member communities on Facebook. These popular communities allow members to share information, collaborate and provide mutual support. Members may join and participate in as many groups as they like. You will need to make a request to join each group and can remain a member of the group/s while you are a SPA member. Please remember, the member communities are not a forum for advertising products, services or events. Information about events may be submitted by via the Non Association Events webpage. Areas of Practice Online Member Communities Outlined below is a list of the Association’s member ‘closed’ Facebook communities. • APPropriate Apps - SPA Member Group • for members with an interest in apps and mobile devices and related information. • Early Career Member Community • for speech pathology students and those starting

Cover pic: During COVID-19 student clinical placements at the University of Queensland changed to a telepractice model. Read more on page 18.

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Contents

August 2020

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Regulars

Features

From the President

From the President

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It's time to renew your membership

It's time to renew your membership

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Advocacy during the pandemic

Advocacy during the pandemic

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Participate in the inaugural Speechie Library Talks Campaign .

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New ways of working -Discover how some members adjusted during COVID-19

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New series -Member research in focus

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The latest for new graduates

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From the President

Tim Kittel

Tim Kittel National President

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Association news

2020 Speech Pathology Australia Awards And, the winners are... The Board of Directors was extremely proud to present awards in the following categories at the 2020 Annual General Meeting and Awards Ceremony. The Board’s appreciation goes to the many people who took the time to research and prepare the nominations that assist the Association in recognising some of our outstanding colleagues. Community Contribution Award

The Community Contribution award is granted by the Association to recognise outside agencies or individuals who have made a significant and valuable contribution to speech pathology. Speech Pathology Australia was pleased to award the Community Contribution award in 2020 to... The City of Adelaide Accepted by Right Honourable The Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Sandy Verschoor. The City of Adelaide has developed comprehensive strategies to support individuals with communication disabilities in accessing services, including libraries, community centres and customer service centres. In partnering with Scope Victoria and private speech pathology practice, ‘Two Way Street’, the City of Adelaide developed a dynamic plan and

implementation program, that built upon the city’s Disability Access and Inclusion Plan. Staff are trained and confident in supporting a range of communication systems, including the use of a Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display. The City of Adelaide’s commitment to communication access was evident at the launch of their Disability Access and Inclusion Plan 2020- 2022, with the provision of an Auslan interpreter, live captioning, easy read PowerPoint slides and a hearing loop. The launch was emceed by an individual with a communication disability, including speech and a personal communication device. This was an excellent opportunity to demonstrate ways communication access can be facilitated in a public forum. The strategies implemented by the City of Adelaide are highly visible, encourage participation and promote inclusion for individuals with communication disabilities.

Service to the Association

The Service to the Association Award is granted by the Association to members in recognition of ongoing, valuable and voluntary service to the Association at either a National or Branch level. In 2020, the Association recognised highly deserving member... Cathy Clark Cathy has been a valued contributor to the South Australian Branch, having held the role of Branch Chair from 2009 until June 2019. During this time Cathy fostered close alignment between the Branch and National strategic objectives, managing the Branch’s transition from a portfolio to a strategic structure. In the role of Branch Chair, Cathy was instrumental in mentoring new Branch Executive members and in increasing and retaining student representation within the Branch. Cathy maintained positive connections with the local university program, providing regular first and final year student information presentations. Cathy established an online presence for the South Australian Branch and was proactive in growing the membership of the online community. Under Cathy's leadership community awareness increased through initiatives, including Book of the Year story time sessions, the Pregnancy, Babies and Mother’s Expo, Farmers Market stalls and Speech Pathology Week events. Cathy has also contributed to the national activities of the Association, attending National Strategic Planning workshops, mentoring less experienced Branch Chairs and regularly attending National Conferences.

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And, the winners are...

Elinor Wray

The Elinor Wray Award was instituted in 1981 to honour Miss Elinor Wray, who is regarded as the Founder of the speech pathology profession in Australia. The award is granted for significant and outstanding contribution to the profession of speech pathology, through completion of a specific project or major clinical contribution. In 2020 the Association was proud to bestow this award on two very worthy members.

senior research speech pathologist at St Vincent’s Hospital. Robyn has led innovative research that has resulted in the internationally acclaimed Inpatient Functional Communication Interview – Screening, Assessment and Intervention. She has a passion for speech pathology practice and research that changes the lives of people with communication disability. This most recent publication promotes speech pathology to a new range of health care professionals and will impact positively on many hospital patients with communication disability. Jennifer Peach

Dr Robyn O’Halloran Dr Robyn O’Halloran has made an outstanding contribution to speech pathology research, clinical practice, leadership, student education and supervision over her entire career but it is the more recent development and publication of the Inpatient Functional Communication Interview – Screening, Assessment and Intervention that has earnt her an

Jennifer has made a highly significant contribution to the profession of speech

pathology, particularly related to recognition of the role of speech pathologists, in contributing to the education outcomes for students and the delivery of speech pathology services in an educational setting. Jenny has delivered speech pathology services within the Queensland Department of Education as a service provider and manager for over 25 years.

Elinor Wray Award. The aim of the newly

published Inpatient Functional Communication Interview – Screening, Assessment and

While Jenny's achievements have been numerous, the Elinor Wray award is in recognition of her role in the development and implementation of ‘Read it again – Foundation Q!’ and her positioning of speech pathologists as critical partners in the development of reading skills for students across Queensland State Schools. In her role as Project Leader in the development, implementation and scaling of ‘Read It Again – FoundationQ!’ Jenny lead collaboration with international researcher, Distinguished Professor Laura Justice, who developed the original ‘Read It Again – Pre K’. Jenny identified a potential to adapt this program, which was originally targeted to children in the prior to school age bracket, for the students just beginning in school in Australia. Jenny saw the opportunity to apply contemporary research in how adults can support children’s long-term language and literacy development using systematic and explicit instruction to the key indicators for the Australian Curriculum. This lead to the collaboration with Professor Laura Justice to develop ‘Read-it Again – FoundationQ!’. Read It Again – FoundationQ! Is currently implemented in over 250 state schools across seven education regions in Queensland and in a growing number of independent schools. It is successfully implemented in urban, rural and remote contexts via telehealth to isolated distance education students and accessed and implemented in educational jurisdictions across Australia. Jenny’s significant success in the implementation of Read It Again

Intervention is to provide speech pathologists with the tools to make hospitals communicatively accessible for people with a communication disability. Robyn was ahead of her time when she developed and published the original Inpatient Functional Communication Interview in 2004. The result of her Master of Philosophy thesis. Robyn completed her PhD measuring the incidence and prevalence of communication disability in stroke units, determining the validity and reliability of impairment rating scales relevant to the stroke unit setting, and measuring the performance of people with a communication disability on tasks that have been found to enable participation in health care. In the past three years, Robyn has worked closely with the team at St Vincent’s hospital to expand the tools within the original Inpatient Functional Communication Interview. The newly published resource now contains a screening tool for nursing staff, interview by a speech pathologist, impairment scales, and an Environmental Questionnaire that audits the communicative accessibility of the ward or the hospital. The foreword written by world renowned Professor Emeritus Nina Simmons-Mackie describes the Inpatient Functional Communication Interview – Screening, Assessment and Intervention as required reading for students as well as seasoned clinicians. Robyn has bridged the academic and clinical world as a Senior Lecturer and Discipline Head at LaTrobe University and until recently a

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And, the winners are... Life Membership

Life Membership is the highest public professional honour the Association awards to members and is awarded to speech pathologists who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and committed service to the Association and profession over many years. In 2020 the Association was proud to award Life Membership to two exceptional members of the Association.

In total, Hilary has authored 38 journal publications and has a Scopus H-index of 13, demonstrating high citations for her papers, especially those from her early work at the Saliva Clinic, and her PhD. She has also been an author of 10 books and book chapters. Hilary was integral in the development of the Communication Access Symbol. This symbol is awarded to businesses and services that meet determined criteria for communication access. Hilary’s contribution to the profession and to people with severe disability has been multifaceted and sustained across her career. Her work has been driven by a firm commitment to improving the lives of people with the most severe disability, using her considerable clinical, education, research and advocacy skills. Hilary’s clinical and research work has drawn the attention of international colleagues to the pioneering and ongoing innovative service delivery models and AAC supports for people with disability in Australia. Hilary is deeply devoted to serving people with disability and communication impairment. Although recently retired, her advocacy role continues through ongoing work for the Australian Society for Intellectual and Development Disabilities and support and mentoring of junior colleagues. Professor Pamela Snow Pamela graduated with a

Dr Hilary Johnson Hilary is first and foremost an exemplary clinician. Her work with children with severe communication disorders in the areas of communication, saliva and mealtime management started early in her career while working in positions with specialist disability services. Hilary pioneered clinical interventions in each of these areas. Hilary’s initiatives in the Severe Communication Impairment Outreach Program, the State

Government’s Complex Communication Project, and setting up the Communication Resource Centre, have directly influenced the Department of Human Services’ understanding of the communication needs of people with a significant disability. Under Hilary’s leadership, the Communication and Inclusion Resource Centre has achieved far reaching and long term results, in increasing the understanding about communication access for people with complex communication needs, the role of AAC and knowledge of the services and systems required to meet those needs. This work built upon many previous years in which Hilary was successful in funding bids to initiate and evaluate innovative programs. Hilary, along with her colleagues at the Communication and Inclusion Resource Centre, developed the Triple C Checklist of Communicative Competencies, which remains the only communication access tool suitable for adults with severe communication impairment. Hilary’s contributions to Speech Pathology Australia were recognised early in her career, having been awarded the Elinor Wray award in 1988 and Fellowship in 1996. Hilary completed her PhD at La Trobe University in 2013 and was innovative in exploring how people with severe disabilities and complex communication needs develop and sustain social networks and interactions. In all, Hilary published five papers from her thesis in high quality journals. This work was followed by her success as first investigator on a $90,000 grant, awarded by the National Disability and Research Development scheme to translate the theoretical model developed in her PhD to an evidence-based intervention.

Bachelor of Applied Science (Speech Pathology) from the Lincoln Institute of Health Sciences in 1981, and in 1985 was awarded a Graduate Diploma in Communication Disorders (Neuropsychology and Aphasia) by the same Institution. After twelve years of clinical, administrative, and student supervision experience, Pamela was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by La Trobe University in 1997, receiving

the Graduate Research Prize for the most outstanding PhD thesis in the Faculty of Health Sciences and the A. R. Luria Prize for the most outstanding paper based on Doctoral research at the 22nd Brain Impairment Conference. In 2004 Pamela was registered as a Psychologist in Victoria, and in 2008 achieved a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education fromMonash University. Among at least eight other distinctions and awards, Pam was honoured, in 2017, with Learning Difficulties Australia’s Mona Tobias Award “for an outstanding contribution to the field of learning difficulties through research and practice”. Pam’s contributions to Speech Pathology Australia’s activities were

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And, the winners are...

acknowledged in 2012 with her transfer to Fellowship. Subsequently, in 2015 Pam was selected to present the Elizabeth Usher Memorial Lecture, “Language is literacy is language. Positioning Speech Language Pathology in education policy, practice, paradigms and polemics”. Pam has contributed to and guided academic teaching in the field of human communication disorders across three Australian Universities, Deakin, LaTrobe and Monash, and through international outreach as a review group member for the Nuffield Foundation, visiting scholar to the University of Auckland and as a collaborator at the University of Nebraska. Pam’s clinically relevant and clearly written peer reviewed works are either required or recommended reading for undergraduate and graduate students worldwide. As an internationally renowned researcher in the field of speech pathology, Pam has an outstanding publication record, including over 150 scholarly works across diverse areas. Pam has attained many highly competitive and prestigious research grants from the Australia Research Council and other external funding bodies. Pam has encouraged innovation in treatment and management particularly in the area of TBI rehabilitation and has been an inspirational mentor and role model for other speech pathologists. In her own

words, Pam’s “research passion is language and literacy competence – primarily as this pertains to vulnerability in early life.” Pam is an exceptional ambassador, advocate, communicator and role model for speech pathology in everything she undertakes, She is approachable, empathetic, loyal, funny, consistent, generous in time and effort, and unapologetically committed to clients and community in every strata of society. Pam’s professional career is characterised by an unsurpassed work ethic with a meticulous emphasis on scientific rigour; a conscientious commitment to fairness and social justice; a kind, empathic, balanced approach to resolving the inevitable workplace conflicts and challenges; and, an unpretentious duty to ethical, evidence-based practice across disciplines.

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Free in-clinic hearing test for children

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An estimated 1 in 10 school children suffer from hearing loss, which left undetected can lead to speech, learning and behavioural problems. The Sound Scouts hearing check is a simple way to identify if a child has a hearing issue, including listening difficulties in noise. The test incorporates the science of a hearing test in a fun interactive game. Evidence based, accessible and delivering immediate results, it’s the perfect in-clinic solution.

The Sound Scouts App is now free to test all Australian school-aged children. Download it today.

www.soundscouts.com.au

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Collaboration - A whole school approach

In Victoria, there are special schools (for students with mild- moderate Intellectual Disability), specialist schools (for student with a specific type of disability eg physical impairment, vision impairment, ASD specific etc) and then special developmental schools such as Broadmeadows SDS. Broadmeadows SDS is a Prep- yr 12 school in Broadmeadows, Melbourne. It has approximately 300 students on two campuses. The main eligibility requirement for students is a moderate-profound Intellectual Disability. Many students have other diagnoses as well such as ASD and CP. The class sizes at the school vary from 5 students to 14 students, depending on age and ability. Each class has either a teacher and teacher’s aide (ES) or two teachers. Across the state, therapists work in a range of different ways in special, special development and other specialist schools. At BSDS, our therapy team is quite large- with a current staffing of 14 Speech Pathologists (FTE 13.7), 15 Occupational Therapists (FTE 14.7) and 4 Physiotherapists (FTE 2.8), with a teaching staff of 62 teachers and 33 Education support staff (teacher’s aides). The large team of therapists means that we are able to work in unique ways than for many other schools, where caseloads can be very large and the opportunity to work alongside teachers is

limited. A key aspect of the collaborative way in which therapists and teachers at BSDS work is centred around two main components; the model in which therapists work in the classroom and the weekly case conference. Firstly, therapists’ caseloads are generally about 3-4 classes, equating to 20-30 students. This equates to anywhere from 5-8 hours per week that the therapist is in class with the teacher. This very hands on approach to providing therapy lends itself more easily to a collaborative model, and provides both the teacher/s and therapist/s with a unique perspective. For therapists, it is much easier to understand how a classroom runs and provides an insight into how students are progressing in both specific curriculum based lessons as well as, importantly, social aspects of school and the general daily routines. This means therapists’ contributions to team discussions are richer in understanding of the context in which intervention occurs. In an ideal world, strategies suggested by the SP would be able to be integrated into sessions throughout the week, thereby maximising the input. If a speech pathologist can work with a teacher to understand how to make and use Aided Language Displays in all of his/her sessions, the student is receiving a great deal more

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modelling of language and symbols, than if the SP were to see the child for only an hour a week in a withdrawal type setting. It allows for increased repetition to aid learning and enables "therapy" to take place in everyday activities such as unpacking their bag, playing with their friends at playtime and mealtime. Case conferences are a structured way to help support a collaborative approach. These are weekly meetings between the therapists and teacher/s in each class. These meetings discuss a range of topics relevant to the class including moderating assessments together, discussing strategies for all staff to use with students and individual student goals and progress. Earlier in the year these meetings are centered around Tier 1 strategies within the Positive Behaviour Support model. Tier 1 strategies are explicitly discussed in case conferences and allows input from both teachers and therapists. For example, when discussing instructional language and providing clear expectations, the SP might suggest pairing the verbal instruction of ‘sit’ with the symbol to support a student’s understanding. It also allows the team to discuss what that student appears to be understanding in a real world context. By having therapists and teachers working alongside each other in classes, the strategies suggested in a case conference are more likely to be both relevant and realistic in terms of implementation. The ongoing evaluation of these after trialling in real world classroom situations contributes to greater effectiveness. Supportive structures such as time for case conferences, whole school processes, a commitment from leadership to recruit therapists, staff training and an expectation and willingness from staff to engage in collaboration are all an important part of supporting staff to effectively collaborate with others at BSDS. Over the years of working with staff new to this model, a lot of similar questions arise- especially for SPs who are often used to working in a more 1:1 clinical setting. This approach requires creativity, adaptability, flexibility and an ability to see others’ perspectives. The payoff in the long run though for teachers, therapists and most importantly students is significant.

Lucy Sutherland

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August 2020 | Speak Out

Association news

Speech Pathology Week 2020

When this article was being written, metropolitan Melbourne had just entered a six-week lockdown to combat the challenges thrown-up by a new outbreak of COVID-19. The Association’s national office was closed and its staff were continuing to work remotely from their homes. Notwithstanding, planning for a new and different Speech Pathology Week was still underway. The public awareness campaign in 2020 will almost entirely be conducted digitally and online. This year, the Speech Pathology Week kit, with its promotional collateral, has been replaced with a digital campaign kit, available for all members to download form the Association’s website. The digital campaign kit includes a range of graphics and ideas about how members them can use them to promote Speech Pathology Week and the week’s theme: ‘Communicating with Confidence’, via social media and other digital channels. Members will also find on the Speech Pathology Week page on the website posters and fliers that can be downloaded and printed either in their office or taken to a commercial printer. The posters and fliers are provied in different formats to allow this. Each year Speech Pathology Australia hosts Speech Pathology Week to create awareness of those in our community who have a communication or swallowing difficulty. To reinforce the theme adopted in 2019, the theme for Speech Pathology Week 2020 will again be: Communicating with Confidence. In 2020, Speech Pathology Week is 23-29 August. Around 1.2 million people in Australia have a communication disability. Every day speech pathologists work those Australians to provide them with the confidence to communicate. Sadly, communication disability is largely invisible. Unseen and out-of-sight. Australians with communication disability are the silent suffers that cannot maximise future educational, health and social outcomes, without the intervention of a speech pathologist.

SOCIAL MEDIA COMPETITION Take a photograph of you and someone who is ‘Communicating with Confidence’ thanks to you; Post it on Instagram and/or Twitter; and Include the Association’s handle @ SpeechPathAus and the hashtag #SPweek PLAY IT FORWARD Using one of the graphics from the Speech Pathology Week digital kit (or create your own graphic); Post it on Instagram and/or Twitter; and Add the handles of three colleagues and the hashtag #SPweek and Play It Forward (e.g. “Together with my speechie colleagues, @ Friend01 @Friend02 @Friend03 we are working to ensure all Australians are Communicating with Confidence #SPweek”) 2 easy ways to get involved

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SP Week

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View the shortlisted books

Book of the Year Shortlisted books announced

Despite the challenges thrown-up by COVID-19 there were a record 218 titles nominated for the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year awards in 2020. All these books have now been shortlisted and complete list of all the shortlisted books is available from the Association’s website. Following shortlisting, the resulting books are judged in one of the four age-related categories: Birth to 3 years, three to 5 years, five to 8 years, and eight to 10 years. The former Indigenous Children category has been renamed the ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Authored Children’s Book Award’ and its judging incorporated into the process for the four age-specific categories. This means that a book, written by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander author, is eligible to win both the age-related category for which it has been nominated and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Authored Children’s Book Award category. The Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards are now in the seventieth year. These highly valued awards are not possible without the ongoing support of Australian children book publishers (mainstream and independent) and the authors and illustrators of children’s books. The awards would not be possible with the time and efforts of the members who volunteer as shortlisters and judges. A huge thank you must therefore go to the awards’ shortlisters who worked their way through a record number of nominations in the age-related categories: Lyn Goodwin, Claire Monsour, Evett Lattouf and Natasha Barlow. The judging process is now underway, and thanks

goes to all the volunteer judges. The winners in all categories will be announced on Friday 6 November.

Thank you to the 2020 judges

Birth to 3 Years Lisa Ey Samantha White Rebecca Reinking Olivia Watchman Sharon Smart Nisrine El-Choueifati Iris Yamagishi Rebecca Star Three to 5 Years Jacqui Collins

Five to 8 Years Danielle Ryan Julie Martin

Anna Gilmour Jacqui Hanna Melissa Hughes Lauren Scott Alexandra Sevdalis- Fallaw Janice Zee Eight to 10 Years Pam Reed Erin Coonan Laura Nelson Malathi Ferdinando Kate Augello Kylie Johnson-Short

Asha Bodycoat Lauren Haskins Christine Beal

Olivia MacGinley Melissa Roberts Meryl Lai Kong Ling Lindsay Potgieter

Angela Spurway Stephanie Gibb

BOOK OF THE YEAR

Speech Pathology Australia

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Care to join an ongoing social learning group steered by leading academics and clinicians? Participate in Speech Pathology Australia's communities of practice where you can join in discussions, share case studies and support problem solving for a deeper understanding in your field of practice. The following Community of Practices are open for registration on the Learning Hub. These Community of Practices are to support speech pathologists working within the Education Sector. Speech pathologists in special schools Lucy Sutherland Speech pathologists in mainstream education Pamela Thuan Speech pathologists in rural and remote education settings Natasha Hart

Go to the learning hub

.com

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Feature | New ways of working

Our newly graduated superheroes

by kimberley Knight

THE PREVIOUS EDITION OF SPEAK OUT PRESENTED COVID-19 EXPERIENCES NATION-WIDE WITH PERSPECTIVES FROM ALL AREAS OF OUR PROFESSION. WE HEARD FROM EXPERIENCED SPEECH PATHOLOGISTS ON THE LOWS (AND HIGHS) OF REMOTE PRACTICE, BUT WHAT OF OUR NEW GRADUATES? Starting a new profession is hard enough; starting a new profession at the dawn of a pandemic seems unthinkable, yet our new graduates did it. Stephanie Verga was a fourth-year student at the Australian Catholic University, Victoria in 2019. This year Stephanie began her career with Everyday Independence as a member of the North Eastern, Epping Hub. So, just how weird is this year for a new graduate? We interviewed Stephanie to find out. Did you start your position during COVID-19? I began my role as a new graduate Speech Pathologist in January 2020. I was trying to settle into my new role and find my feet in the world of telehealth when it started. While you were studying did you have any visions for what your first year out might look like? I did. I spoke to new graduates who said they’d learnt so much on the job. This was comforting because I was unsure how I could possibly remember four years of content and apply it well. I hoped for a position that would bring out the best in me, professionally and personally, a position that would nurture my growth, provide mentoring support and opportunity to develop a work-life balance. I was fearful of not being good enough and, as a result, not seeing progress in my participants—would I be good enough to make a difference in the lives of the participants and families I was supporting? What were your first thoughts when news of the virus broke? ‘Surely it won’t affect me!’ and then it did. I thought, ‘how am I

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across the organisation and found comfort in their stories and journey. We have a fantastic working relationship and reach out to each other across our sites. My expectations were exceeded when compared to those thoughts I had as a final year student. I’m glad I took the leap and entered the professional world. What are your hopes for the remainder of the year? Professionally, I would like to continue learning and developing my skills as a Speech Pathologist in the Disability sector. I’m committed to support my participants throughout their COVID-19 journey; highlights and struggles alike, to encourage them, support their dreams, display patience, empathy and always have a smile on my face. Being a Speech Pathologist is my superpower! I’ve learnt a new skill and will always be grateful for this experience. I’m optimistic that this year will turn around and we will be able to hug our friends and family members, take a holiday and never ever run out of toilet paper again. My quote for the year: "If it doesn’t challenge you then it won’t change you." "I feel like COVID-19 has been a blessing in disguise for my participants." SO

possibly going to settle into my role and learn telehealth?’ But I remained positive and carried on, day-by-day, month-by-month. How did your workplace respond? Their response was quite swift. Therapists were expected to ask COVID-19 restriction questions prior to attending appointments, create pivot in therapy structures to alter participants outcomes to reflect current times. They also encouraged sanitising and social distancing and kept us up to date each step of the way. Do you have a funny anecdote from your COVID experience? I feel like COVID-19 has been a blessing in disguise for my participants. I have a lovely participant who didn’t enjoy sessions at his house. Mum interrupted his ‘music’ time for sessions. He often gave me the ‘birdy’ and ignored me. Then came COVID-19. I thought it would be the end of our working relationship. I thought ‘he doesn’t like seeing me face-to-face so how on earth am I going to motivate him during a Zoom session?’ Contingencies in place, I accepted the challenge. To my surprise, Zoom was a blessing. He loved it! For an entire hour he sat in front of the camera, more time than I had ever received face-to-face. I found the best way to support this participant. I am so grateful. I’ll continue using telehealth beyond COVID-19. So how does your experience this year compare with those expectations and thoughts you had in your final year as a student? Working as a Speech Pathologist has been challenging, fulfilling, inspiring and a ‘happy tears’ kind of journey. Everyday Independence has supported me to be the best clinician I can. I think more broadly about my participants and their outcomes. I’ve learnt that no outcome is too small. We dream big and create endless opportunities for our participants. Everyday Independence’s Off to a Flying Start, New Graduate Program provided abundant, ongoing support and mentoring. The process is so professional, seamless and has made me comfortable in my role. I’ve met fellow new graduate colleagues

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2020 Code of Ethics: Advance Notice for Members A major review of the SPA Code of Ethics was undertaken during 2019. Actions undertaken during the review included: Appointment of an independent facilitator who completed a Scoping Review of other professional codes and review processes. Member survey during March 2019, 750 individuals responded. Australia wide in person and videoconferencing focus groups with members; discussion and input into what works well in the current Code and what should be considered for the 2020 Code. Input from key stakeholders, e.g. the Speech Pathology Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee, SPA standards team working on the review of the professional standards, and other external stakeholder representatives. The Ethics Board then used the detailed information gained by these activities to revise the Code. Subsequent review has been undertaken by the Board of Directors, legal counsel and members of our profession experienced in the work of the Ethics Board. Thematic analysis of all the data collected. The 2020 Code of Ethics contains updated values, principles and standards for speech pathology professional practice in Australia. The 2020 Code has been aligned with contemporary practice, to ensure it supports and reflects professional practice now and across the next 10 years. It takes into account the changing internal and external environments for speech pathology practice including changes to models of services delivery, access to services, consumer engagement with speech pathology, the employment contexts of speech pathologists and with consideration of the eight core aspirations of the Speech Pathology 2030 report. 2020 Code of Ethics

The launch of the 2020 Code was initially planned for the SPA National Conference in May 2020, however this action was not achieved as the conference was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The launch is now planned for Friday 23 October 2020. ‘Advance notice’ of the 2020 Code of Ethics from now will allow members to become familiar with the content prior to the launch, as members must comply with it after that date, and other stakeholders to plan for any changes to be made in their context. A range of activities are being planned between now and the launch date to encourage members to interact with the revised content and become familiar with the visual layout. Keep an eye on the new Learning Hub for podcasts and interviews, e-news, and social media. Have a look at the 2020 Code of Ethics here. It is planned that members and external stakeholders will mostly interact with the 2020 Code online, through a dedicated interactive page on the SPA website. Work is currently underway to finalise development of that page with extensive links throughout the 2020 Code to resources that will support members to understand and uphold the Code. Resources will include definitions, internal resources such as Speech Pathology Australia policies, podcasts, clinical guidelines, FAQs, PD opportunities, and external resources such as links to legislation, references and government websites. Members will be advised when that new page is up and running, then we will encourage you to have a look and a ‘play’ with the interactive capabilities. Hard copies will also be available including a poster for your clinic wall, and a downloadable pdf. Please contact the Ethics Team if you have suggestions for resources that you and others will benefit from, or have other questions about the 2020 Code of Ethics. So what do I do now?

Ethics

Launch of the Code

Trish Johnson Professional Support Advisor

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