Speak Out August 2020 DIGITAL EDITION

group over a 6-month period, including no evidence of maturational change. No intervention effect was observed for caregivers’ outcomes, although high empowerment and satisfaction scores at baseline may have been attributed to receiving an early speech pathology assessment. Overall, the children in this study did not make statistically significant improvements during a 6-month period on a waiting list. The research findings suggested that provision of a website was not enough to promote active waiting and support children and families on a speech pathology waiting list in this study, compared with a control group. All participants in this project accessed speech pathology input sooner than usual at the project site, where waiting times were typically up to 12 months for an initial assessment. A concurrent RCT undertaken in NSW compared three conditions: provision of the same website, immediate therapy, and an advice session (McLeod et al., 2020). The concurrent RCT study found that therapy led to significantly greater change in children’s speech and caregivers’ satisfaction. The findings support the need for timely speech pathology intervention at an appropriate dosage to significantly improve children’s communication skills. Further research is needed to explore effective ways to support children and families while waiting for speech pathology, until timely services are available for all who need them. The website evaluated in this study can be accessed at the following link: https://wnswlhd.health.nsw.gov.au/our-services/ speech-pathology Further details of the study and references can be found in: McGill, N., McLeod, S., Ivory, N., Davis, E., & Rohr, K. (2020, in press). Randomised controlled trial evaluating active versus passive waiting for speech-language pathology. Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica. doi: 10.1159/000508830 A research team at Australian Catholic University are currently recruiting participants to take part in a short online survey and would like to hear about your work in this area. If you would like to participate in this anonymous study you can find out more information by clicking the link below for participant information letter and survey: https://acu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bw09SAJ026bHgDr Please feel free to forward this link on to your contacts who may work in this area. Are you a speech pathologist currently practicing in adult stroke rehabilitation with a minimum 6 months experience?

It’s not too late to apply! Applications for the Clinician- Researcher Partnership Grant and the Building the Evidence Base: Supporting Equitable Outcomes in Communication and Swallowing for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples research grant close on September 30.

You can find more information here, or on the website www.

speechpathologyaustralia.org.au > Members > Research Grants, or by contacting Cori Williams at ebp@ speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

Multisensory Instruction in Language Arts 1

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January, July and October Australia Wide, New Zealand and Asia. Additional courses and locations organised by demand

Contact Office: 03 9889 4768 admin@spaldingaustralia.com.au

www.spaldingaustralia.com.au

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August 2020 | Speak Out