Speak Out June 2017

SPEECH PATHOLOGY WEEK in 2017 will be held in the week of 20 - 26 August. The theme for the week is Communication Access – everyone gets the message ! This theme draws on one of the eight key aspirations from the Speech Pathology 2030 project, while reinforcing the important role that speech pathologists play in the lives of Australians with speech and swallowing difficulties. Communication remains a human right and Speech Pathology Week promotes this fact. As in previous years, the week will be promoted by a traditional media campaign, an online and social media campaign, and campaign kits available for members. Separate marketing collateral will be supplied to State Branches to help promote their own Speech Pathology Week events. For more information about Speech Pathology Week, campaign material and other matters, visit the Speech Pathology Week page on the Association’s website. Speech Pathology Week 2017 theme announced Speech Pathology Week 20 - 28 August 2017

One of the core projects in CRE-SLANG involves understanding more about genetic contributions to speech and language disorders, including trying to identify single causative genes to explain speech pathology for individuals and their families. This project involves recruitment of both individual children with moderate to severe and persistent speech disorders, and larger families who seem to pass on the speech and language disorders across generations. Large numbers of people are needed for these studies. Speech pathologists who are interested in the work or who feel they may have clients suitable for the study are warmly welcomed to get in touch with the institute to become partners and collaborators in the broader network as part of the new centre. One of the core projects involves understanding more about genetic contributions to speech and language disorders... The CRE in Speech and Language Neurobiology will be hosting its official launch in August 2017 at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne. Registration will be opening soon. References Graham, S.A. & Fisher, S.E. (2015). Understanding Language from a Genomic Perspective. Annual Review of Genetics , 49, 131-160 Lai, C.S.L., Fisher, S.E., Hurst, J.A., Vargha-Khadem, F. & Anthony P. Monaco, A.P. (2001). A forkhead-domain gene is mutated in a severe speech and language disorder. Nature , 413, 519-523. Morgan A., Fisher, SE., Scheffer, I., & Heldebrand, M. (207) FOXP2-Related Speech and Language Disorders. GeneReviews®. Retrieved from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/ NBK368474 Turner, S.J., Mayes, A.K., Verhoeven, A., Mandelstam, S.A., Morgan, A.T. & Scheffer, I.E. (2015). GRIN2A: an aptly named gene for speech dysfunction. Neurology, 84(6), 586-593. Turner, S.J., Brown, A., Arpone, M., Anderson, V., Morgan, A.T. & Scheffer, I.E. (2017). Dysarthria and broader motor speech deficits in Dravet syndrome. Neurology , 88(8), 743-749. For further information or enquiries please email: geneticsofspeech@mcri.edu.au

Speak to our members through Speak Out ! Advertising bookings are now open for the June edition! Deadline May 4

For more information contact Rebecca Faltyn at pubs@speechpathologyaustralia.org.au or visit the publications page at www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au.

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June 2017 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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