Speak Out October 2020 DIGITAL EDITION FINAL

Staying connected during COVID-19 New ways of working

areas of improvement during the session. This additional control over how the meeting is run is an advantage over in-person communication therapy groups, where it would be harder to speak with individual clients one-on-one after the session. As the clients become more familiar with each other with each successive group session, their personalities begin to show more and more, and so does their sense of humour. When finishing a meeting, one client joked “So, I’ll see you guys back on the deserted island in two weeks then?”—an inside joke to remind the other participants of the discussion they had just had and only they would understand. All these cognitive-communication skills that the clients work on in group sessions are the foundational blocks required to build rapport and develop strong social relationships with others. Although we often take them for granted as they are things that most people do

unconsciously, for individuals with a TBI, they are vital skills that need to be relearned and practiced repeatedly to be able to successfully reintegrate into community life. Feedback from clients about the online communication therapy group so far has been overwhelmingly positive, with many participants stating that it is something that they look forward to each fortnight. Whilst the telehealth communication groups will likely continue for some time, some of the group participants have planned to meet up in person, once COVID-19 restrictions lift and it is considered safe to do so. When this does occur, the clients will already have some shared experiences to talk about with one another. The ultimate goal is that they will continue to use their skills developed behind the screen to foster an ongoing friendship outside of therapy, and to expand their social connections with people in their wider communities.

Multisensory Instruction in Language Arts 1

HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEW CODE OF ETHICS ?

Training Course Gain the skills to teach students:

Visit Speech Pathology Australia's website to check out the new, interactive Code of Ethics.

Reading

Spelling

Writing

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

Visit speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/code to download a copy of the new Code of Ethics

See page 11 for more information about the launch of the new Code of Ethics

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

www.spaldingaustralia.com.au

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Speak Out | October 2020