What a whirlwind first week on the Fellowship. We landed, exhausted but relieved to have survived the 16 hour flight with a 2 year old, and were whisked to Fremantle, the lovely town where we would be spending the next 9 days. One of our kind hosts in the city, the wonderful Suze Leitao of Curtin University, arrived soon after with a Britbox care package (teabags, milk and plenty of sunscreen), and we settled in. Fremantle, or 'Freo' as we were calling it within a few hours, is wonderful. Inviting cafes, eclectic shops and family-friendly attractions- not to mention a gorgeous beach. I just wish I had more time here to explore!
For it wasn't long before the itinerary kicked into gear. Sunday night, Suze and her husband Paul hosted a fantastic welcome party, where I finally got to meet- in person- the Language and Literacy in Young People (#LaLYP) research team. I knew so many faces from zoom meetings and Twitter profiles, but that can't match being there in person. The next day, I got stuck into visiting Perth's exceptional Language Development Centres (LDCs). Over the course of the week, I visited three LDCs, as well as a mainstream primary school to which they provide support services. LDCs are public (i.e. not private) specialist language schools, which cover from Kindergarten to Year 2, 3 or 4 (depending on the LDC). There are 5 in total in Perth, spread across multiple sites. The different LDCs operate fairly independently, but are guided by common principles. They exist to provide intensive, early intervention support for children with a "primary language disorder" (i.e., mostly Developmental Language Disorder), with the idea that children are then better prepared to enter mainstream school (where contact with or support from a Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP) is likely to be minimal). SLPs in the schools work closely with educators to ensure that oral language is taught explicitly and centrally, not as an afterthought, within the classroom. Every school I visited wore its language-focus proudly, with icons to support oral narrative structure, communication breakdown support (with "Compy", the comprehension monitor(ing) lizard entrancing children at the West Coast LDC) and photos of the most recent Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) Awareness Day activities.
The LDCs also support other schools in Western Australia, through the LDC Outreach programme. Outreach SLPs offer Tier 1 (i.e. school or class-wide, rather than child-specific) support to any public primary schools in Western Australia. These schools can be literally thousands of kilometres away, requiring the SLP to fly in to visit them.They work with staff to deliver training on DLD and how to incorporate oral language and evidence based practice into teaching. This also extends to literacy, which is a contrast from how UK Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) usually work. One of the LDCs (North East) is also piloting a "Speechies in Schools" programme. Through this, an SLP joins the school for about 1 day a week for at least a year, working with staff and/or students to support language and communication. This was a more familiar model to me, as it is closer to how our Get Hackney Talking service works.
In my visits to the LDCs, I was lucky enough to talk with SLPs, teachers, Principals, parents and children, as well as observing classroom-based language teaching. Everyone was hugely passionate about the LDCs, and it was clear they provide excellent support for the children who are eligible and receive a place. All were in agreement, however, that for those children with DLD who don't attend an LDC, there is not enough support.
A different, and increasingly dominant, service provision model in Australia is the private speech pathology clinic. I spent a great afternoon and evening with Jenny Baker and her team at Fremantle Speech Pathology Services. I shared information with them about the DLD And Me programme, and we had in-depth, fascinating discussions which covered so much ground: how to develop advocacy in children with DLD, the role of SLPs/SLTs in literacy, how best to assess language, why SLP/Ts are still often hesitant to diagnose DLD, and the inadequacy of current funding models for DLD support.
I also spent a day at the Curtin University with the LaLYP group. Over a day of meetings (with time to explore the beautiful Curtin campus- why don't we have a Hammock Hotel at UCL?!), I talked with so many exciting academics in the field of speech pathology and mental health, hearing about their research and sharing ideas. This culminated with a international, hybrid LaLYP meeting where I presented on the Fellowship, the DLD And Me work, and I also thought-splurged all my observations so far in my short time here, which they were kind enough to give their opinions on.
I have learnt so much in my first week. Before setting down any more developed observations, I feel I need to digest all the information and give it careful thought. I'm also aware the states in Australia operate very differently, so I am eager to start the next stage of my Fellowship in Brisbane. But I can't think of a better, more exciting start to have to the trip, and I will miss Perth, Freo and all the wonderful people I met here.
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