ONLINE: Functional and Affirming Intervention Practices in Paediatric Speech Pathology

Online Learning

Session 1 Thursday 7th November 2024, 11.00am-2.30pm NZDT

Session 2 Thursday 14th November 2024, 11.00am-2.30pm NZDT 

Sessions 1 and 2 will be RECORDED and the recordings will be available for 7 days after each session.

Speech-language pathologists are dedicated to achieving positive outcomes for their clients using best practice. However, determining appropriate interventions and staying on top of current research can seem daunting. In an evolving landscape characterised by increased recognition of neurodiversity and the prioritisation of culturally-responsive therapy, conventional views on disability are being re-examined, which further complicates the application of theory to practice. This workshop aims to assist speech-language pathologists in prioritising intervention methods that are evidence-based, functional, meaningful, and affirming for children with communication difficulties.

Workshop Content

This workshop will address some of the key questions speech-language pathologists frequently have about what to work on – and how – when providing therapy to clients with a range of communication difficulties. It is designed for both early career and experienced speech-language pathologists working in a range of settings such as schools, government or non-government organisations, and private practice. It is targeted to paediatric speech-language pathologists, but may also have relevance to those working with mixed caseloads including an adult disability population. Workshop content and goal examples will focus specifically on language difficulties that impact children with neurodevelopmental diagnoses including DLD, autism, and ADHD. Areas covered will include culturally-responsive goals and intervention, neurodiversity-affirming goals and intervention, supporting children with self-advocacy through language intervention, and common caseload questions. Attendees will be able to submit case study questions ahead of the workshop.

Readings and Resources

Pre-readings will be emailed to participants 2 weeks prior to the workshop.

Learning Objectives

Participants attending the workshop will have an opportunity to:

• Learn about the social model of disability and its impact on speech-language pathology service delivery
• Implement culturally-sensitive and neurodiversity-affirming practice in goal-setting for semantics (vocabulary), morphology and syntax (grammar), and discourse (text)
• Learn about available therapy programs and resources for these goals
• Learn how to advocate for clients to ensure reasonable adjustments and accommodations are considered and provided by community stakeholders (families, schools, and support staff)
• Learn how to teach perspective-taking and self-advocacy skills with Autistic, ADHD or DLD clients in an affirming way
• Develop a ‘goal bank’ for culturally-sensitive and neurodiversity-affirming intervention

Registration and Online Learning Details

Single registration cost is for each individual, not per site. Each person must register and attendance is required for both sessions. Zoom will be used to deliver the training with “meeting room” details emailed to participants prior to each module. You will need to download Zoom software to your computer. A webcam and inbuilt microphone on your computer is also preferable so you can fully participate.

About Vani Gupta

Vani Gupta is a practising speech-language pathologist based in Sydney, Australia. She completed her Speech Pathology degree from the University of Sydney in 2009, and has since gained experience in various settings, including NGOs, community health, university, and private practice. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD at Griffith University, focussing on the assessment and analysis of personal narrative abilities in school-age children. Vani is dedicated to evidence-based practice and strives to offer supportive guidance to colleagues, promoting best practices across different domains. For several years, she has been providing clinical supervision and mentoring to Speech Pathologists throughout Australia. Her clinical interests encompass Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), severe speech sound disorders, neurodiversity-affirming practices, and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Vani is committed to assisting fellow speech-language pathologists in enhancing their journey towards improved evidence-based practice, heightened cultural sensitivity, active neurodiversity advocacy, practising radical empathy, and fostering better mental health in the workplace.