Let's work together! A collaboration between speech pathology students and teachers to support children's language and literacy development.
Tracks
6
Literacy
Oral language
School age
Service delivery
Student
| Sunday, June 15, 2025 |
| 10:30 AM - 10:40 AM |
Overview
Clare Coulter
Details
⏫ Research insights
⏲️ 10.30am - 10.50am
⌛20-minutes
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Foundational (new/casual familiarity with the topic e.g. treated a single case)
⏲️ 10.30am - 10.50am
⌛20-minutes
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Foundational (new/casual familiarity with the topic e.g. treated a single case)
Presenter
Ms Clare Coulter
Flinders University
Let's work together! A collaboration between speech pathology students and teachers to support children's language and literacy development.
10:30 AM - 10:50 AMPresentation summary
Given the overlap in language and literacy between speech pathologists’ and teachers' scope of practice, these professionals share a commitment to collaborating to support children’s language and literacy development. Within the Response to Teaching (RtI) framework, there is a growing trend in Australia towards speech pathologists providing services using consultative and collaborative approaches, rather than traditional 1:1 withdrawal models. According to the World Health Organisation, the classroom should be the primary site for speech pathologists’ intervention as this is a more realistic and naturalistic environment for children. This project explored speech pathologists,’ final year speech pathology students’ and teachers’ perspectives and experiences of a school-based interprofessional clinical placement focussed on co-teaching of oral language skills and foundational literacy skills at Tier 1 and Tier 2 of the RtI framework over an 8-week period and, the effectiveness of this collaboration in relation to children’s oral language and literacy outcomes using data collected before and after the 8-week instructional period. Data were collected through individual interviews with speech pathologists, final year speech pathology students and teachers and, through formal and informal screening measures of oral language and literacy before and after the 8-week instructional period with 78 children in reception and year one at two South Australian state primary schools. This presentation focuses on the perspectives and experiences of these professionals working together at Tier 1 and Tier 2 to support oral language and literacy development in the context of an interprofessional clinical placement and, the effectiveness of this collaboration in relation to children’s oral language and literacy outcomes.
Refrences
Suleman, S., McFarlane, L.-A., Pollock, K., Schneider, P., & Leroy, C. (2013). Do students talk the talk? A study of the use of professional vocabularies among student speech-language pathologists and teachers through an interprofessional education experience. Canadian Journal of Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology, 37(2), 146.SPA 2021
Hartas, D. (2004). Teacher and Speech-Language Therapist Collaboration: Being Equal and Achieving a Common Goal? Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 20(1), 33–54.Wright 1996
Carson, K. L., Gillon, G. T., & Boustead, T. M. (2013). Classroom Phonological Awareness Instruction and Literacy Outcomes in the First Year of School. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 44(2), 147–160.Wilson, L., McNeill, B., & Gillon, G. T. (2015). The Knowledge and Perceptions of Prospective Teachers and Speech Language Therapists in Collaborative Language and Literacy Instruction. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 31(3), 347–362.
Wilson, L., McNeill, B., & Gillon, G. T. (2016). A Comparison of Inter-Professional Education Programs in Preparing Prospective Teachers and Speech and Language Pathologists for Collaborative Language-Literacy Instruction. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 29(6), 1179–1201.
Speech Pathology Australia (2022). Speech Pathology in Education: Practice Guideline.
Hartas, D. (2004). Teacher and Speech-Language Therapist Collaboration: Being Equal and Achieving a Common Goal? Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 20(1), 33–54.Wright 1996
Carson, K. L., Gillon, G. T., & Boustead, T. M. (2013). Classroom Phonological Awareness Instruction and Literacy Outcomes in the First Year of School. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 44(2), 147–160.Wilson, L., McNeill, B., & Gillon, G. T. (2015). The Knowledge and Perceptions of Prospective Teachers and Speech Language Therapists in Collaborative Language and Literacy Instruction. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 31(3), 347–362.
Wilson, L., McNeill, B., & Gillon, G. T. (2016). A Comparison of Inter-Professional Education Programs in Preparing Prospective Teachers and Speech and Language Pathologists for Collaborative Language-Literacy Instruction. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 29(6), 1179–1201.
Speech Pathology Australia (2022). Speech Pathology in Education: Practice Guideline.
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Clare is a Certified Practicing Speech Pathologist with Speech Pathology Australia and academic at Flinders University Speech Pathology. Clare has over 13 years of clinical experience in a wide range of settings. Currently, Clare is the Placement Education Coordinator for Speech Pathology at Flinders university and has established innovative clinical experiences for Flinders University students with a focus on translating evidence-based practice into clinical care and interprofessional education.
Clare currently teaches into the Speech Pathology programs with a focus on acquired communication disorders and complex adult conditions impacting communication and swallowing.
The information contained in this program is current at of the time of publishing but is subject to changes made without notice.
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Important Notice, please read: The views expressed in this presentation and reproduced in these materials are not necessarily the views of, or endorsed by, The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited ("the Association"). The Association makes no warranty or representation in relation to the content, currency or accuracy of any of the materials comprised in this presentation. The Association expressly disclaims any and all liability (including liability for negligence) in respect of use of these materials and the information contained within them. The Association recommends you seek independent professional advice prior to making any decision involving matters outlined in this presentation including in any of the materials referred to or otherwise incorporated into this presentation.
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