Harnessing technology to minimise the negative impact of waiting lists on children with SSD
Tracks
1
Motor speech
Phonological impairment
School age
Service delivery
Speech sound disorders
Therapy
| Friday, June 13, 2025 |
| 11:30 AM - 11:40 AM |
Overview
Professor Kirrie Ballard and Dr Jacqueline McKechnie
Details
⏫ Peer-led dialogue
⏲️ 11.30am - 12.30pm
⌛ 60-minutes
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Intermediate (Some previous learning/working knowledge of topic e.g. treated a few cases)
⏲️ 11.30am - 12.30pm
⌛ 60-minutes
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Intermediate (Some previous learning/working knowledge of topic e.g. treated a few cases)
Presenter
Dr Kirrie Ballard
University Of Sydney
Harnessing technology to minimise the negative impact of waiting lists on children with SSD
11:30 AM - 12:30 PMPresentation summary
The 2014 Australian Government Senate Inquiry identified long waiting lists as a serious concern for speech pathology services in Australia (Commonwealth of Australia, 2014, p. 5). The problem is evident in urban areas but most serious in regional/remote areas (Henry, 2019). In 2024, the problem is worsening rather than improving.
Several approaches have been proposed to tackle the problem of children waiting passively for speech therapy. McGill and McLeod (2019) developed a website with information and resources for stimulating communication development and compared this to advice sessions with an SLP, and direct speech therapy (McGill et al., 2020; McLeod et al., 2020). Notably, speech improved with direct therapy, but did not improve with only advice or information. Alternatively, several reviews (Mecrow et al., 2010; Tosh et al., 2017; Ebbels et al., 2019) have shown that children with less pervasive impairment (i.e., Tier 3A of the universal care model) make strong gains with individualised therapy delivered by well-trained and -supervised non-SLPs. However, these delivery systems can be resource-intensive to establish and are not widespread. Digital tools/apps that can address some of these barriers are emerging (e.g., Hair et al., 2021; McLeod et al., 2023) but evidence of their effectiveness is still sparse.
In this peer-led dialogue, clinicians and researchers will come together to discuss ideas, barriers and facilitators to activating and/or reducing waiting lists, with the aim of stimulating ideas for future collaborative clinical/research initiatives.
Ideas, strategies, and resources will be collated and made available via a website. Potential partnerships will be forged to support future implementation research to develop solutions.
With engagement and collaboration between clinicians and researchers, a more effective, equitable, and affordable model can be developed to avoid or minimise the negative impacts of long waiting lists on children’s speech development and future social and academic success.
Several approaches have been proposed to tackle the problem of children waiting passively for speech therapy. McGill and McLeod (2019) developed a website with information and resources for stimulating communication development and compared this to advice sessions with an SLP, and direct speech therapy (McGill et al., 2020; McLeod et al., 2020). Notably, speech improved with direct therapy, but did not improve with only advice or information. Alternatively, several reviews (Mecrow et al., 2010; Tosh et al., 2017; Ebbels et al., 2019) have shown that children with less pervasive impairment (i.e., Tier 3A of the universal care model) make strong gains with individualised therapy delivered by well-trained and -supervised non-SLPs. However, these delivery systems can be resource-intensive to establish and are not widespread. Digital tools/apps that can address some of these barriers are emerging (e.g., Hair et al., 2021; McLeod et al., 2023) but evidence of their effectiveness is still sparse.
In this peer-led dialogue, clinicians and researchers will come together to discuss ideas, barriers and facilitators to activating and/or reducing waiting lists, with the aim of stimulating ideas for future collaborative clinical/research initiatives.
Ideas, strategies, and resources will be collated and made available via a website. Potential partnerships will be forged to support future implementation research to develop solutions.
With engagement and collaboration between clinicians and researchers, a more effective, equitable, and affordable model can be developed to avoid or minimise the negative impacts of long waiting lists on children’s speech development and future social and academic success.
Refrences
Commonwealth of Australia. (2014). Senate Community Affairs References Committee: Prevalence of different types of speech, language and communication disorders and speech pathology services in Australia. Author.
Ebbels SH, McCartney E, Slonims V, Dockrell JE, Norbury CF. (2019). Evidence-based pathways to intervention for children with language disorders. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 54, 3-19.
Hair, A., Ballard, K.J., Markoulli, C., Monroe, P., McKechnie, J., Ahmed, B., & Gutierrez-Osuna, R. (2021). A longitudinal evaluation of tablet-based child speech therapy with Apraxia World. ACM Transactions Accessible Computing, 14, Article 3, 3:1-3:26.
McGill, N., Crowe, K., & McLeod, S. (2020). “Many wasted months”: Stakeholders’ perspectives about waiting for speech-language pathology services. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 22, 313–326.
McGill, N. & McLeod, S. (2019). Aspirations for a website to support families’ active waiting for speech-language pathology. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 21, 263–274.
McLeod, S., Davis, E., Rohr, K., McGill, N., Miller, K., Roberts, A., Thornton, S., Ahio, N., & Ivory, N. (2020). Waiting for speech-language pathology services: A randomised controlled trial comparing therapy, advice, and device. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 22, 372–386.
McLeod, S., Kelly, G., Ahmed, B. & Ballard, K.J. (2023) Equitable access to speech practice for rural Australian children using the SayBananas! mobile game, International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 25, 388-402
Mecrow, C., Beckwith, J. & Klee, T. (2010). An exploratory trial of the effectiveness of an enhanced consultative approach to delivering speech and language intervention in schools. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 45, 354–367.
Tosh, R., Arnott, W. & Scarinci, N. (2017). Parent- implemented home therapy programmes for speech and lan- guage: a systematic review. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 52, 253–269.
Ebbels SH, McCartney E, Slonims V, Dockrell JE, Norbury CF. (2019). Evidence-based pathways to intervention for children with language disorders. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 54, 3-19.
Hair, A., Ballard, K.J., Markoulli, C., Monroe, P., McKechnie, J., Ahmed, B., & Gutierrez-Osuna, R. (2021). A longitudinal evaluation of tablet-based child speech therapy with Apraxia World. ACM Transactions Accessible Computing, 14, Article 3, 3:1-3:26.
McGill, N., Crowe, K., & McLeod, S. (2020). “Many wasted months”: Stakeholders’ perspectives about waiting for speech-language pathology services. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 22, 313–326.
McGill, N. & McLeod, S. (2019). Aspirations for a website to support families’ active waiting for speech-language pathology. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 21, 263–274.
McLeod, S., Davis, E., Rohr, K., McGill, N., Miller, K., Roberts, A., Thornton, S., Ahio, N., & Ivory, N. (2020). Waiting for speech-language pathology services: A randomised controlled trial comparing therapy, advice, and device. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 22, 372–386.
McLeod, S., Kelly, G., Ahmed, B. & Ballard, K.J. (2023) Equitable access to speech practice for rural Australian children using the SayBananas! mobile game, International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 25, 388-402
Mecrow, C., Beckwith, J. & Klee, T. (2010). An exploratory trial of the effectiveness of an enhanced consultative approach to delivering speech and language intervention in schools. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 45, 354–367.
Tosh, R., Arnott, W. & Scarinci, N. (2017). Parent- implemented home therapy programmes for speech and lan- guage: a systematic review. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 52, 253–269.
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Kirrie Ballard (PhD Northwestern University USA, FSPA) is Professor at University of Sydney, a dual-certified speech pathologist (Australia, USA), and Fellow of Speech Pathology Australia. Her research advances basic knowledge, diagnostic protocols and interventions for childhood and acquired disorders of speech motor control. With engineers and game designers, she has developed a novel highly effective and engaging AI-based system for remote assessment and treatment of children, that aims to achieve equitable access to services across Australia. This internationally funded work has received innovation awards from both Australian and American peak bodies, and the AMP. She is also founder of the PPA Communication Project, a student-led clinic for diagnosis, treatment, and support for individuals with dementia-related communication disorders and their carers. She served as Editor-in-Chief for International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology 2014-2019.
Dr Jacqueline McKechnie
University Of Canberra
Harnessing technology to minimise the negative impact of waiting lists on children with SSD
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM**********
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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