Vani Gupta is a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist and researcher based in Sydney, Australia. She graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Speech Pathology) from the University of Sydney in 2009 and has over fifteen years of clinical experience across the NGO, public, and private sectors. Vani is the founder of Summer Hill Speech, a private practice providing evidence-based speech pathology services for children, adolescents, and adults, as well as medico-legal reporting and clinical supervision for speech pathologists. In 2022, Vani commenced a PhD at Griffith University. Her doctoral research systematically investigates which personal narrative assessment and analysis methods have been used with children with and without Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Vani’s work applies the LUNA framework (Dipper et al., 2021) to personal narrative analysis in children, examining which measures are most sensitive in identifying language difficulties across its four components.

Dr Marleen Westerveld is a professor of speech pathology at Griffith University and a Fellow of Speech Pathology Australia. She is the inaugural Chair of the Global TALES Network, an Honoured Member of the International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders (IALP), and an executive committee member of the International Association for the Study of Child Language (IASCL). She has authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles on spoken and written language development in children and young people. Her most current research focuses on personal narratives and the impact of cultural and linguistic diversity. Committed to evidence-based practice, Dr Westerveld collaborates with clinicians, educators, and families to translate research into meaningful outcomes. Her work informs both clinical assessment and intervention, shaping national and international approaches to inclusive language support. Through her leadership and global collaborations, she continues to shape inclusive, evidence-based approaches to supporting children’s communication around the world.