Introduction: Stronger outcomes are achieved when children with multifaceted needs, are supported by an interdisciplinary team, who work together, to accomplish a common goal. This research explores health professionals’ perspectives, on interdisciplinary practice, for clients with multifaceted needs, accessing early intervention services.
Aim(s): Evaluate allied health professionals’ perspectives, on interdisciplinary practice, for supporting early intervention clients, with multifaceted needs.
Methods: Allied health professionals (n = 29; speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologists, physiotherapists, and positive behaviour support practitioners), who support early intervention clients, with multifaceted needs, from a registered National Disability Insurance Scheme provider of allied health services, participated in an online, anonymous questionnaire. The questionnaire included open response, check-box, multiple-choice, and rating scale questions.
Results: The data was analysed using both descriptive analysis (quantitative) and thematic analysis (qualitative). Allied health professionals reported that working in collaboration, facilitated evidence-based practice, and family-centred practice. Positive outcomes for allied health professionals included team bonding and capacity building. Barriers were related to time limitations. Facilitators included satisfaction of working together, and observing children, and their significant others, achieve their goals.
Conclusions: Working collaboratively to support children with multifaceted needs, accessing early intervention services, can facilitate a range of positive outcomes, for both the children and their significant others, along with allied health professionals. Allied health professionals, who participated in this study, saw the strength in working collaboratively, and provided insight into how to empower allied health professionals, with interdisciplinary practice, by building on the facilitators, and providing strategies to support the barriers.

Theme Statement: This research reflects on allied health professionals’ perspectives on interdisciplinary practice and respects the voices of professionals, from a diverse range of backgrounds. Practical implications respond to barriers and facilitators, and aims to empower professionals, with collaborative practices, to support children with multifaceted needs, with reaching their fullest potential.

Introduction: Late-talking toddlers present with smaller vocabularies compared to their peers. Identification of late talkers at risk of persistent language learning difficulties is clinically challenging. Identification of the size and characteristics of late talker’s verb lexicons may address this challenge.

Aim: To determine the proportion of late talkers with difficulties acquiring verbs and to describe the semantic and phonological characteristics of their verb lexicons.

Method: A cross-sectional within-group observational design was used. Toddlers referred to speech pathology community health services scoring below the 10th percentile on a parent vocabulary-checklist were identified (n=32, 19-30 months). Each child’s total verb lexicon was compared to verb benchmarking data and Australian normative data. For semantic characteristics, children’s verbs were classified as “manner” (the mode of action of an event e.g., “run”) or “result” verbs (the end state of an event e.g., “break”) and the proportion of each was calculated. For phonological characteristics, complexity of the children’s verbs was determined.

Results: Most late talkers (93%) met criteria for limited verb acquisition. Toddlers with smaller vocabularies preferred result verbs, however, this trend was not evident for all late talkers. Contrary to expectations, late talkers attempted verbs of varied phonological complexity.

Discussion and Conclusion: Late talkers struggle with verb acquisition. Our clinical sample and database analyses indicate that investigation of the proportion and types of verbs being acquired can inform clinical assessment practices. The impact of intervention specifically targeting verb acquisition is warranted. Further research is needed to understand the relationship between phonology and semantics in early verb acquisition.

Keywords:
Late talkers, verbs, phonology, language acquisition, toddlers, assessment

Introduction/Rationale:
A transdisciplinary approach within early intervention settings involves integrating two or more disciplines to share responsibilities of evaluation, planning and implementation of ideas and methodology to meet the complex needs of children with disabilities and their caregivers. As speech pathologists within this service delivery model, it is critical to ensure the continuous development of clinical skills and implementation of evidence based practise whilst upholding ethical responsibilities as a profession.

Aim(s):
To explore the roles and responsibilities of speech pathologists practising within a transdisciplinary service delivery model. Furthermore, to identify the barriers and facilitators towards this practise within early intervention settings.

Methods:
Qualitative data was collected from speech pathologists practising under a transdisciplinary model to identify therapists’ perspectives, scope of training and education, barriers and outcomes.

Results:
Positive outcomes for transdisciplinary service delivery model outweigh the barriers in practise. Barriers can be overcome by robust training, education and supervision by experienced therapists. The sharing of roles across disciplines was perceived as the most challenging feature of transdisciplinary practice. Caregivers reported a preference towards this model due to the simplification of family relationships with the child’s team of specialists. There was universal acknowledgment that collaboration and a high level of trust was required to ensure optimal outcomes.

Conclusion:
Transdisciplinary practise has been proved to be effective within early intervention settings. To safeguard the speech pathology profession it is pivotal that proactive measures are implemented when coordinating transdisciplinary practise to ensure positive outcomes for children and stakeholders.

Keywords: transdisciplinary, service delivery, education, early intervention

Submission Statement:
The advantages of transdisciplinary practice are evident in the way that families respond to specialist teams and broader early intervention outcomes. It is our responsibility as therapists to continually reflect and adapt current practises to respond to the needs of the populations we serve whilst upholding our ethical principles.

Introduction: Literacy is a salient predictor of academic achievement, quality of life, and employment. Supporting children with mastering literacy begins with book reading during infancy. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) play a key role in supporting language and literacy development.
Aim(s): To describe current SLP practices and perceptions towards book reading with babies as part of regular therapy.
Methods: 172 SLPs (94.8%) and student SLPs (5.2%) answered an online questionnaire on their practices and perspectives towards book reading during therapy with babies (birth to two years). Participants lived in Australia, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, New Zealand and five other countries.
Results: Reading books with babies was part of regular therapy for 88.3% of the participants. Recommended strategies included: (1) letting the baby hold the book and turn the pages (97.3%), (2) making up a story using the pictures (74.1%), (3) relating the story to the baby’s life (67.9%), and (4) asking the baby to find pictures (51.8%). The type of books read during therapy included books with a short story, and books focussing on labelling, counting, letters, and colours. Recommended books included: (1) board books (95.5%), (2) cloth or plastic books (85.6%), and (3) thin-paged books with pictures (36.9%).
Conclusions: SLPs support language and literacy development with babies through reading books during therapy. Interaction is facilitated through the books used and the strategies taught. Building on these positive perceptions and practices, SLPs can consider further evidence-based strategies to capitalise on the opportunity that book reading provides for strengthening language development.
Theme Statement: Reflecting on perspectives of speech-language pathologists’ respects their voices on book reading with infants, and provides insights into how we can respond by empowering speech-language pathologists with strategies to maximise the learning opportunities, that book reading with infants provides.

Responding to community demand and local research, 2toSchool (2toS) is a multidisciplinary, culturally responsive intervention supporting vulnerable Aboriginal families with children aged two years to school entry. This strengths based intervention aims to maximise children’s health and development. Aboriginal health workers (AHWs) and nurses provide regular home-visits, and families invite speech pathologists (SP) into the care if communication concerns emerge. This component study of the broader 2toS research explores the communication participation outcomes and parent perceptions of 2toS intervention for children with communication concerns.

Eligible children received 2toS, parents perceived they had communication concerns and pre and post measures of at least one SP care episode were available. Communication participation was measured by parent report on the FOCUS–34 conducted in a yarning style. Attendance was collated from client files and parent’s experiences from an exit survey with AHWs.

Of the 66 children who received the complete 2toS program, 23 had pre and post outcomes on at least 1 SP care episode. Outcomes in 36 care episodes, on average 12 home-visits (range 5-44, SD9.2) were measured. Pre - post communication participation scores significantly improved (mean change 17.9, SD24.4, p<0.001, d=0.4) with 61% of care episodes, covering 74% of children demonstrating significant or possibly significant change. 77% of offered sessions were attended and 90% of parents reported the service helped them a great deal.

Culturally responsive SP services embedded within Aboriginal specific targeted home-visiting made a difference to most children’s communication participation, engagement was high and parents found the service helpful.

Aboriginal, home-visiting, service access, communication participation

The 2toSchool program was designed in response to identified needs and aspirations for local Aboriginal children by the local community. Its basis is working collaboratively with families within a culturally safe framework, a strengths focus and service flexibility. The 2toSchool research provides an opportunity to reflect on the intervention's impact.