communication - new zealand speech-language … autumn 2012 brain injury on shortland street life...

communication AUTUMN 2012

Brain injury on Shortland Street

life MeMBer Profile

aPhaSia aSSociation

Beyond BoundarieS conference

children with hearing loSS

contents01 EdiToriAl

02 PrEsidENT, dr. dEAN sUThErlANd

03 NZsTA rENEwAl MEMbErshiP

04-05 CovEr sTory; shorTlANd sTrEET

06-07 PEoPlE wiTh APhAsiA; GroUPs for fAMiliEs

08-09 whAT do yoU do?

10-11 NZ JoUrNAl of sPEECh-lANGUAGE ThErAPy

12 bEyoNd boUNdAriEs CoNfErENCE

13 lifE MEMbEr - Chris JUsTiN

14 ArEA UPdATEs

14-16 oUTCoMEs for dEAf ChildrEN

17 sTUdENT CoNTribUTioN

18-19 PArkiNsoN’s disEAsE NEw ZEAlANd

20-21 APhAsiA AssoCiATioN

22 NEws ANd UPdATEs

23 ProfEssioNAl sTANdArds, dr. ClArE MCCANN

24 ProfEssioNAl dEvEloPMENT, fEliCiTy briGhT

25 MEMbEr NETworks, lUCy GriEG

26 CoMMUNiCATioNs, sArA MoorE

27 MAori ANd CUlTUrAl dEvEloPMENT, AdElE siAvE

28-29 NZsTA CoNTACT dETAils

CoMMUNiCATioN MATTErs is PriNTEd oN rECyClEd PAPEr UsiNG vEGETAblE-bAsEd iNks

kiA orA ANd wElCoME To ThE firsT EdiTioN of CoMMUNiCATioN MATTErs for 2012. ThANk yoU for yoUr PosiTivE fEEdbACk oN ThE lAsT issUE of CoMMUNiCATioN MATTErs, My firsT As EdiTor.

As part of my vision to make this magazine easy to access; for both submitting articles, and then reading, I have composed some guidelines for writing an article which you will find on the NZSTA website. Please do consider sending in information about the work that you are involved in so that we can continue to share and celebrate our practice and direction as a profession.

In this issue there is an urgent reminder for any members who have not yet renewed their membership, to do so as soon as possible. There is also the first call for your consideration of changes for the New Zealand Journal of Speech-Language Therapy. It is time for the purpose and format of our annual journal to be reviewed. So please do contribute your views. You will of course find frequent mention of the Beyond Boundaries conference, as the many people who are involved, are committing considerable time and energy towards the delivery of this event.

I hope you will also enjoy the wealth of clinical perspectives that are represented within this issue. There is the excitement of contributing to a major storyline in Shortland Street, through to the early findings of new research, supported by Parkinson’s New Zealand. We certainly have a lot to be proud of.

Catherine

Editorial – Catherine Epps

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kiA orA koUToU,Welcome to a new and exciting year for the NZSTA. Our work this year will focus on objectives related to two overarching strategic goals. These goals are – • Developing and sustaining a robust professional profile; and, • Maintaining a sustainable organisation

These goals provide a clear focus for developing specific objectives such as the following sample of anticipated highlights for the year ahead;• a new website • appointment of a Kaumatua • increased engagement with stakeholders • clarity and progress on registration • further developing our public profile

The main social, clinical and academic event of the year is our biennial conference in May. I appreciate the time and energy that the team of dedicated members are contributing to prepare for the conference. Please come along and spend a few days in Auckland with fellow SLTs and contribute to a memorable event. A highlight of the conference will be the introduction of our patron Judge Andrew Becroft. It will be great to see you all there.

I am also looking forward to slipping on my running shoes and joining many of you for the ‘Round the Bays’ fun run (walk)

in a few weeks time. Thanks Carolin and Yvonne for your efforts in developing the NZSTA’s involvement in the event. Hopefully your respective training schedules are going according to plan – if not come and join me in the ‘pedestrian lane’.

To everyone here in Christchurch I trust 2012 will see us move forward after a very difficult 18 months. On a recent drive around town I reflected on how much time and energy has been expended behind the scenes with very little to show for it in the physical environment. There is a long road ahead – but we’re in it together and we will achieve great things.

Similarly with the changes made to the Association last year – there has been much work behind the scenes. This included welcoming Justine and Gretchen and developing organisational knowledge and systems in our new office as well planning our strategic focus for the year ahead. I’m very confident that the effects of these changes will become very visible during 2012 and beyond. We now know which pathway we are on and are working hard to do what is right for the organisation.

As the year begins my challenge to you is to consider what contribution you can make to the journey we’re on. Please get in touch with any suggestions that you have. All the best for a fulfilling year ahead.

Nga mihi,Dean

Dr Dean Sutherland – President

“He aha te huarahi? – i runga, i te tika, te pono, me te arohaWhat is the pathway? – it is doing what is right with integrity and compassion.”

2 CoMMUNiCATioN MATTErs iSSue 6

“To ensure your membership continues for 2012, you will need to renew your membership immediately through the NZSTA’s website as outlined below...”

Justine Wilkinson, Executive Director, the NZSTA

NZSTA Membership Renewal 2012

Thanks to those members who have taken the time to renew their membership for 2012. As at 7 February 2012 only 43% of members had renewed their memberships for 2012 and we urgently need the remaining 57% to register now – if you haven’t already.

Annual membership fees are due on 1st January of each year and failure to pay within two months of the due date will result in cessation of membership. To ensure your 2011 Membership continues for 2012, you will need to renew membership immediately and this can be done electronically through the NZSTA’s website as outlined below.

•

• •

If you are unsure which form you should use, check out the Membership Category details at http://www.speechtherapy.org.nz/nzsta-membership/membership-categories

2012 Renewal form for all 2011 members except students: http://www.speechtherapy.org.nz/nzsta-membership/membership-renewal2012 Student renewal form: http://www.speechtherapy.org.nz/nzsta-membership/student-membership-form-20122012 Application form for others: http://www.speechtherapy.org.nz/nzsta-membership/membership-form

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Brain Injury on Shortland Street wordS: Maegan VanSolkeMa, Slt, aBi rehaBilitation nZ ltd Photo credit: Shortland Street

In my work as a SLT at ABI Rehabilitation NZ, we rehabilitate clients who have moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries. We are based in Auckland and in Wellington. I have been working with individuals with brain injuries for almost 6 years.

Late last year I was asked by the medical and nursing storyliner of Shortland Street to assist in helping them create a script, and give guidance to an actor for a character who has a brain injury. The story is currently being run now and it involves Ido Drent who plays Daniel. For the Christmas cliffhanger, Daniel sustained a traumatic brain injury from an assault. He was in a coma and is currently portraying an individual through the recovery stage of a severe brain injury.

As a speech-language therapist, I had the privilege of meeting with Ido Drent, the nursing and medical story line, as well as the director to assist him with what it is like for our clients following brain injury. We discussed having

cognitive communication impairments such as slowed information processing, working memory impairments, social communication difficulties, attention problems, and overall dysexecutive functioning.

I also gave general examples from my experiences working with TBI clients, and how they describe being in Post Traumatic Amnesia (PTA) or functioning with very limited awareness of deficits. We also discussed implementing strategies to improve community re-integration such as using a diary, having a communication partner, and having a gradual return to work.

Working with the cast and crew of Shortland Street was a very exciting opportunity to make use of my skills as a speech-language therapist; by providing education to the performance industry, and as a way for brain injury to be portrayed with more realistic qualities to the wider community.

“Working with the cast and crew of Shortland Street was a very exciting opportunity to make use of my skills as a speech-language therapist.”

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During the month of June 2011, a 5 week carer support group for carers affected by aphasia was run by the community speech-language therapy team. A 15 week follow up session was organized to determine whether benefits gained from the weekly sessions were maintained.

The aims of the carer support group were: • to identify and support the needs of the carer • provide a safe environment for group discussion to share experiences • coping strategies • encourage ongoing informal support betweencarers upon completion of the programme.

Seven carers attended. The persons with aphasia were invited to attend a separate group also run by an SLT with help from a therapy assistant where aphasia and communication strategies were discussed. The people with aphasia were invited as well to enable caregivers to attend without having to worry about leaving their partner or family member at home.

An initial self rated questionnaire was completed by the caregivers at week 1 to assess their knowledge on aphasia, communication strategies and community supports. This questionnaire was completed again at week 5 directly after the programme and during a follow up session 10 weeks later to ascertain whether any perceived benefits were retained.

Carer Support Group for those affected by Aphasia

wordS: carolien cleMenS, coMMunity Slt at waiteMata diStrict health Board


At week 1 the carers needed opportunity to talk to one another and share experiences. Carers described the increased dependence of the person with aphasia on their caregiver, anxiety around the re-occurrence of a second stroke, day to day variation, and the increased time required for planning and completion of daily activities.

During week 2 we looked at different communication situations and what factors are involved in each one. The carers all agreed that social situations with family, friends or strangers were the most challenging.

Week 3 explored communication strategies. As a group we brainstormed strategies for specific communication situations.

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Two community social workers presented at week 4. Carers were encouraged to share what had changed for them since the stroke. The carers commented on a change in retirement plans, lost opportunities, a general sense of loss, an uncertain future, communication difficulties, concern regarding their own health and who would look after their partner, mother/son relationship changes with feelings of guilt and inadequacy, general role changes associated with finance and property management and relationship changes with grandchildren. Positive changes as a result of the stroke included: a closer relationship between the person with aphasia and their caregiver, time set aside for the carer, the carer’s increased patience, the amount of support received from the rehabilitation services. Symptoms of stress and stress management strategies were also shared.

During the final week we discussed community supports available and we shared afternoon tea with the partners with aphasia to reflect and decide on future follow up. The group members expressed interest in a follow up session at a later date and four out of the seven members attended a 15 week follow up session.

Three of the seven couples from the group continue to meet informally at each others’ homes for ongoing support. For the four carers who attended the 15 week follow up session, this carer support group has been able to provide support in helping carers cope with the communication and life changes that come with stroke and aphasia. The intervention has also facilitated the formation of an ongoing informal support network.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Avent, J., Glista, S., Wallace, S., Jackson, J., Nishioka, J. & Yip, W. (2005). Family information needs about aphasia. Aphasiology 19(3/4/5), 365-375. doi: 10.1080/02687030444000813.

Christensen, J.M. & Anderson, J. D. (1989). Spouse adjustment to stroke: aphasic versus non-aphasic partners. Journal of Communication Disorders 22, 225-231.

Draper, B., Bowring, G., Thompson, C., Van Heyst, J., Conroy, P. & Thompson, J. (2007). Stress of caregivers of aphasic stroke patients: a randomized controlled trial. Clinical Rehabilitation 21, 122-130.

Evans, R.L., Matlock, A, Bishop, D.S., Stranahan, S. & Pederson, C. (1988). Family intervention after stroke: does counselling or education help? Stroke 19, 1243-1249.

Michallet, B. & Le Dorze, G. (2001). The needs of spouses caring for severely aphasic persons. Aphasiology 15(8), 731-747. doi: 10.1080/02687040143000087.

Servaes, P., Draper, B., Conroy, P. & Bowring, G. (1999). Informal carers of aphasic stroke patients: stresses and interventions. Aphasiology 13(12), 889-928.

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What do you do? wordS: angela reiMer, Slt, St. john of god halSwell

TEll Us AboUT ThE rolE ThAT yoU CArry oUT.I am the sole speech-language therapist at St. John of God Halswell, which is part of an Australasian organisation founded by the Sisters of St John of God, and later merging with the Brothers of the Hospitaller Order of St John of God.

We are a 51 bed residential facility providing long term residential care for physically and neurologically disabled adults aged 16 to 65 years old. We also have community homes and self contained apartments which cater for another 20 residents.

I am part of an Allied Health Team and work closely with the Physio, OT and other members of the team. My caseload is varied and includes TBI, stroke, Huntington’s, MS, MND and other neurological conditions.

whAT do yoU MosT ENJoy AboUT ThE work ThAT yoU do?I love the fact that every day I have the opportunity to make a difference for someone, and that every day is different. Also the work environment here is great. We all try to work to the values of St John of God; Excellence, Justice, Compassion, Hospitality, and Respect; and work as a team with the residents as our focus.

whAT ArE ThE biGGEsT ChAllENGEs iN yoUr workPlACE?Dysphagia is a big challenge as there are so many different presentations. For some people active rehabilitation is an


“I love the fact that every day I have the opportunity to make a difference for someone, and that every day is different.”

option, and others I look to support them through compensation and maintenance techniques. The biggest challenge is with people who have deteriorating conditions, and we work to maintain nutrition and enjoyment throughout the changes. I have found that education is the key a lot of the time, and not just for kitchen staff, but for all staff and for families.

Communication is also a challenge. The aim is for every resident to be able to communicate successfully in various situations. The carers are great communication partners but support is needed for the residents to communicate when they are in the community or as their condition deteriorates. My role is to facilitate this communication via speech, high tech, low tech, signing, blinking, whatever it takes. Helping family and friends to learn to listen is an important part of the role also.

hAvE yoU NEEdEd To AdAPT yoUr workiNG sTylE siNCE ThE EArThqUAkEs iN CANTErbUry? Imagine being immobile and completely dependent while these huge events happened. It was a traumatic time. Many people moved so residents have lost friends and families. Immediately following the February quake I listened a lot, held a lot of hands and gave a lot of hugs. The support from all staff at St. John of God is ongoing as we work our way through the changes that still continue.

A big practical change for us has been the loss of accessible community activities. Our solution has been to bring the activities in. For example the picture of me is at the St Patrick’s Day celebrations at St John of God which included live

Irish music. With a SLT at hand to thicken the beer and wine, everyone gets to enjoy the festivities!

ANy AdviCE for slTs who ArE workiNG iN A PosiTioN siMilAr To yoUrs?Network and Check - Have a bunch of friendly speech-language therapists on fast dial and tap into their experience. Re-inventing the wheel can take some time so I seek advice and practical tips from anywhere I can. Then, as I am the only SLT, I need to ensure I actually am on the right track as there is no one else here to pick it up if I’m wrong. I have great reference books, access to journals, and to skilled SLTs. I reassure myself via these resources that I am doing the right thing for each resident.

whAT hAvE yoU doNE rECENTly AT work ThAT yoU ArE rEAlly ProUd of? whAT ArE ThE ThiNGs yoU ArE lookiNG To AChiEvE This yEAr?I’ve combined these two questions as getting through 2011 has been a challenge and I’m proud to say I’ve made it. A nice calm 2012 would be a wonderful achievement but perhaps that is a bit beyond the power of a SLT?

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By the time you read this you will all have received your copy of the New Zealand Journal of Speech-Language Therapy 2011. It is a credit to our profession that we have such a diverse collection of articles reacting to speech-language therapy practice. Sadly, it is getting increasingly difficult to sustain the Journal due to the extremely poor subscription rate, relatively low readership, poor international standing, and very low submission rate.

hisToryThe Journal was first published in May 1946 and originally had two issues each year. It was founded as an independent publication but quickly came under the auspices of the NZSTA (which was founded in August 1946). By the 1960s, the Journal had an impressive circulation list including many countries overseas. This was at least in part to “reduce the threat of professional isolation caused by geographical distance” (Gane & Makill, 1968).

CUrrENT issUEsa) Poor subscription rate. Currently the Journal is sent as a hard copy to all members of the NZSTA (as a member benefit) and a copy to each of our MRA partners. Additionally we have a very small number of subscribers (mostly university libraries and health/education sector libraries) along with the Legal Deposit Office of the National Library of New Zealand.b) Low readership. We are not certain how much of the Journal people actually read. Word-of-mouth comments suggest that many members do not find it relevant to their work so they tend not to read it. We are keen to ascertain how useful people find the Journal and how much they read it.c) Poor international standing. Despite the desire expressed by

Grace Gane in 1968 (see above) to reduce professional isolation the current Journal no longer achieves this. Some of you may not be aware that Journals are “ranked” by a number of different indices to indicate the overall standing/rigour of the publication. While these rankings are somewhat controversial they are used by many as the basis for determining the merit of an article. d) Low submission rate. Only a small number of people submit articles for consideration. You will notice that the vast majority of articles over the past few years have been from the three university programmes. We are thrilled to have the ability to showcase some of New Zealand’s leading research, but because of the Journal’s poor international standing many researchers would rather submit their articles to other international journals with a much wider audience.

By way of comparison, you may want to know what is happening elsewhere in the world (particularly Australia). Speech Pathology Australia has the International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology which is a well-regarded and internationally ranked Journal published six times a year. From March 2012 the publication previously known as ACQ Knowledge in Speech, Language and Hearing will be re-launched as the Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology (JCPSLP) and published three times a year. The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists has the International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders (another highly regarded and internationally ranked journal) published six times a year. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association has four major international publications (the American Journal of Audiology, the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, Language and the publication known as Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools) all published multiple times a year. Canada, Ireland,

New Zealand Journal of Speech-Language TherapywordS: dr clare Mccann and dr Brigid Mcneill, co-editorS


South Africa, the Asia Pacific region all have journals of significant standing in the field of communication difficulties.

PossibiliTiEs for ThE fUTUrEa) One option is to consider combining our Journal with another publication. This is a very real possibility but we would need to hear your thoughts on what this might look like. For example, we could combine with Communication Matters (the NZSTA’s current magazine) or perhaps one of the existing SLT-related publications in Australia or the Asia-Pacific region, or perhaps we could even consider setting up a New Zealand journal of swallowing, speech, language and hearing (in partnership with our audiology colleagues). b) Another option is to consider producing an online version

(only) of the Journal. While this is an attractive option in terms of the costs of production it does not address any of the four current issues outlined above.

whErE To froM hErE?The reason for telling you all of this is to give you some background information about our difficulty sustaining the current Journal.

We have clearly outlined the problems above, but we think we also have some strengths (namely, our long history and the unique position we represent of working with people with communication difficulties in Aotearoa New Zealand). The Association therefore has a dilemma in determining how to proceed.

We are going to conduct a survey in order to hear your views on the Journal and suggestions for how to go forward. This will be available online in April and as a hard copy at the Beyond Boundaries conference in Auckland (23-25 May). We would appreciate you responding to the survey and giving us your thoughts.

Please feel free to contact us prior to the survey if you have any questions or thoughts on this issue.

Thank you

Contact details: [email protected] or [email protected]

RefeRenceGane, G.M., & Makill, B. (1968). Speech Therapy in New Zealand. British Journal of Disorders of Communication 3, 196-200.

New Zealand Journal of Speech-Language TherapywordS: dr clare Mccann and dr Brigid Mcneill, co-editorS

Speech-Language TherapyNew Zealand Journal of

Vol. 66 December 2011

ISSN 1175-107X

A Growing Research culture

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Beyond Boundaries wordS: andrÉa Benoit & helen Mclauchlan

The Conference Planning Committee looks forward to welcoming you to Auckland May 23rd-25th for the NZSTA conference ‘Beyond Boundaries’. Go to www.speechtherapy.org.nz to view the online conference programme and to register online. The deadline for that ‘early bird’ discount is Monday 10th April so it’s worth getting registered early. Of course make sure you have renewed your NZSTA membership to qualify for member prices.

We are delighted to be able to offer a high quality and varied programme. We encourage you to get online and explore the programme; there’s something in it for everyone!

As with any event of this size we rely on help from NZSTA members and this year we are looking for session chairs and student volunteers. See below for more details and let us know if you can help. There are also exhibition and sponsorship opportunities available at the Conference for companies relevant to our profession. If you think you know of a company that might be interested please send their details to Conference Manager Pamela Richards; [email protected]

We hope that you are as excited about the Conference programme as we are and we encourage you to register now. It’s going to be a fantastic Conference and we hope you will join us for some inspiration, challenges and fun as we explore Beyond Boundaries.

Andréa Benoit and Helen McLauchlan Co-Convenors

CAll for sEssioN ChAirsExperienced Conference session chairs are invited to chair one or more programme sessions at the 2012 Conference. You must be a NZSTA member and planning to attend the Conference to be eligible for consideration. If you are interested in assuming this valuable role, please email Clare McCann, Scientific Programme Chair on [email protected] with your details and a short list of your topics of interest, no later than Monday 19 March 2012.

CAll for sTUdENT volUNTEErs/AssisTANTsNZSTA is calling for speech language therapy students who are members of the Association, to volunteer as assistants for the Beyond Boundaries 2012 Conference. You will need to be available from the morning of Wednesday 23 May through until the evening of Friday 25 May 2012. In appreciation of your commitment, your student Conference registration fee will be waived. You must be prepared to work hard, be flexible, responsive to organisational requirements and have some fun as well!! If you are interested in this opportunity, ensure you are a current NZSTA member and email your CV to Pamela Richards, Conference Manager, [email protected] no later than Friday 30 March 2012. Please include your area/s of interest so if you are successful she can try to match you to relevant sessions.


wordS: lucy greig

Chris has been a life member of NZSTA for more than 26 years. She retired in 1986 and at this time was presented with a commendation in recognition of 40 years of dedicated service to speech-language therapy, outstanding leadership in the profession and unfailing loyalty to the Association. Chris resides in Dunedin.

i Started My career aS SPeech-language theraPiSt…at the Normal School attached to Christchurch Teachers College and was also a part-time lecturer in phonetics and ear training at the College.

what attracted Me to the ProfeSSion waS…a sympathy for people of any age who have difficulty expressing themselves.

i haVe Been a MeMBer of the nZSta Since...its inception in 1946 when I was the first secretary.

My BeSt day in the joB waS...I had many best days. For example, when a 24-year-old plumber found his adult voice, or when a little girl, treated like the household dog, learned to act normally.

My worSt day in the joB waS...when I left Christchurch to fill the senior position in Dunedin. However, other doors opened.

the contriBution i haVe Made to the ProfeSSion that i aM MoSt Proud of iS...opening a part-time clinic at the Dunedin Public Hospital for adults following a visit by Dr. Muriel Morley (a leading English authority on speech disorders) and a weekly clinic with paediatric neurologist, Dr MacLeod. the contriBution i haVe Made to the aSSociation that i aM MoSt Proud of iS...representing New Zealand on two occasions at the World Association for Logopaedics and Phoniatrics, the first in Barcelona and the second in Edinburgh, and arranging subsequent workshops to share information.

the Pearl of wiSdoM i haVe for other MeMBerS of the nZSta iS..developing the ability to listen is of prime importance.

right now i aM …processing fruit after a trip to Central Otago.

Life Member iNTErviEw wiTh Chris JUsTiN

“I have been a member of the NZSTA since its inception in 1946 when I was the first secretary.”

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iNTErviEw

Using the Language Environmental Analysis (LENA) system to investigate the language environment and outcomes of deaf children wordS: roBin Mcdaniel, SuZanne Purdy & lydia o’connor, uniVerSity of auckland


BackgroundEarly intervention services aim to have parents increase the amount they speak with their children with hearing loss (HL) as it is thought that:• HL children may hear fewer, shorter and less complex utterances than their hearing peers (Lederberg, 1984). • Mothers of deaf children are more likely to use gesture and touch and less likely to use language than mothers of hearing children (Lederberg & Everhart, 1998)

Speaking more to the child is thought to enhance their speech and language development as: • A child’s rate of vocabulary use and vocabulary growth is strongly associated with the amount of adult words in their environment (Hart & Risley, 1995) • Adult Word Count (AWC) and Conversational Turns (CT) has been shown to be a significant predictor of normal hearing (NH) children’s scores on standardized speech and language assessments (Zimmerman, 2009).

Therefore, we aim to investigate the relationship between AWC and CT on language outcomes of children with HL, who are being raised in a hearing environment.

reSearch QueStionS1. Are children with HL in New Zealand (NZ) exposed to fewer or more adult words and conversational turns than NH children?2. Do children with HL in NZ vocalize less frequently and participate in fewer CT than NH children?3. Do AWC and CT show a pattern of association with language delay?

METhodsProcedureS LENA recordings were collected from three full day recordings over a two-week period. Key variables were collected per hour for each recording and averaged across recordings for each child. Key variables were compared with aged-matched norms from the LENA language corpus.

SuBjectS Deaf children: children ages 2;6 -4;8 years with severe-profound hearing loss who were identified as deaf before 5 months of age.

All children were recruited through The Hearing House, an Auditory-Verbal Therapy centre in Auckland, for children with hearing loss

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PreliMinary concluSionS Children in our study are exposed to relatively more AWC and CT than their norm-referenced peers.

• NZ children with HL do not vocalize less frequently than age-matched peers

• There appears to be a pattern of association between AWC, CT and expressive language abilities

For questions, contact:[email protected]

referenceSHart, B., & Risley, T. E. (1995). Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experiences of Young American Children. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc.

Lederberg, A. R. (1984). Interaction between deaf preschoolers and unfamiliar hearing adults. Child Development, 55, 598–606.

Lederberg, A. R., & Everhart, V. S. (1998). Communication Between Deaf Children and Their Hearing Mothers: The Role of Language, Gesture, and Vocalizations. J Speech Lang Hear Res, 41(4), 887-899.

Zimmerman, F. J., Gilkerson, J., Richards, J. A., Christakis, D. A., Xu, D., Gray, S., et al. (2009). Teaching by Listening: The Importance of Adult-Child Conversations to Language Development. Pediatrics, 124(1), 342-349.

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A Taste of Research: How does the average person eat a cracker? wordS: thereSa McintoSh, uniVerSity of canterBury

Over this summer I had the opportunity to carry out a research project in the field of dysphagia under the supervision of Dr Maggie-Lee Huckabee. My project involved utilizing the newly developed Test of Masticating and Swallowing Solids (TOMASS) to establish norms for preparation and swallowing of a solid bolus. I recruited 80 healthy participants from the general public and asked them to eat a section of cracker ‘as quickly as is comfortably possible’. I timed the whole process while also counting the number of bites, chews and swallows that occurred. With this information I was then able to calculate several extra parameters before compiling all the data into a set of norms, which I classified according to age and gender. The general trend that has expressed itself from this data is that males generally take fewer bites, chew less, swallow less and take a shorter amount of time than females. As age increased there was also a trend towards an increase in the number of bites, chews and swallows as well as time taken.

Completing this research has been a great experience for me. I have learnt a lot, ever increasing my knowledge

about the various aspects of dysphagia. It has been mentally invigorating to delve deeper into my own field of research while also engaging in small group discussions about other research topics. I have really enjoyed gaining a glimpse into the world of research, understanding that it’s not all smooth sailing but realizing that the good far outweighs the bad.

For me, the driving force behind what I’ve been doing this summer is the knowledge that, further down the track, I’m going to be making a difference in patients’ lives. Following further research into the clinical utility of TOMASS, I hope to see it implemented during bedside dysphagia assessments, allowing clinicians to gain a more quantifiable picture of any difficulties that may be present during the oral phase of swallowing. In turn I would like to see this played out in patients’ lives in such a way that they are able to receive the best possible treatment and return to normal functioning as soon as possible.

Overall this has been a great learning journey and I look forward to seeing where it takes me in the future.

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How Parkinson’s New Zealand has supported research into the communication difficulties faced by people with Parkinson’s. wordS: aliStair MackenZie, coMMunicationS and fundraiSing Manager, ParkinSon’S new Zealand

Parkinson’s New Zealand support was instrumental in the completion of two recent ground-breaking studies at the University of Canterbury into the communication difficulties faced by people with Parkinson’s.

Communication difficulties for people with Parkinson’s are reported as being one of the most socially isolating aspects of the condition. For up to 90% of people with the condition, speech difficulties prevent full participation in family, social, and work activities or make participation onerous.

The first study investigated how communication difficulties associated with Parkinson’s affects people’s ability to participate in their everyday lives –how they communicate with family and friends and speak with their doctor for example. The research aimed to clearly identify the problems experienced by people with Parkinson’s and develop a tool to measure the extent of these difficulties. Ultimately, the aim of the project was to improve communication and health outcomes for all people affected by Parkinson’s.

Associate Professor Megan McAuliffe from the Department of Communication Disorders at the University of Canterbury is working in collaboration with Professor Tim Anderson (New Zealand Brain Research Institute) and colleagues in the USA on the project.

Associate Professor McAuliffe says Parkinson’s New Zealand support “enabled the researchers to access the

Parkinson’s community, and ensured that all individuals with an interest in the work had the opportunity to participate and tell the researchers of the communication difficulties that they experience in their everyday lives”.

In December 2010, Parkinson’s New Zealand issued a call for people with Parkinson’s and speech difficulties to participate in the project and complete questionnaires. The response was tremendous Associate Professor McAuliffe says: “without the assistance of Parkinson’s New Zealand, the project would not have reached over 200 people with communication difficulties and Parkinson’s from across New Zealand. Parkinson’s New Zealand was instrumental in ensuring that we were able to promote the research to those with Parkinson’s and also followed through with their field officers to ensure that appropriate people with Parkinson’s might be made aware of the research and given the opportunity to participate.”

The research team is currently analysing the responses and will share the findings with the community later this year.

In the second study, the first of its type internationally, Associate Professor McAuliffe and Professor Anderson are also looking at speech rehabilitation strategies for people with Parkinson’s. This three-year study examines how older adults comprehend the disordered speech associated with Parkinson’s. Until now, listener-based rehabilitation research has used young people, such as university students, to examine


how adults comprehend disordered speech. However, the partners of individuals with speech problems are usually much older than these test subjects and may be affected by age-related hearing loss and slowed cognitive processing.

“We want to determine which rehabilitation strategies provide the greatest benefit to listeners. It is all very well for a speech-language therapist like me to tell the person to talk six decibels louder but what effect does that have for the communication partner, and more particularly the older communication partner? That’s what we want to find out,” states Associate Professor McAuliffe.

Participants with Parkinson’s have been recorded (audio and video) speaking and then asked to carry out tasks that simulate common speech strategies, such as speaking twice as slowly or twice as loud.

These speech samples are then replayed to older and younger listeners who are asked to transcribe what they heard. The results provide insights into whether conventional strategies facilitate better communication or not.

While the ultimate outcome measure for success of any speech-language therapy is the improvement in the listeners’ ability to understand the speaker; few studies have investigated treatment outcomes from the perspective of the older listener, Associate Professor McAuliffe says.

The research will help determine if the comprehension of older listeners’ can be predicted from the variables of age, cognitive processing, and working memory and whether existing speech-language therapies result in significant improvements to older listeners’ ability to comprehend dysarthric speech.

Associate Professor McAuliffe said the findings of the study will provide critical evidence to underpin the improvement of existing intervention strategies and the development of new speech rehabilitation techniques, benefiting older communication partners of people with dysarthria.

“If we make as our measure of success the listener better understanding the speaker then we will possibly see some real changes in the strategies we use in clinical practice.”

Results from the study will be out by the end of the year.

Our services are expanding throughout the state and we’re looking for speech and language therapists with paediatric and adult experience to join our growing teams.

Permanent and temporary career opportunities exist for speech and language therapists with Queensland Health.

Search and apply for jobswww.health.qld.gov.au/allied

We’re growing. Join us.

AH

3001

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Katie Walker-Smith, Speech and Language Therapist, Queensland Health

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AphasiaNZ is a not-for-profit charitable organisation which has been helping people with aphasia since June 2007. AphasiaNZ was formed in response to the expressed needs of people living with aphasia, when a significant number met at the first New Zealand aphasia conference in late 2005. AphasiaNZ conferences are held biennially around New Zealand and the 4th AphasiaNZ conference took place in Rotorua in November 2011. Approximately 100 people from New Zealand and Australia attended including people with aphasia and their family members and caregivers, speech-

language therapists (SLTs), other health professionals, and speech-language therapy students.

The theme for the conference ‘I am still me – Living Successfully with Aphasia’ was not only relevant for people adjusting to life with aphasia, but for any professional working with someone with aphasia acquired after stroke, head injury, or disease of the brain.

Our keynote speaker Dr. Robyn O’Halloran from La Trobe University in Melbourne talked about creating accessible environments for people with aphasia. Our second keynote

AphasiaNZ wordS: eMMa caStle


“People with aphasia gave presentations and talked about their lives before and after acquiring aphasia, and shared their strategies to cope with their aphasia, and the hopes they have for the future.”

speaker, Dr. Jenny Dautlich, from the UK, suffered a heart attack and multiple strokes in 1998. Over the years, Jenny has worked hard to overcome her aphasia which was made more difficult as English is her second language. Jenny talked about the various aphasia related resources she has initiated and highlighted how it was important to ‘help yourself’ to be able to ‘help others’.

People with aphasia gave presentations and talked about their lives before and after acquiring aphasia, and shared their strategies to cope with their aphasia, and the hopes they have for the future.

AphasiaNZ is based at the University of Auckland Tamaki Innovation Campus in St. Johns, Auckland. This co-location is very important in our ongoing plans for development and to provide the best services possible to people with aphasia. Some of our recent initiatives include: - A resource library for people with aphasia, caregivers, families, and professionals. - A computer therapy laptop loaning scheme for people with aphasia to use in their own homes.

- The development of a New Zealand specific Stroke and Aphasia Guide, a significant achievement as it is the only handbook of its kind in New Zealand.

AphasiaNZ will be holding a coffee morning on Wednesday 21st March 2012. So much enthusiasm was generated after the November conference and we want to know what thoughts our members/friends and supporters have about our planned regular meetings and workshops. This coffee morning is at the University of Auckland Tamaki Campus. As always it is for, anyone working with people with aphasia, with an interest in aphasia, and importantly those who have aphasia and their families who will benefit from the new initiatives we plan to roll out in 2012.

To find out more about AphasiaNZ see our website www.aphasia.org.nz or visit our Facebook page. To become a Friend of AphasiaNZ and to be added to our mailing list, email Emma at [email protected]

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Communication disorders and the criminal justice systemCAll for CoNTribUTors

wordS: Sally kedge

Have you experience as a speech-language therapist with children or young people who are involved in the criminal justice system or with agencies which work in this area? We’re pulling together people from a number of professional groups who have an interest in language / communication and the criminal justice system. Please contact [email protected] if you would like to find out more or contribute. Many thanks Sally Kedge, Dr Clare McCann, Dr Linda Hand, University of Auckland.

Resources and Websites of interestThe following websites of interest are all resources for people with aphasia and for those who work with them:http://www.aphasiasoftwarefinder.org/http://www.aphasiatavistocktrust.org/aphasia/default/software.asphttp://aphasiahelp.com/aphasia/http://research.ncl.ac.uk/aphasia/resources.html

News of Rosie Fraser WallacewordS: elle glaZer

Rosie Fraser Wallace, who was the first speech-language therapist recruited from overseas for the Auckland community service (then Extramural Hospital) has written a novel called “A Small Town Affair”. The story takes place in the wee islands off the north of Scotland where Rosie has lived with her husband who for many years was the MP for Orkney and The Shetlands The book is very entertaining! Rosie is still a working speech-language therapist, specialising in dyslexia. The novel was published by Hachette and is readily available in NZ.

Contact for Information: [email protected] or [email protected]

news and updates


I hope you had a restful break over the summer despite the effects of the weather. This has been a relatively quiet few months for the Association as we have settled in to the new office space and as Gretchen and Justine have become familiar with their roles, while trying to find time for a holiday with their families.

PrograMMe accreditation coMMitteeThe Committee met with the Heads of the three university programmes and the three Clinical Directors in December last year. As always, this is an opportunity for open and frank dialogue between the universities and the Association. This on-going dialogue was especially important as we needed to discuss some of the arrangements/processes for the two site visits that are happening this year (for the University of Canterbury and The University of Auckland).

Following advice from this meeting the revised Programme Accreditation Framework will be sent for external review before it can be fully adopted as a working document of the NZSTA.

ScoPe of PracticeAs explained in my December report the focus for the next few months is the Scope of Practice. We now have a draft document which will be made available on our website shortly. Once again, it is through the generosity of members who willingly give of their time and expertise to ensure that documents like this are developed for our membership (and indeed the profession as a whole).

Mra/QaThere has been an increasing number of applications for approval over recent months. Given the global economic recession we are being seen as an attractive place to live/work by overseas-trained SLTs. I am extremely grateful to Gretchen for her outstanding efforts in processing the applications so they are complete by the time they are sent to the overseas qualification approvals committee. Many of these applications are very complex and it takes a lot of her time to process them. In addition to this, I have been working with Lucy Greig (Member Networks) on our membership pathway. We aim to make it much more transparent what our levels of membership are and how to progress from say a student membership to provisional membership and full membership categories.

If you would like to discuss any aspect of professional standards with me, please do email me at: [email protected]. I hope that together we can maintain the high standards of professional practice of speech-language therapy in Aoteoroa New Zealand.

Clare

Dr Clare McCann – Professional [email protected]

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EXECUTivE CoUNCil

Felicity Bright – Professional [email protected]

It’s a hectic year once again in the Professional Development portfolio as our biannual conference is rapidly approaching. As you will see elsewhere in Communication Matters, on the website, and the Exec Updates, the conference programme is now live and registrations are open. We have a fantastic programme of workshops, papers and posters and it was great to have so many high quality submissions. On behalf of the Executive Council, I would like to thank Andreá Benoit and Helen McLauchlan, our Conference Convenors, and the members of the Conference Planning Committee for all the work they are putting in.

At this time of year, we often deal with many questions about the Continuing Professional Development records. Clare McCann and I have been working on refining the CPD process and associated paperwork to make it easier for members to record their CPD. We will be trialling this with the Area Reps over the next few months and will then refine it, with a view to rolling it out for all members next year.

Other areas of work for the portfolio over the coming months are: • Planning for several Clinical Issues discussions on the website; one will be focused on working with Māori and another on Child Language. • Working with speech-language therapists who wish to start up Special Interest Groups. • Developing new criteria for the NZSTA Awards and Funding grants. The closing date for these is 1st March, 2012. Full details can be found on the NZSTA website.

I will be standing down from the Professional Development Portfolio at the AGM in May. It has been a very enjoyable four years that have been full of activity. I will miss working with the Executive Committee and the NZSTA staff. If anyone is interested in knowing more about the Portfolio or is considering standing for election for the role, please get in touch. I would be very happy to discuss the portfolio in more detail.

Felicity


EXECUTivE CoUNCil

Lucy Greig – Member [email protected]

I hope 2012 has started well for you. It is certainly shaping up to be a stimulating one for the NZSTA and its members.

area MeetingSAutumn Area Meetings kicked off the NZSTA’s events for the year. These were held in the seven ‘NZSTA areas’ around New Zealand. Most of the meetings have teleconferencing capabilities, so please let your Area Representative know if you would like to use this service. All the 2012 Area Meeting dates are now on the website calendar so please go on-line and get them in your diary!

round the BaySThe Auckland ‘Round the Bays’ Fun Run is in March and we are very excited to take this opportunity to raise our profile. Many thanks to Carolin Jentzsch and Yvonne Cope for this initiative and the numerous hours you and the planning committee have given to make this a fun and successful event.

agMWe would like to encourage as many of you as possible to attend the AGM, which will be held during the conference in May. This is an opportunity to have your say and hear your feedback on how the Association shaped up in 2011. Two new Executive Council members will also be elected.

executiVe council (ec) actiVitieSThe EC are hoping to have more face-to-face contact with our members this year. In February, an EC member attended the University training programmes’ orientation days. The

aim was to raise our profile with students, increase student membership and give students a chance to ask questions about the Association.

Justine, our Executive Director, and I will be attending one Area Meeting in each of the seven ‘areas’ over the next three years. We will be visiting Wellington in April/May and Northland – Tai Tokerau in the second half of the year. We are really looking forward to meeting with our members.

new MeMBer BenefitI would like to announce the launch of the student section of the website. This went live in January. A bit of tweaking is still required but we hope that prospective and current speech-language therapy students and the NZSTA student members will find the information on the site useful and will add to it. Many thanks to Lucy Schumacher, Student Representative (University of Canterbury), for the significant contribution she has made to this project.

Finally, I would like to thank Gretchen (our Administrator) for her hard work in processing all the 2012 membership applications and renewals. This has been a huge task especially when the process was unfamiliar and unforeseen technical problems occurred. Thank you too to our members for your patience during this time. It has been much appreciated.

Lucy

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EXECUTivE CoUNCil

Sara Moore – [email protected]

I hope your year is off to a positive start whatever you’re up to and wherever you are. The academic year is also now under way, so best of luck to those of you studying at undergraduate and post-graduate levels. Be sure to look out for the NZSTA scholarships, workshops and education opportunities this year, as they exist with the sole aim of helping you to extend and refine your knowledge set and clinical skills. 2012 is also our conference year, this is a tangible opportunity for you to hear about the latest research and how it can translate into our everyday practice. Sure, in many ways we may be a small country, but this does give us a huge opportunity for successful networking and implementation of best practice across our innovative field. I hope to see many old and new faces there!

The facebook page is up and running, so check it out for upcoming events, like the Round the Bays Race in Auckland on the 18th of March. From the page you can even sign up to be part of the NZSTA team - lycra optional.

The much mentioned new website will be the Communication portfolio’s primary focus for the first few months of this year. It’s been an interesting and educational process defining and sourcing what online functions will best serve our membership, and my “geek-speak” is coming along nicely too. Keep an eye on www.speechtherapy.org.nz over the coming

months, as we begin to roll out some big changes. Speech Language Therapy Week 2012 will greet us in

September from the 17th-21st. This date has been deliberately selected to increase our opportunities of raising our profile as an industry, and will fall in all university programmes term times. The week will also allow for some exciting ventures with other national associations, so watch this space for further details in the Winter Communication Matters.

Planning for the the Global Year of Communication 2013 is well under way, with regular conference call meetings with SPA, ASHA, IASLP, CASLP and RCSLT taking place so we can all play our part in making the most of the year. Details will be released to members as things are firmed up.

Lastly, a quick reminder to leave this issue of Communication Matters out and about. It’s a simple way to help spread the word about our work to the wider public. It’s amazing the places I’ve seen them popping up in, so keep up the good effort with getting the message out.

Feel free to get in touch if you have any communication ideas to discuss. I look forward to seeing many of you at Conference this May.

Sara


EXECUTivE CoUNCil

Adele Siave – Maori and Cultural Development [email protected]

Tena koutou katoa.

Welcome to 2012! I hope that you have all had an enjoyable summer. 2012 is shaping up to be a busy year for the association and this portfolio.

Cultural competence will be a key theme for the portfolio this year. There are many ways in which you can work on improving cultural competence with some exciting initiatives happening this year that will support you on your journey.

I am currently investigating cultural competency training and assessments with the aim of ensuring that all members have access to appropriate cultural competency tools. While I am aware that many workplaces offer cultural competency training and/or assessment, it would be beneficial to also have a cultural competency benchmark standard for all members of the association.

Dietitians NZ are planning a national cultural competency roadshow for April in conjunction with Mauri Ora Associates1. The roadshow will be open to other health professionals and this will be a great opportunity for speech-language therapists. I am currently liaising with Dietitians NZ and will have more details on how we can participate in the roadshow soon. The planned clinical issue on the NZSTA website focusing on our responsiveness to the Treaty of Waitangi will also be a fantastic opportunity to improve cultural competence.

Supervision is a safe medium for exploring cultural competence and I encourage you all to use supervision to

regularly reflect on this. The NZSTA mentoring programme will also be a useful vehicle for helping members to be culturally competent.

The other portfolio projects continue: Engaging the support of a kaumātua remains a key goal, however it is also a gradual process. A clear role description for the kaumātua has been drafted and will be finalized soon. I continue to make connections with Māori service providers, iwi and other organisations with the aims of building relationships, raising the profile of speech-language therapy and the NZSTA, and promoting SLT as a career.

I plan to reinstate the Māori and Cultural Development working party to draw on the skills of the members to help achieve some of the goals of this portfolio. The focus of the working party was recruitment of Māori and other ethnic minority school students to training in the field of speech-language therapy. If you are interested in being involved please do contact me.

Nga mihi nuiAdele

1 www.mauriora.co.nz

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EXECUTivE CoUNCil

Executive Board

EXECUTivE CoUNCilPresident Dr Dean Sutherland [email protected] Sara Moore [email protected] networks Lucy Greig [email protected] Professional development Felicity Bright [email protected] Standards Dr Clare McCann [email protected] and cultural development Adele Siave [email protected]

ArEA rEPrEsENTATivEsnorthland- te tai tokerau Beverley Jackson [email protected] Sharon Collier [email protected] Yvonne Cope [email protected] waikato/BoP Biddy Robb [email protected] Jodi White [email protected] wellington Sarah Martin [email protected] (shared position) Stephanie Davis [email protected] Shannon Emmerson otago/Southland Michelle Johnson [email protected]

sTUdENT body rEPrEsENTATivEs canterbury Student reps Nicola Pemberton [email protected] Lucy Schumacher [email protected] Student reps Bridget Oliver [email protected] Amanda Rosanowski [email protected] auckland Student reps Carolin Jentzsch [email protected] Jizelle Yates [email protected]

new Zealand journal of Speech-language therapy editors: Dr Clare Mc Cann and Dr Brigid Mc Neill


oThEr CoNTACTsnZSta executive directorJustine WilkinsonPhone: +64 9 [email protected]

communication Matters editorCatherine [email protected]

administratorGretchen WadePhone: +64 9 3079223

Professional development [email protected]

inventory of Slt resources for borrowingEmail: [email protected]

Slt resources to:[email protected]

nZSta website addresswww.speechtherapy.org.nz

nZSta email [email protected]

nZSta Postal addressNZSTAP O Box 137 256, Parnell, Auckland 1151

nZSta Physical addressLevel 3, Denby House, 156 Parnell Rd, Parnell,Auckland, New Zealand

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www.speechtherapy.org.nz | P O Box 137 256, Parnell, Auckland 1151 | Level 3, Denby House, 156 Parnell Rd, Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand

The nZSTA reserves the right to refuse for inclusion in communication Matters, any articles, features or advertisements which are contrary to the nZSTA code of ethics. Unless formally stated to the contrary, acceptance and publication of material and advertising does not imply endorsement of views, positions, programmes or products by nZSTA. Articles may be edited.

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