2018 National Conference Adelaide

Invitation from the Conference Planning Committee (CPC)

This keynote address is also timely as Speech Pathology Australia is launching the process to develop a Reconciliation Action Plan at the conference. Please note that new workshops have been added to the conference program in sessions M2A and T1C where previously Marion was to have presented her workshop. Please read the conference program section of this brochure for the details of these workshops. Dr Ron Gillam has an impressive and growing body of research, is proactive in bridging research and practice, and has taken the science and practice of speech pathology into new and immensely beneficial directions. This makes him a most fitting speaker for this conference where research is encompassed within the I N S P I RE theme. Ron will inspire us to connect research and practice and embed research outcomes in practice. Ron’s masterclass will focus on narrative assessment and delve into norm referenced and progress monitoring measures and how they can be used to inform an understanding of children’s narratives and inform intervention decisions and practices. In his keynote address Ron will summarise a large-scale study and discuss the implications of a new understanding of the factors that moderate and mediate language comprehension for conducting informative language assessments and for selecting interventions that are likely to yield the most functional outcomes for school-aged children and young people. Ron will co-present the seminar with Sandra (Sandi) Gillam. This seminar will describe a narrative program called Supporting Knowledge in Language and Literacy (SKILL) of which Sandi and Ron are co-authors. The instructional strategies in the program have been demonstrated, in a series of single-subject, multiple-baseline studies and a small scale RCT, to be beneficial to children with developmental language disorders, children learning English as a second language, and children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Ron and Sandi are co-primary investigators of a current three-year, multi-site RCT to test the outcomes of the intervention and potential generalisation to reading comprehension and writing. Professor Elizabeth (Liz) Ward, invited presenter of the 2018 Elizabeth Usher Memorial Lecture, will connect to the area of practice innovation incorporated within the I N S P I RE theme. She will inspire us to embrace new practice and service delivery models to ensure a continued strong professional identity and capacity to

meaningfully contribute in the modern education and healthcare landscape. She will discuss the benefits, issues and impacts of extended scope of practice initiatives and new models of care. In her presentation Liz will draw on insights gained within the public health service in Queensland. The CPC has worked hard to produce a program with an excellent range of high quality presentations in a range of topic areas that will be of interest to a wide cross-section of the profession. This was a particularly challenging process given the number of high quality submissions that were received. The information provided by reviewers greatly assisted the selection process and the CPC is grateful for the important contribution they made. In addition to the presentations by the keynote and invited speakers, the conference program features oral presentation, workshops, forums, presented e-posters (PePs) and posters. PePs will be five minutes and are peppered (excuse the pun!) through the oral sessions. Questions can be directed to all presenters during the interactive question time allocated at the end of these sessions. The 2018 conference sees the return of paper posters and interactive sessions with poster presenters. Posters will be on display within the exhibition hall each day with dedicated times during lunch on Monday and Wednesday for authors to speak to their posters and discuss their work with delegates. Delegates will have access to a PDF of the paper and PeP posters through the conference app. On Tuesday there is an exciting forum session on speech pathology in education. This forum includes both submitted presentations and presentations invited by Speech Pathology Australia. The forum is bound to stimulate questions and discussion about service provision in schools as we progress the vision of Speech Pathology 2030. The conference sessions conclude on Wednesday with an I N S P I RE -ing panel session! The conference is being held at the Adelaide Convention Centre (ACC) which has been completely transformed since our last conference there in 2009. In the heart of the city we’ll be using rooms at the western end of the complex adjacent to Adelaide BioMed City. The Welcome Reception is being held at the nearby National Wine Centre. (continued next page)

Come to Adelaide for a conference that will I N S P I RE you! I N S P I RE is about I N S piring P ractice I nnovation, R esearch and E ngagement. Through this conference the 2018 Conference Planning Committee (CPC) wants you to be inspired by the vision captured in Speech Pathology 2030: Making Futures Happen to: • develop quality services by staying informed of and actively engaging with practice innovations and advances, • take an active part in undertaking research to develop and refine the evidence base, • ensure the rapid translation of evidence to practice, • engage, connect and partner with others – people, communities and other professionals. The I N S P I RE theme of this conference: • captures the cycle of connection between practice and research: research informing practice and practice informing research • advocates for innovative practices to continuously improve outcomes for those with communication and swallowing disorders. Presentations by the keynote and invited speakers will connect with the 2030 vision and reflect the I N S P I RE theme. The CPC is fortunate to have secured Professor Dennis McDermott at short notice to present the keynote address on Monday morning. This follows the withdrawal of Professor Marion Kickett from the conference program due to unforeseen personal circumstances. In his keynote address Dennis will highlight the focus on engagement embedded within the I N S P I RE theme of the conference. In keeping with the Speech Pathology 2030 project Dennis brings knowledge and perspectives from beyond speech pathology to inform and guide our work. Most of the speech pathology workforce is Non-Indigenous. Dennis’ keynote address will address the critical question of how we effectively engage with Indigenous health issues, cultures, clients and communities to improve health and education outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. As speech pathologists we have a significant role to play. Dennis will challenge and inspire us in this important endeavour.

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