Speak Out February 2019

in practice

Communication Practice Guide: A resource for professional collaboration in early years education SPEECH PATHOLOGIST ROBYN STEPHENS OUTLINES A RECENTLY DEVELOPED PRACTICE GUIDE THAT AIMS TO EMPOWER EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS.

IN THE PAST year I have had the privilege of working with Mary Holwell and her colleagues from the Early Years Unit of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA). We have co-developed a Communication Practice Guide to support the communication outcomes of the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF). The (VEYLDF) supports all early childhood professionals who work with children between the ages of birth and eight years. Speech pathologists are included in the term ‘early childhood professionals’ for this framework. The framework is structured around five interconnected learning and development outcomes for young children. These outcomes are: • Children have a strong sense of identity (Identity) • Children are connected with and contribute to their world (Community) • Children have a strong sense of wellbeing (Wellbeing) • Children are confident and involved learners (Learning) • Children are effective communicators (Communication) The learning and development outcomes of the VEYLDF align with the development of particular skills and capabilities in the first three levels of the Victorian Curriculum F-10. The Communication Practice Guide aims to empower early childhood educators to identify and act on children’s speech,

language and communication needs in early development. The guide is designed to be used by individuals or by groups as a professional learning resource. Scenarios and discussion prompts are designed to highlight the importance of collaborative assessment practice between early childhood educators and speech pathologists in early childhood services. The resource would be a great practical reference for speech pathologists to refer to in discussions with other early childhood professionals particularly educators. A Literature Review developed by Charles Sturt University and published in 2018 sits alongside the Communication Practice Guide. In 2018 we were able to present scenarios from this guide at the Early Childhood Education Conference and at the VCAA/Department of Education and Training remote twilight seminar which provided access for regional educators and speech pathologists. This has been an exciting and innovative collaboration between education and speech pathology. A universal language was established and real life scenarios are portrayed in order to facilitate early identification and intervention for children with communication difficulties in their optimal years by early childhood professionals. Please click here to obtain a copy of the Communication Practice Guide and Literature Review.

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February 2019 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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