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Speak Out
February 2013
Speech Pathology Australia
P
rivate practitioners
are accustomed to receiving
requests for far reaching school
visits, but this opportunity has proven
to be one of a kind. Five years and
seven visits later, speech pathology
is gathering momentum at Nyngan
Public School.
Nyngan is located in the heart of
NSW in the Orana region, between
Narromine and Bourke. It has
a relatively small population of
2,500, with a greater percentage of
Indigenous community members (15%)
in comparison with Australia in general
(2.3%; Australian Bureau of Statistics,
2006). It is a supportive farming and
mining community.
The speech and language program at
Nyngan Public School has developed
collaboratively from the outset and
each year continues to evolve and
improve. The program has been made
possible due to funding through the
Priority Schools Program (PSP), which
allows schools in low socioeconomic
areas to access money to address
individual school needs. Staff had
become concerned with the increasing
number of students with speech and
language difficulties and the impact
that this was having on their academic
outcomes. They therefore decided that
these skills should be a particular area
of focus.
The speech and language program
commenced with training staff in
identifying and remediating language
and literacy related difficulties. I was
honoured to be able to present the
program plan to key members of the
community at an evening gathering.
Initially the focus was on evaluation,
as many of the students had been
on waitlists for speech and language
assessments. The remoteness of
Nyngan added to the barrier of access
to services, both public and private.
With time, staff training, and discussion
with teachers and parents, the school
has developed independence in their
implementation and adjustments to
the program as needed. Aides are
able to conduct speech and language
screening assessments and identify
students requiring formal assessment.
Strong links are in place connecting
language and literacy development in
therapy sessions and in the classroom.
Rural speech pathologists work within
close-knit, spirited communities.
This year my family was invited to
accompany me on my visit and my
children attended school with me each
day. It was a wonderful opportunity for
them to appreciate both the challenges
and freedom of rural life.
In 2013 we have negotiated school-
wide language enrichment sessions
to be conducted each day in addition
to individual and group sessions
for identified students. I have also
discussed a clinical education program
with the executive staff and plan to
take speech pathology students to be
part of the program.
The evolution of the Nyngan speech
and language program seems
to mirror the history of my own
professional growth. This year I
celebrate 20 years of private practice.
Since graduating in 1993, I have taken
on many challenges, both clinically
and business related. My business has
grown from being a sole practitioner
to employing five full-time speech
pathologists working with mixed
paediatric and adult caseloads across
the Nepean and Blue Mountains
region.
In looking back, I could never have
envisaged the ways in which my career
would not only enrich my life, but that
of my family’s lives. Speech pathology
has also improved the quality of a
number of my close family’s lives,
who have called upon the skills of the
profession to guide their swallowing
and communication skills. I am now
looking forward to continuing my
speech pathology journey, wherever it
may take me.
Belinda Hill
NSW Branch Private Practitioner Member
Network Representative and Director of
Belinda Hill & Associates –
Speech-language pathologists
Private Practice goes Rural: The Nyngan
Speech and Language Program
Supportive environment:
Students from Nyngan Public
School have benefited from
the introduction of a dedicated
speech and language program.
Report on school-based speech and language program