ACQ Vol 13 no 3 2011

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ACQ Volume 13, Number 3 2011 157
1. Hanen resources
The Hanen Centre is based in
Canada and it aims to develop
parents’ and professionals’
knowledge and skills so they can
support children to develop
language and literacy skills. There
are several parent training
programs that speech
pathologists are trained to deliver
to parents and other early
childhood professionals. There
are also a range of resources
(books, handouts, and DVDs) that
supplement these parent training
programs. The Hanen website
provides lots of information and
resources about developing
children’s language and literacy skills. The resources are
very user-friendly and are appropriate to use with parents
and families from a range of backgrounds. Refer to: http://
2. Play assessment using the Symbolic
Play Test
The Symbolic Play Test
by Marianne Lowe and
Anthony J. Costello is
a standardised
assessment tool which
allows observation and
recording of a child’s
play skills (1–3 years) in
a variety of scenarios.
The test provides an
“objective indication of
a child’s early concept
formation and
symbolisation – abilities
that precede and develop alongside receptive and
expressive language”. Available for purchase from GL
Assessment:
3. Boardmaker
Boardmaker is a computer software program that allows
you to generate pictures for hundreds of vocabulary items.
There is a function on the program that allows the label for
the picture to be translated into several different languages.
This can be useful when using pictures as either visual
supports for children or as a communication device. It is
Our Top 10 resources for working
with children from culturally and
linguistically diverse (CALD)
backgrounds
Multicultural Interest Group (Victorian Branch)
Cultural diversity
also useful for generating articulation targets in other
languages. Available from:
com/
4. Internet resources
Websites such as Wikipedia, , and
are useful in providing information
about different languages and cultures. The language
resource area of the Linguist List website is: http://
The website also has an
“ask a question” function:
The Listening Room
Listening_Room) provides a steady stream of free activities
and resources to support the development of speech,
language, and listening skills in children, adolescents, and
adults with hearing loss. Activities are useful for working
with all children with language delays including children
from CALD backgrounds. Pictures and activities support
vocabulary development, oral narrative skills, and more.
The Listening Tree website has lots
of activities that can be used for both preschool and school
aged children. There is a registration cost of $50 in order to
be able to access all the activities.
5. Local CALD playgroups and library
storytimes
Many libraries hold story time sessions for preschool
children in different languages (check with your local library
for details). Many playgroups are also run for families from