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16

Speak Out

December 2017

www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

J

oyce was a founding member of Speech Pathology

Australia and a member for over 60 years.

Joyce passed away in early August, following a brief

illness.

Joyce graduated as a speech therapist in Melbourne

in 1952 when the earliest training took place in the

Department of Psychiatry in the Royal Children's Hospital.

Joyce commenced work at the hospital in 1953 when it

was still situated in Carlton, and had only just received

Royal Assent to change its name to the "Royal Children's

Hospital". She continued to work at the hospital for 51

years and became its longest serving employee. This

sustained service over almost half a century represents a

huge contribution to the life of the hospital and the children

and the families that it serves. Her services were recognised

by the hospital with the Chairman’s Award in 2001.

Joyce became head of Speech Pathology at RCH in 1957,

and retained the role for fourteen years, until 1971. In

this role, as well as leading the speech pathology team,

she also trained successive years of speech pathology

students, honing the ability of these future professionals to

observe the “whole” child in the context of their family and

environment, while conducting specialized assessments in

communication.

The plastic surgeons in the hospital saw the importance

of quality speech assessment and treatment in the

management of cleft conditions, and Joyce became an

integral part of a team that pioneered inter-disciplinary

practice in this field. She remained a core member of the

Plastic Surgery Outpatient Team until her retirement from

the hospital in 2005.

In Victoria there are more than 100 children born each year

with cleft lip and /or palate. The majority of these attend the

Royal Children’s Hospital, where, over the years, Joyce saw

literally thousands of children with the cleft condition. Over

time she began to see the grandchildren of some of her

original clients. This extraordinary follow up of generations

along with diligent record keeping and a sharp and

enquiring mind, provided invaluable insights into the pattern

of clefting and associated speech problems.

During her time at the hospital Joyce’s expertise in this

specialist field was unrivalled in the state of Victoria. Each

week she received enquiries and referrals from speech

pathologists from around Victoria and interstate, seeking

her expert opinion. As well as sharing her knowledge and

educating speech pathologists in the community in this

way, Joyce also educated students and colleagues from a

range of disciplines. Her willingness and ability to share her

knowledge and to encourage critical thinking was invaluable

in the education of plastic surgeons, otolaryngologists,

dentists and other related professionals who work with

children with clefts.

Joyce’s knowledge, ideas and records inspired and assisted

research in a range of areas and across professional

boundaries, and she was instrumental in the introduction

of many innovative approaches to the assessment and

management of children with clefts.

In 1995 Joyce was pivotal in setting up the Melbourne

Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic at the hospital. The clinic helped

ensure a coordinated plan of management for children with

cleft lip and palate, and provided children with coordinated

access to all members of the cleft management team on

the one day. For the first five years of its operation Joyce

coordinated the clinic in her own time, a mammoth task,

undertaken willingly because of her commitment to her

patients receiving the best possible care. Joyce was also

instrumental in beginning the nasendoscopic examination of

children with clefts at The Royal Children’s Hospital, again a

great initiative that has now become standard practice.

Joyce constantly acknowledged the importance of family

in the care of the child with cleft lip and palate, and the

need for excellent communication between the parents and

professionals. She had a close relationship with CleftPals,

the organisation for parents of children with clefts and

VALE – JOYCE ALLEY

J

OYCE ALLEY WAS A SPEECH PATHOLOGIST WHO EXCELLED IN THE FIELD OF CHILDREN WITH CLEFT

LIP AND PALATE, AND WHO GAVE HUGELY OF HERSELF PERSONALLY AS WELL AS PROFESSIONALLY

IN THE CARE OF THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN WITH COMMUNICATION DIFFICULTIES.