Speak Out April 2017 low res FINAL

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38 Speak Out June 2017
Branch News
south
Australia
SA 568
members
as at April 2017
THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN BRANCH
participated in the Pregnancy, Babies and
Children’s Expo for the second year in a row,
and it was again a very successful event. By
participating in the expo, the SA Branch aimed
to reach as many members of the public as
possible to promote the work and support
speech pathologists both in South Australia and
across the country. This year a small team of
dedicated volunteers worked hard in preparation
for the expo, and a group of volunteers also
worked during the expo to make the SA Branch’s
involvement possible.
The colourful display at the stand attracted
members of the public, and fact sheets were
available to help support parents, grandparents
and professionals understanding of the work of a
speech pathologist in the community. As a branch
we decided to have giveaways available as a
token of our appreciation for engaging with our
volunteers. These included bubbles, bookmarks
with literacy tips, balloons, SPA wrist bands and
several other items. We also ran a competition to
win the books on display. To enter the competition,
expo attendees were encouraged to complete
an online survey to help guide the community
awareness and SA Branch’s knowledge in regards
to what the general paediatric population know
about the speech pathology profession. The
results were collated, and from the 429 responses
the following information was gathered:
• Parent: 89%
• 31–40 years of age: 43%
• Do you know how/where to find a SP:
Yes 66%
• Is it important to you that the SP is registered
with SPA: Yes 79%
• Have you/someone in your family seen a SP
before: Yes 35%
• Did you know SPs work in the following areas:
o dysphagia: 31%
o fussy/picky eating: 29%
o voice: 59%
o fluency: 59%
o hearing/APD/sign language:
50%
o speech: 84%
o language: 63%
The SA Branch will meet regularly over the next
12 months to prepare for next year’s expo,
in particular resources for the public to better
promote the speech pathology profession based
on the feedback received at the 2017 expo.
Thank you to all the volunteers who dedicated their
time both in preparation for, and during the event,
it would not be possible without you: Leeston
McNab, Susan Manning, Sue Horton, Mikaela
Tran, Priya Manohar, Genevieve Tan, Grace Neate,
Brianna Musolino, Lizzie Newland, Tahlea Pearce,
Paloma D’Addario, Cathy Clark, Ellen Gava, Alice
Virgin, Rebecca Hudson, Bronwyn Timko, Robyn
Littlefair, Paige Chewter, Jenny Moody, Monica
Welsh and Rhianna Cheney.
Abbey Avery
Community Awareness Working Group
Member
Expo success