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Speak Out
October 2015
Speech Pathology Australia
Gaenor Dixon, SPA President:
Thank you
for inviting us to speak with you today.
Our evidence today focuses on an impairment that is common
to many, many disability conditions and one that fundamentally
impacts on how a student participates in and achieves at
school – that is, communication disability. By this we mean
significant difficulties relating to speaking, hearing, listening,
understanding, reading, writing and social skills.
Speech Pathology Australia is the national peak body for
speech pathologists representing more than six and half
thousand members. Speech pathologists are the allied health
practitioners who specialise in treating speech, language,
communication disorders and swallowing difficulties. In some
states and territories, speech pathologists are employed
directly by Departments of Education, or increasingly by
school principals who recognise the value in having expert
advice about supporting students with communication
problems.
Evidence from a number of high quality Australian studies
indicate that about one in five children starting school have
a speech, language or communication impairment that will
impact on their ability to access, participate and achieve at
school.
As verbal and written ‘language’ is the medium of learning in
our school systems, students with communication disability
are at a profound disadvantage from the outset. These
students need to be identified early, before they begin school
and then supported so that they can participate and achieve.
Whilst there are a range of relatively common disability
conditions such as Autism where communication impairment
is usually a characteristic, there are also specific speech and
language disorders that can occur without the existence of
other disability conditions. So we can have students where
communication impairment is a characteristic of another
disability, however, the majority are students where their only
disability is communication. There are also a group of students
with complex communication needs who require the use of
what we call Augmentative and Alternative Communication
– things such as communication boards, iPads with symbol
communications or speech generating devices – these
students face very specific challenges in participating and
achieving at school, particularly in mainstream schools.
It is important to understand that very few students with
communication disability (without a co-occurring disability
like Autism) are eligible for individualised targeted funding.
However all students with communication disability require
adjustments and support to allow them to access the
curriculum and participate at school.
What we do know is that the impacts of communication
disability is far reaching and life long – resulting in poor
educational outcomes, early school leaving, reduced
employment opportunities, increased risk of involvement in the
juvenile justice system and an increased likelihood of social,
emotional, behavioural and mental health issues.
I am pleased to have with me today, Professor Sharynne
McLeod, who, with a team of researchers from Charles
Sturt University, for the first time have analysed the NAPLAN
outcomes for students with communication impairments.
Sharynne’s team have released the results ahead of
publication in peer-reviewed journals in order to inform the
discussions and considerations of your committee.
On the 25 September
, SPA President Gaenor Dixon and Professor Sharynne McLeod appeared before the Senate
Education and Employment References Committees at a hearing in Brisbane for the inquiry into the ‘current levels of access
and attainment for students with disability in the school system, and the impact on students and their families associated with
inadequate levels of support’. Following is the opening statement made by Gaenor Dixon.
Ronelle Hutchinson
Manager, Policy and Advocacy
Speech Pathology Australia’s key messages for
the Senate Inquiry into Students with Disabilities
senate inquiry
From left: SPA President Gaenor Dixon, Senator Rachel Siewert and Professor
Sharynne McLeod at the Senate hearing on 25 September.
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