JCPSLP Vol 18 no 2 2016

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National Disability Insurance Scheme
102 JCPSLP Volume 18, Number 2 2016 Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology
Bloomberg, Karen, West, Denise, Johnson, Hilary, &
Iacono, Teresa. (2009). Triple C kit , Revised edition. $110,
available from
3 The InterAACtion Kit
Or Janice’s box, as it is known at Shannon Park. It was
developed to go with the InterAACtion manual and is a
large box of examples of communication supports. It is
invaluable for showing people what the communication
supports we are trying to develop might look like. It makes
a large difference if someone can be shown a
communication support and they can see how it might
work for them or the people they support. Some people
want the product to be exactly the same while others use
them as a starting point to design their own. My box has
travelled with me all over the Barwon South West region of
Victoria and has been added to over the years. The lid
doesn’t quite fit!
The InterAACtion kit as described above is no longer
available but it is possible to purchase a kit of Everyday
Communication Aids that includes the InterAACtion Manual
($990.00) or the Communication Aid Creator ($120.00)
which is a USB stick with over 50 templates to make
different types of communication aids. This allows you to
make your own kit! Both of these resources are available
from
4 A good team
I have worked with many wonderful speech pathologists,
occupational therapists and physiotherapists over my
career. This has shaped my practice as a therapist and has
helped me see the overall picture for the person and not
just focus on my own areas of interest. Therefore goals can
be more functional. In the new environment, our team has
grown and we now have many therapists working across
these three streams. It is tempting for a lot of people to
move into private practice within the NDIS model, but for
me, I would miss the collegiality of such a wonderful team
and working closely with others to achieve the goals of the
people we support.
5 Enthusiastic therapy assistants
With so many resources to be made, we have always relied
heavily on our wonderful therapy assistants, and now more
so than ever. The NDIS is also opening up many
opportunities for therapy assistants to be involved in
therapy follow-up with the people that we support. At the
moment we are lacking in people that have the skills and
knowledge to fulfil this role, but numbers are gradually
building and if we add them to our recommendations, with
adequate time for training, we will gradually build their skills.
I see this as a real growth area and if we are creative it will
be of great benefit to the people we support. The Regional
Communication Services, which are part of the CAN
network across Victoria, have been developing
communication coordinator networks by training one or two
disability support workers from as many day and
In January 2016 I clocked up 25 years of experience
in the disability area. This area is not known for its
abundance of resources and often, making do is
the order of the day. In the Barwon Region, we have just
entered our third year of the National Disability Insurance
Scheme (NDIS). The extra resources have gone towards
increasing services for the people we support, but it is yet
to hit our resources’ wish list! Therefore, on the smell of an
oily rag, we are welcoming the biggest change to disability
in recent memory. There has been an increase in the
number of people now eligible to access more appropriate
levels of service, so there is an abundance of work to be
done in the speech pathology area. Our service has grown
and we now have more speech pathologists than ever
before. Despite this increase, time is still a limited resource
so it is important to make use of the resources that we
have.
1 Time
My appreciation of the value of time has grown tenfold.
Time to reflect on good practice, future goals and resources
required; time to mentor our new therapists and develop
our skills; time to read and keep abreast of new
developments. There never seems to be enough time.
Funding is now much more transparent and we need to
account for how each minute of our time at work is used.
There is an expectation that we will get more done and that
productivity will increase. With a better understanding of
how long things take, we can then request an appropriate
amount of time to achieve a goal. But how long does it take
to program a communication device or conduct a mealtime
review? These are the questions that we are gradually
getting better at answering. Scope has put into place a
structured practice support system to ensure that
therapists still have time to develop their skills, and mentor
other therapists. Improved systems will maximise the
efficient use of time.
2 The Triple C Checklist of
Communication Competencies
Any therapist working in the adult area in disability services
will be very familiar with this assessment. It is a no-fail
checklist that is completed by family and supports for
adolescents and adults who communicate with fewer than
50 functional words or signs. It is my go-to assessment to
determine a person’s level of communication skill and I have
found the revised edition containing an additional
supplement even easier to use and follow. It is rare
nowadays to come across staff in adult services who aren’t
familiar with this particular assessment. Team it up with the
InterAACtion Manual and you have a raft of communication
strategies that are easy to develop for every level of
communication. It makes so much sense that I even find
myself sometimes referring to it when I am thinking about
the communication skills of the young children that I am
involved with.
Top 10
Janice Buckland