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continuing professional development news

CPD News: Professor Gina Conti-Ramsden in Adelaide

It’s a rarity that overseas speakers are part of Branch CPD Programs but that was the thrilling outcome of a timely alignment of planning occurring on opposite sides of the world in 2013. Professor Gina Conti-Ramsden from the University of Manchester in the UK was investigating visiting Australia in early 2014 for research purposes and the SA Branch Professional Learning Working Group (PLWG) was thinking laterally and creatively about possibilities for its 2014 CPD Program! After exploratory emails and Skype calls, and then confirmation that Gina would be in Melbourne in early 2014, arrangements proceeded for Gina to present in Adelaide on 3 March. This was somewhat of a coup! Anyone reading in the area of child language will come across Gina’s work as she is prolific in the literature. So it was not surprising there was a lot of interest in Gina’s one-day workshop, ‘Understanding the nature and developmental course of language impairments in children’, which ended up being sold out. As well as conveying current and useful information with practical application the day also provided food for thought. Discussion about key messages for parents and teachers was opportune in the context of the recent launch of the ICP2014. It was interesting to reflect on public awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder compared with Specific Language Impairment and consider how understanding and appreciation of the hidden disability of language impairment might be increased. Gina is among a group of academics behind RALLI, an internet campaign for Raising Awareness of Language Learning Impairments. The RALLI YouTube channel can be found at http://www.youtube.com/rallicampaign . After the workshop there was time to show Gina some of the sights and landmarks of Adelaide before dinner with the Professional Learning Working Group. Barbara Lyndon Professional Learning Working Group Leader SA Branch Note: In regard to speakers for the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program it is current Speech Pathology Australia (Association) policy that overseas speakers must be already visiting/in Australia or nearby countries, and the Association does not pay international airfares from the USA, UK or Europe for CPD speakers. If you know of a speaker planning to come to Australia or a nearby country at any stage your Branch CPD Committee or Sharon Crane at National Office would be very interested to hear from you.

From left, Catherine Quin (SA CPD Coordinator), Professor Gina Conti-Ramsden and Barbara Lyndon (SA Branch Professional Learning Working Group Leader).

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Speak Out June 2014

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