ACQ Vol 11 no 2 2009

develop in the anterior areas. Of clinical significance is that data obtained from fMRI has demonstrated the efficacy of specific, systematic, explicit phonologically based interventions. The provision of these interventions at an early age has been found not only to improve reading, but also to facilitate the development of those neural systems that underlie reading. The importance of a reader becoming fluent in addition to being able to decode words is also highlighted in the

article. Various theoretical models are described with the authors emphasising the importance of attention in enabling reading to become both automatic and fluent. Reference is made to the neurobiological evidence which is now available to support the links between ADHD and dyslexia. Preliminary studies have clinical implications and suggest that pharmacological interventions which are used to treat disorders of attention (ADD and ADHD) may be a useful adjunct in the treatment of dyslexia.

Outside the square

Then… I entered the world of speech pathology in Perth in 1984, training at what was then known as the Western Australian Institute of Technology or WAIT, under the exciting leadership of Ann Zubrick. Our small and supportive group graduated at a time when the job market was very competitive and people travelled to many far places to secure work. Thus began many years of a country tour for me, from Busselton to Port Hedland and then Bunbury. They were challenging times with sole positions being the norm and little or no support available. I think we survived because we had so little understanding of how much we didn’t understand! My speech pathology career firmly steered a course into paediatrics and stayed there for many years – I enthusiastically took on emerging issues such as paediatric feeding, autism, and new approaches to stuttering therapy. I often wonder where all those gorgeous babies and cute toddlers are now and whether they fondly remember that lady who used to play with them. The family needed a change and moved to Queensland in 2002 where they did things differently. Unable to pick up the sort of work I had been used to and at the same time suffering from a mid-career crisis of “what am I doing and why?!”, I sought out a variety of temporary project positions. This opened the door to a whole new world of health promotion and I dabbled in nutrition, tuckshops, physical activity, skin cancer prevention and falls prevention while I completed a Masters in Public Health through the University of New South Wales. This also gave me a taste for research. And now… Significant industrial reform and workforce incentives in Queensland Health in 2007 lured me back into allied health to take up a unique position at the time. The allied health educator position in Logan Beaudesert Health Service District, and now two restructures later in Metro South District (around 600 allied health staff), offers me the opportunity to use all my many and varied skills. Speech pathologists and other allied health professionals have very versatile and portable skills to take with them into other sectors and fields. Into allied health Sue Pager

My role as allied health educator has three major focus areas: planning and coordination of training and development, providing professional support, and building research capacity. More specifically, these roles involve the following activities: • Planning learning for this diverse group of allied health professionals has involved setting up systems to assess need, manage training calendars and registrations and evaluate training activities as well as tailoring existing courses and developing new content for key learning areas such as evidencebased practice and supervision. Advocating for allied health’s share of resources within the nursing, corporate and medical training arenas has also been a large part of the role. • Professional support initiatives have included designing and implementing a supervision framework to support all professions, a leadership development program for senior clinicians and facilitating the integration of newly created clinical educator positions into the district. • Research capacity has been targeted through a number of strategies including developing partnerships with universities, seeking funding for research positions and other infrastructure, training initiatives and a research project looking at a multidisciplinary team-based approach to conducting research. Many other positions are now being established to support the allied health workforce. This means I get to work in a team of very dynamic and experienced professionals from diverse backgrounds including clinicians, educators, researchers and organisational psychologists. Research and professional support and development are very important in building the future for allied health, and it is exciting to be at the cutting-edge of major reforms. The future looks very bright for allied health here in Queensland and it’s very satisfying to play a part in it.

Correspondence to: Sue Pager Allied Health Educator Metro South Health Service email: susan_pager@health.qld.gov.au

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ACQ Volume 11, Number 2 2009

ACQ uiring knowledge in speech, language and hearing