Speak Up

Welcome back to the second season of the Summer Listening Series for 2025-2026! In this first episode Caitlyn Weber from the mental health and trauma working group reflects on a 2022 episode about adverse childhood experiences or ACEs. In this episode, SPA’s Senior Advisor – Mental Health and Trauma, Laura Caire, speaks with Sarah Verdon, Associate Professor in Speech and Language at Charles Sturt University. Sarah explores the importance of understanding and considering ACE’s when assessing the communication development of children. Are you interested in joining the Speak Up podcast reference group? Please email the podcast team on [email protected] If you’d like to offer a reflection on an episode and participate in a rebroadcast episode please contact the podcast team on the email above. Resources: ACE questionnaire: https://www.goodsky.com.au/adverse-childhood-experience/#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20ACE%20Questionnaire,mental%20health%20or%20substance%20abuse Harvard University brain architecture lab: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/key-concept/brain-architecture/ Nadine Burke Harris’s TED talk: https://youtu.be/95ovIJ3dsNk?si=sVFTJ73dF8IWAONv Speech Pathology Australia acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of lands, seas and waters throughout Australia, and pay respect to Elders past and present. We recognise that the health and social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are grounded in continued connection to culture, country, language and community and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. Free access to transcripts for podcast episodes are available via the SPA Learning Hub (https://learninghub.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/),, you will need to sign in or create an account. For more information, please see our Bio or for further enquiries, email [email protected] Disclaimer: © (2025) The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited. All rights reserved. Important Notice, Please read: The views expressed in this presentation and reproduced in these materials are not necessarily the views of, or endorsed by, The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited (“the Association”). The Association makes no warranty or representation in relation to the content, currency or accuracy of any of the materials comprised in this recording. The Association expressly disclaims any and all liability (including liability for negligence) in respect of use of these materials and the information contained within them. The Association recommends you seek independent professional advice prior to making any decision involving matters outlined in this recording including in any of the materials referred to or otherwise incorporated into this recording. Except as otherwise stated, copyright and all other intellectual property rights comprised in the presentation and these materials, remain the exclusive property of the Association. Except with the Association’s prior written approval you must not, in whole or part, reproduce, modify, adapt, distribute, publish or electronically communicate (including by online means) this recording or any of these materials.

In this week’s episode, we talk about communication access when someone is critically unwell. We are joined by speech pathologist Associate Professor Amy Freeman-Sanderson who is a project lead on priority setting for communication and swallowing difficulty in critical illness, and Adam Smith who is a patient and carer representative on this steering group. Adam speaks about his lived experience and how this has informed the research, Amy and Adam speak about their goal to understand the top 10 research questions relating to communication and swallowing support needs for people who are critically unwell. Resources: Survey about top 10 research questions for communication and swallowing support when someone is critically unwell https://utsau.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6rH3cgH49gPLAsC Communication and Swallowing Difficulty in Critical Illness priority setting partnership protocol- James Lind Alliance https://www.jla.nihr.ac.uk/documents/communication-and-swallowing-difficulty-critical-illness-psp-protocol PCCO: Patient Communication Care Optimisation https://www.pcco.au/ Speech Pathology Australia acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of lands, seas and waters throughout Australia, and pay respect to Elders past and present. We recognise that the health and social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are grounded in continued connection to culture, country, language and community and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. Free access to transcripts for podcast episodes are available via the SPA Learning Hub (https://learninghub.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/), you will need to sign in or create an account. For more information, please see our Bio or for further enquiries, email [email protected] Disclaimer: © (2025) The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited. All rights reserved. Important Notice, Please read: The views expressed in this presentation and reproduced in these materials are not necessarily the views of, or endorsed by, The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited (“the Association”). The Association makes no warranty or representation in relation to the content, currency or accuracy of any of the materials comprised in this recording. The Association expressly disclaims any and all liability (including liability for negligence) in respect of use of these materials and the information contained within them. The Association recommends you seek independent professional advice prior to making any decision involving matters outlined in this recording including in any of the materials referred to or otherwise incorporated into this recording. Except as otherwise stated, copyright and all other intellectual property rights comprised in the presentation and these materials, remain the exclusive property of the Association. Except with the Association’s prior written approval you must not, in whole or part, reproduce, modify, adapt, distribute, publish or electronically communicate (including by online means) this recording or any of these materials.

In this week’s episode, we discuss paediatric feeding and Avoidant / Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, or ARFID. We are joined by a multi-disciplinary panel to discuss collaborative supports. Psychologist Dr Katherine Bartlett, dietitian Rachel Tutill, and speech pathologist Val Gent discuss recent research about paediatric feeding needs including ARFID, as well as supports, and resources for clinicians and family or supporters. Resources: Winten, Copeland G., Strodl, Esben, & Ross, Lynda J. (2024) Multidisciplinary Treatment of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. Psychiatric Annals, 54(2), e51-e55 DOI:10.3928/00485713-20240119-01 Gent, Valerie., Marshall, Jeanne., Weir, Kelly A., & Trembath, David. (2025) Caregiver perspectives regarding the impact of feeding difficulties on mealtime participation for primary school-aged autistic children and their families. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, February, 1–11. doi:10.1080/17549507.2025.2452901 Gent, Valerie., Marshall, Jeanne., Weir, Kelly A., & Trembath, David. (2024). Investigating the impact of autistic children's feeding difficulties on caregivers. Child: Care, Health and Development, 50(1), e13218. https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.13218 Feeding matters: www.feedingmatters.org It’s not picky eating: www.itsnotpickyeating.org The Victorian Centre for Excellence in Eating Disorders (CEED) resources library https://ceed.org.au/resources/?_resources_search=ARFID Speech Pathology Australia acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of lands, seas and waters throughout Australia, and pay respect to Elders past and present. We recognise that the health and social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are grounded in continued connection to culture, country, language and community and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. Free access to transcripts for podcast episodes are available via the SPA Learning Hub (https://learninghub.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/), you will need to sign in or create an account. For more information, please see our Bio or for further enquiries, email [email protected] Disclaimer: © (2025) The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited. All rights reserved. Important Notice, Please read: The views expressed in this presentation and reproduced in these materials are not necessarily the views of, or endorsed by, The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited (“the Association”). The Association makes no warranty or representation in relation to the content, currency or accuracy of any of the materials comprised in this recording. The Association expressly disclaims any and all liability (including liability for negligence) in respect of use of these materials and the information contained within them. The Association recommends you seek independent professional advice prior to making any decision involving matters outlined in this recording including in any of the materials referred to or otherwise incorporated into this recording. Except as otherwise stated, copyright and all other intellectual property rights comprised in the presentation and these materials, remain the exclusive property of the Association. Except with the Association’s prior written approval you must not, in whole or part, reproduce, modify, adapt, distribute, publish or electronically communicate (including by online means) this recording or any of these materials.

With Board nominations opening on 28 November, in this week’s episode SPA President, Kathryn McKinley, is interviewed by Early Career Reference Group member, Sarah Cathro. They discuss governance, service, how the Board provides leadership, and how speech pathologists at every career stage can contribute to the profession. SPA resources: • Nominations for the SPA Board open 28 November. www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/BoardElections • Join the Early Career Reference Group. Submit your EOI by 1 December. https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/Members/Members/News-and-publications/Articles/2025/08-August-2025/Join-the-2026-Early-Career-Reference-Group.aspx?name=Join-the-2026-Early-Career-Reference-Group&WebsiteKey=12e7819f-4437-4942-9ef0-d1d740ca04aa&fbclid=IwY2xjawOAxz5leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFDc0NiZFlJWUpGbEIwM3lJc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHsh0X4oQ8XthtPv8n6fpUh97NX0h3bV0z8jApUBZ-6T3rW1mb818Q7ToSTdm_aem_bKcBp030AVZgkuklmozszA • Learn about the Speech Pathology Australia Board of Directors: https://speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/Public/Public/About-Us/Our-organisation/Our-structure/Board-of-Directors.aspx • Participate in Mentoring to further your career development: https://memberhub.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/mentoring Speech Pathology Australia acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of lands, seas and waters throughout Australia, and pay respect to Elders past and present. We recognise that the health and social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are grounded in continued connection to culture, country, language and community and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. Free access to transcripts for podcast episodes are available via the SPA Learning Hub (https://learninghub.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/), you will need to sign in or create an account. For more information, please see our Bio or for further enquiries, email [email protected] Disclaimer: © (2025) The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited. All rights reserved. Important Notice, Please read: The views expressed in this presentation and reproduced in these materials are not necessarily the views of, or endorsed by, The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited (“the Association”). The Association makes no warranty or representation in relation to the content, currency or accuracy of any of the materials comprised in this recording. The Association expressly disclaims any and all liability (including liability for negligence) in respect of use of these materials and the information contained within them. The Association recommends you seek independent professional advice prior to making any decision involving matters outlined in this recording including in any of the materials referred to or otherwise incorporated into this recording. Except as otherwise stated, copyright and all other intellectual property rights comprised in the presentation and these materials, remain the exclusive property of the Association. Except with the Association’s prior written approval you must not, in whole or part, reproduce, modify, adapt, distribute, publish or electronically communicate (including by online means) this recording or any of these materials.

This week we are rebroadcasting an episode on cultural safety with some suggested resources by way of introducing the episode. We speak with Mitch Walley from Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service, and Dr Natalie Ciccone from ECU about a telehealth service for Aboriginal people living with acquired brain injury (ABI). They discuss steps for making the service culturally secure, and the important role of yarning and Aboriginal coworkers in this process. More cultural learning opportunities for 2025: Culturally Safe and Responsive Practice for Speech Pathologists, November 28, 2025 https://learninghub.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/topclass/topclass.do?expand-OfferingDetails-Offeringid=1485816 Acknowledge This! How to give an authentic Acknowledgement of Country, available until Dec 31, 2025: https://learninghub.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/topclass/topclass.do?expand-OfferingDetails-Offeringid=921288 IAHA Cultural Responsiveness Training Level 1: https://learninghub.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/topclass/topclass.do?expand-OfferingDetails-Offeringid=3328 IAHA Cultural Responsiveness Training Level 2: https://learninghub.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/topclass/topclass.do?expand-OfferingDetails-Offeringid=3335 Speech Pathology Australia acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of lands, seas and waters throughout Australia, and pay respect to Elders past and present. We recognise that the health and social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are grounded in continued connection to culture, country, language and community and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. Enjoy free access to transcripts, resources and the full reference list for this podcast through the SPA Learning Hub (https://learninghub.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/), you will need to sign in or create an account. For more information, please see our Bio or for further enquiries, email [email protected] Disclaimer: © (2025) The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited. All rights reserved. Important Notice, Please read: The views expressed in this presentation and reproduced in these materials are not necessarily the views of, or endorsed by, The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited (“the Association”). The Association makes no warranty or representation in relation to the content, currency or accuracy of any of the materials comprised in this recording. The Association expressly disclaims any and all liability (including liability for negligence) in respect of use of these materials and the information contained within them. The Association recommends you seek independent professional advice prior to making any decision involving matters outlined in this recording including in any of the materials referred to or otherwise incorporated into this recording. Except as otherwise stated, copyright and all other intellectual property rights comprised in the presentation and these materials, remain the exclusive property of the Association. Except with the Association’s prior written approval you must not, in whole or part, reproduce, modify, adapt, distribute, publish or electronically communicate (including by online means) this recording or any of these materials.