Speak Up

In this week’s episode, we’re celebrating Pride Month. Jess is joined by Majella Jones, dietitian and PhD candidate, to discuss their research on improving education outcomes and student confidence when working with transgender and gender diverse people. They explore how embedding discipline specific content into core curricula can create more inclusive, competent future practitioners.

Speech Pathology Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of lands, seas and waters throughout Australia, and offers our respect to Elders, across all times and places. The Speak Up podcast recognises the central role of yarning and oral storytelling in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, how this translates to knowledge translation, and that colonisation has interrupted these practices of Language and knowledge sharing. The Speak Up podcast acknowledges the need for truth-telling and deep listening, the central role that Language plays in connecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People with Culture, Country, and Community, and the interwoven nature of health, and social and emotional wellbeing. We recognise that the Traditional Owners of the Lands across Australia have been here since time immemorial, and that their sovereignty over this land, was never ceded.

Free access to transcripts, as well as a full list of resources and references for this podcast, is 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 speakuppodcast@speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

Disclaimer: © (2026) 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 the mental health needs of people with complex communication support needs (CCN). We speak with Nerida Kho, speech pathologist, and Connor Bryant, counsellor, both from CEQ about what they have learned while supporting the unmet mental health needs of people with CCN. They speak about the challenges of adapting complex concepts, like emotions into multimodal communication systems, and the benefits and outcomes reported by the participants.

Speech Pathology Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of lands, seas and waters throughout Australia, and offers our respect to Elders, across all times and places. The Speak Up podcast recognises the central role of yarning and oral storytelling in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, how this translates to knowledge translation, and that colonisation has interrupted these practices of Language and knowledge sharing. The Speak Up podcast acknowledges the need for truth-telling and deep listening, the central role that Language plays in connecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People with Culture, Country, and Community, and the interwoven nature of health, and social and emotional wellbeing. We recognise that the Traditional Owners of the Lands across Australia have been here since time immemorial, and that their sovereignty over this land, was never ceded.

Free access to transcripts, as well as a full list of resources and references for this podcast, is 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 speakuppodcast@speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

Disclaimer: © (2026) 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 speak with Dr Emma Kate Thome from Boys Town National Research Hospital in the USA about identifying and managing pseudoscientific practices in speech pathology. Dr Thome shares what pseudoscience is, why it can be appealing to both practitioners and service users, and the real-world risks it poses to evidence-based care.

For access to the STOP scale, contact Dr Thome at: emmakate.thome@boystown.org

Resources:
Thome, E.K., Finn, P. (2026). Developing and validating the Susceptibility to Pseudoscience Scale. AJSLP 35(1), 317-339. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_AJSLP-25-00166
Thome, E.K., Finn, P., Hogan, M., Dwyer, C.P. (2025). Cultivating the critical thinking dispositions of undergraduate speech-language pathology students. AJSLP 34(3), 1289-1370. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_AJSLP-24-00165

SPA resources:
Evidence-based practice in speech pathology in Australia: https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/resource?resource=407
Speak Up podcast. S6E1: Supervision - Supporting critical-thinking: https://soundcloud.com/speechpathologyaustralia/supervision-supporting-critical-thinking-and-problem-solving-skills-s06e01

Speech Pathology Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of lands, seas and waters throughout Australia, and offers our respect to Elders, across all times and places. The Speak Up podcast recognises the central role of yarning and oral storytelling in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, how this translates to knowledge translation, and that colonisation has interrupted these practices of Language and knowledge sharing. The Speak Up podcast acknowledges the need for truth-telling and deep listening, the central role that Language plays in connecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People with Culture, Country, and Community, and the interwoven nature of health, and social and emotional wellbeing. We recognise that the Traditional Owners of the Lands across Australia have been here since time immemorial, and that their sovereignty over this land, 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 speakuppodcast@speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

Speech Pathology Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of lands, seas and waters throughout Australia, and offers our respect to Elders, across all times and places. The Speak Up podcast recognises the central role of yarning and oral storytelling in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, how this translates to knowledge translation, and that colonisation has interrupted these practices of Language and knowledge sharing. The Speak Up podcast acknowledges the need for truth-telling and deep listening, the central role that Language plays in connecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People with Culture, Country, and Community, and the interwoven nature of health, and social and emotional wellbeing. We recognise that the Traditional Owners of the Lands across Australia have been here since time immemorial, and that their sovereignty over this land, 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 speakuppodcast@speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

In this week’s episode, we celebrate National Reconciliation Week with a conversation led by SPA’s First Nations Lead, proud Wonnarua woman Nikita Austin. Joining Nikita are Bronte Ramm, a proud Murri woman, speech pathologist and counsellor, and Olivia Coe Fox, a proud Wiradjuri woman, aspiring teacher, and the first person to sing in an Aboriginal language on The Voice Australia. Olivia, Bronte and Nikita discuss the importance of engaging with Community, and that individual actions can have meaningful impacts in preserving First Nations Languages.

Speech Pathology Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of lands, seas and waters throughout Australia, and offers our respect to Elders, across all times and places. The Speak Up podcast recognises the central role of yarning and oral storytelling in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, how this translates to knowledge translation, and that colonisation has interrupted these practices of Language and knowledge sharing. The Speak Up podcast acknowledges the need for truth-telling and deep listening, the central role that Language plays in connecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People with Culture, Country, and Community, and the interwoven nature of health, and social and emotional wellbeing. We recognise that the Traditional Owners of the Lands across Australia have been here since time immemorial, and that their sovereignty over this land, was never ceded.

Free access to transcripts, as well as a full list of resources and references for this podcast, is 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 speakuppodcast@speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

Disclaimer: © (2026) 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, Liz Bell and Dr Rosemary Hodges speak with guest host Olivia Parkinson, about delivering supports in therapeutic blocks. Rosie and Liz, discuss some of the enables and barriers to shifting to a model of therapy blocks, as well as some of the benefits they have encountered. Liz and Rosie also discuss how to select, or design PROMs to most accurately measure and report the progress that has been made in this block.

Resources:
Baker, E., Masso, S., Huynh, K., & Sugden, E. (2022). Optimizing Outcomes for Children With Phonological Impairment: A Systematic Search and Review of Outcome and Experience Measures Reported in Intervention Research. Language, speech, and hearing services in schools, 53(3), 732–748. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_LSHSS-21-00132

CUBED assessment overview: https://languagedynamicsgroup.com/cubed-overview/

Therapy Plan template: https://wssp.com.au/product/therapy-plan-template/

E4BP article: https://tlr-hub.asha.org/conducting-and-reporting-of-research/from-triangle-to-diamond-recognizing-and-using-data-to-inform-our-evidence-based-practice/

SPA resources:
EBP position statement: https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/resource?resource=407

Speech Pathology Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of lands, seas and waters throughout Australia, and offers our respect to Elders, across all times and places. The Speak Up podcast recognises the central role of yarning and oral storytelling in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, how this translates to knowledge translation, and that colonisation has interrupted these practices of Language and knowledge sharing. The Speak Up podcast acknowledges the need for truth-telling and deep listening, the central role that Language plays in connecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People with Culture, Country, and Community, and the interwoven nature of health, and social and emotional wellbeing. We recognise that the Traditional Owners of the Lands across Australia have been here since time immemorial, and that their sovereignty over this land, 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 speakuppodcast@speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

Disclaimer: © (2026) 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.