Please see below some of the projects ACS has been involved in
Motor Speech Program
Over the Last 6 months our director Jan Mackey and one of our speech pathologist Ellen Hall have been facilitating and supervising our motor speech program. Within the program Masters of Speech Pathology students have been undertaking an intensive motivation and motor speech program that helps facilitate their understanding of complex motor communication disorders and individuals with acquired brain injuries. Several of our clients have participated in the program and have found it engaging and helpful. Under the supervision of Ellen, the students are doing an amazing job engaging with our clients in this group program.
Grace Scheiner’s research and conference presentations.
Last year Grace Scheiner and Helen McCulloch presented at the Agosci Conference. They spoke on the unexpected benefits of telehealth and supporting the AAC Journey: a framework.
Grace will also be presenting twice at the Cognitive Communication Disorder (CCD) Symposium in Manchester 2023. SHe will be speaking on two key ideas; Supporting individuals with CCDs from the justice system into community living and Supporting individuals with CCDs through the AAC journey
Moreover, she co-authored the journal paper with Helen and Jan - Speech Pathologists' perspectives on the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication Devices with people with Acquired Brain Injury, and Reflections from Lived Experience.
SPA Conference 2023 Presentations
Several of our Speech pathologist’s attended and presented at the 2023 Speech Pathology Australia Conference in Hobart. Ellen Hall and our director Jan Mackey presented on Motivation as the missing link in Dysarthria Therapy. In additon, Jan made a presentation on Speech Pathologsits’ perspectives on Argumentative & Alternative Communication Devices with people with Aquired Brain Injuries. In collaboration with Jan, Helen McCulloch, Grace Scheiner, Anj barker and Libby Callaway.
Speech Pathology Tools and Research:
Dog therapy:
While dogs are known to be great everyday companions and pets, recent case studies have illustrated that dogs may also have a significant benefit for communication and social interactions in individuals with communication deficits. Dogs can understand and connect with human communications – both verbal and nonverbal. In addition to this, they may be viewed as brilliant empathetic listeners to those who feel isolated in the community due to their communication struggles. Research has illustrated that Animal Assisted Therapy may promote both overt social-verbal and social-nonverbal communication, ultimately aiding clients to achieve their communication goals. Dogs may increase social prospects for clients and increase their feelings of security in the community. Through this, Animal Assisted Therapy may support clients’ emotional encounters and enrich their everyday lives by aiding societal participation. Here at ACS, we are starting to explore how we can apply some of the research around the benefits of Animal Assisted Communication Therapy and our clients may get to meet our favourite four legged companions!
Rebecca Billington-Kerr’s Presentations
Becky presented to community support group ParKanDo for people with Parkinson’s disease in August last year (2022). In additon, She also Presented at SPA conference in May last year, 2022 on use of EMST with clients with ABI in the community setting.
My Support Space & My Allied Health Space
Jan Mackey (director and speech pathologist) collaborated on the development of online training resources called my support space. My Support Space is an online resource which offers free education and information resources for disability support workers, health professional students and graduates, and Allied Health Assistants working with people with acquired brain injury (ABI) within supported living environments. The resource was developed by a project team from Monash University, in partnership with people with lived experience of ABI and a range of community health professional and disability service organisations. This project was funded through the Innovative Workforce Fund from the Department of Social Services, managed by National Disability Services. This project had important and powerful initiatives that support a better life for hundreds of thousands of Australians with a significant and permanent disability and their families and carers - and strengthen the workforce providing support to them - within the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Jan also collaborated on the development of an online resource called My Allied Health Space. This resource aims to develop the skills and knowledge of allied health professionals to respond to the goals and support needs of people with disability and complex support needs.
Communicate With Confidence
Communicate With Confidence is based on work by Sue Sloan, Neuropsychologist and Jan Mackey, Speech Pathologist. The program aims to enage with clients and improve their communciation skills. Particpants could expect to learn more about your own communication styles and improve skills such as:
listening
Talking
Greeting and Partings
assertiveness
Making new social connections
teamwork/leadership
Rebekah and Paul’s video for Speech Pathology Australia Week 2023
This short film can be viewed via our Instagram - @appliedcommunicationskills. A small snippet of it can also be found @speechpathologyaus on instagram and on their website
Beyond the Impact- Paul’s Recovery Story
Episode 2: Food Glorious Food.
Within this episode Paul sits down with one of our lovely Speech Pathologists Rebekah. As they explore what it was like for Paul to learn how to talk and eat again. ACS is so honoured to work alongside clients like Paul. A story filled with hope and determination, Paul’s podcast is a positive insight into adapting to life after injury and truly highlights the importance of care.
Please find the link to Pauls Podcast, Beyond the impact here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3PB5MYNl01lrQCbLLYF3wc
Courtney Pell’s Presentation - SPA conference 2022
Deborah Mylne Journal Article
The following images further exhibt some of the projects and research that our Principal Speech Pathologist Jan Mackey has conducted in recent years.
Jan Mackey further research and projects:
Callaway, L., Sloan, S., Mackey, J., Gee, E., Morgan, P., Farnworth, L., Yu, M., Pope, K., & Francis- Cracknell, A. Building direct support and health professional workforce capacity: Embedded and digital workforce training in Specialist Disability Accommodation. National Disability Insurance Scheme Innovative Workforce Fund Grant, Department of Social Services
Callaway, L., Morgan, P., Bould, E., Pope, K., Francis-Cracknell, A., Dixon, K., Sloan, S., & Mackey, J. Innovative workforce growth in thin markets – piloting use of mixed digital and face-to-face workforce development to scale capacity building supports with NDIS participants in Tasmania. National Disability Insurance Scheme Jobs and Market Grant, Department of Social Services
Monash University Deans award and VC award for My Allied Health Space