The dedication of a Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic to improve the speech and language development of people, particularly children, from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds around the world has been honoured.

 

Professor Sharynne McLeod, from the School of Teacher Education at CSU at Bathurst has been selected by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) as a Diversity Champion for 2009.

 

A highlight of her work and contribution to her profession as a speech pathologist was the development of a unique resource guide for people working with children from a wide variety of language backgrounds.

 

In a project involving 72 international researchers, Professor McLeod initiated and co-ordinated an analysis of speech acquisition of 12 English dialects and 24 other languages, ranging from Arabic to Cantonese, Finnish, Sesotho and Zapotec. The project resulted in a 634 page book in 2007, The international guide to speech acquisition.

 

This comprehensive resource guide assists speech pathologists as well as teachers to identify children who are having speech difficulties, and provides age-appropriate prevention and intervention targets based on children's linguistic backgrounds.

 

Professor McLeod has also demonstrated her commitment to cultural and linguistic diversity as:  

In 2008, Professor McLeod was recognised for her contributions to her chosen profession by becoming one of only three international affiliates elected a Fellow of ASHA. Read more here.  

 

The ASHA is the professional and scientific association for over 135 000 members and affiliates who are audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language and hearing scientists.

 

As Professor of Speech and Language Acquisition, Sharynne McLeod received her award at the 2009 ASHA Convention in New Orleans in the United States from Thursday 19 November to Saturday 21 November.

 

As a 2009 Diversity Champion, Professor McLeod also featured on a Wall of Fame display in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Centre throughout the annual ASHA Convention.

 

“My research is grounded in my strong belief of the right of everyone, particularly children, to participate fully in society,” said Professor McLeod whose research focuses on the acquisition of speech by children.

 

In September this year, Professor McLeod was named as an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow by the Federal Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, the Hon. Senator Kim Carr. She was awarded the prestigious Fellowship to work on her project, Speaking my language: International speech acquisition in Australia.  Read more here.

 

She is a member of the University’s Strategic Research Centre, the Research Institute for Professional Practice, Learning and Education or RIPPLE.

 

Professor McLeod presented and co-presented three papers at the AHSA conference in the United States. Her topics included: Clinical Tools for Representing Speech Productions: Transcription and Beyond; Teaching Speech Sound Disorders: Keeping Up With Research and Reality; and The Experience of Everyday Life for Children With Speech Impairment.

 

Read more about the ASHA here.