• A leading Charles Sturt University speech and language acquisition expert advocated for communication for all at the recent 74th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific
• Professor Sharynne McLeod spoke as a representative of the University and the International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders (IALP)
• Communication disability has a high prevalence and for most is an invisible disability and rarely has a known biological cause

A leading Charles Sturt University speech and language acquisition expert submitted two interventions at a World Health Organization (WHO) international forum in Manila, the Philippines.

Charles Sturt Professor of Speech and Language Acquisition Sharynne McLeod (pictured) in the Charles Sturt School of Education attended the recent 74th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific as a representative of the University and the International Association of  Communication Sciences and Disorders (IALP) and Charles Sturt University.

Professor McLeod submitted two interventions for consideration by the assembly – Agenda Item 13 ‘Communication for Health’ and Agenda Item 14 ‘Health Workforce’.

She said the worldwide IALP organisation brings together professionals and scientists in communication, voice, speech-language pathology, audiology and swallowing from more than 50 professional societies. Its mission is to improve the quality of life of individuals with disorders of communication, speech, language, voice, hearing and swallowing.

Speaking to ‘Communication for Health’, Professor McLeod said, “Communication disability has a high prevalence and for most, communication disability is an invisible disability. Most people with communication disability do not have a known biological cause.”

She noted:

• People with communication disability include at least 8 per cent of children who start school with developmental language disorder (DLD) or speech sound disorder (SSD); 5 per cent of individuals who will stutter sometime in their life, and many people with voice disorders.

• Some people with communication disability also have hearing loss, developmental disability, cerebral palsy, cleft palate, or autism.

• 33 per cent of those who have a stroke and more than 50 per cent of people with neurological difficulties (e.g. motor neurone disease, Parkinson’s disease) will have long-term difficulties communicating.

“Communication specialists, including speech-language pathologists, have significant evidence-based strategies to support ‘Communication for Health’ for people with communication disability,” Professor McLeod said.

When addressing both Agenda issues Professor McLeod highlighted that to celebrate its 100th anniversary, IALP has published a book, The Unserved: Addressing the Needs of those with Communication Disorders (Levey & Enderby, 2023). This 142-page book will be available for free on the new IALP website, once completed.

Speaking to the issue of the health workforce (Agenda item 14), Professor McLeod said The Unserved offers strategies to address communication and swallowing disability that affects many areas of everyday life, and which are exacerbated by lack of adequate health, education and social services.

Professor McLeod noted one chapter describes the recent establishment of the speech and language therapy profession in Vietnam, including the systematic upskilling of the Vietnamese workforce and the development of the new master’s and bachelor’s programs in speech and language therapy across the country.

“The model could be used in other countries, such as Fiji and other Pacific nations, that do not currently have a speech-language pathology workforce,” she said.

Professor McLeod also noted that in a special issue of the International Journal of Speech Pathology (IJSP, 2018, vol 20, issue 1) dedicated to addressing the United Nations’ agenda of ‘Communication is a Human Right’, at least four articles were authored or co-authored by Charles Sturt speech pathology academics.

Similarly, in the IJSP issue focused on ‘Communication, Swallowing and Sustainable Development Goals’ (2023, vol 25, issue 1) at least another four articles were authored or co-authored by Charles Sturt speech pathology academics and students.

The 74th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific session was held in Manila, the Philippines, from Monday 16 to Friday 20 October.

Learn more at Professor McLeod’s ‘Speaking my languages’ blog.