April feature stories

Early Years resource is professional collaboration at its best

The Communication Practice Guide provides scenarios and learning activities to support engagement with key concepts of the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF), in particular the Learning and Development Outcome 'Children are effective communicators'.

The guide is designed to help educators better understand the trajectory of communication skill development and highlight the importance of communication in enabling children to access and participate meaningfully in a diverse range of learning opportunities. It supports educators to understand that the observational data they hold about a young child's communication skill development is meaningful and valuable assessment data.

Mary Gornik, Senior Advisor Education, Early Childhood and Projects, Speech Pathology Australia, spoke to the VCAA about the Communication Practice Guide.

The Communication Practice Guide is written for early childhood educators. How could speech pathologists use it in an early childhood setting?

Speech Pathology Australia has advised speech pathologists working in early childhood education in Victoria that the guide will help them to develop an understanding of the application of the VEYLDF Practice Principles. It would also be a dynamic resource to support educators to understand developmental expectations, the focus of observations and ways to engage families when there is an identified concern about a child.

The Communication Practice Guide is also a helpful reference following the speech pathology assessment of a child. The speech pathologist can refer the educator to a similar scenario, or read and discuss the scenario together to support a common understanding of the rationale for the chosen approach. Speech pathologists can also refer to the guide when writing the recommendations section of a child's speech pathology report.

What is the relevance of the Communication Practice Guide to educators of children from birth to eight years?

Speech Pathology Australia views the guide as a unique and engaging resource that will support educators of children from birth to eight years of age to identify children with communication difficulties as early as possible. The practice guide will also support educators to include and encourage families to seek speech pathology support in all the varied ways that this can occur, thereby providing every child with the best opportunity to reach their potential.

The Communication Practice Guide is a powerful example of professional collaboration at its best. The language used in the guide bridges educator and speech pathology professional groups. Educators and speech pathologists will be able to identify with the concepts and scenarios portrayed.

What resources does Speech Pathology Australia produce for schools and early childhood educators?

Speech Pathology Australia publishes a number of free resources for early childhood educators. Fact sheets on the following topics are published on the Speech Pathology Australia website: communication milestones (birth to five years), stuttering, helping babies to talk, the sound of speech from birth to three years, preschool and school-aged children, autism spectrum disorder and literacy. For speech pathologists working in schools, there is also an online Speech Pathology in Schools resource, and a position statement for the general public Speech Pathology Services in Schools.

In April 2019 Speech Pathology Australia will launch a whole-school approach video resource, which showcases the positive impact of a collaborative relationship between educators and speech pathologists. It includes examples from government schools in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. Later in the year, Speech Pathology Australia will publish its Speech Pathology in Early Childhood and Care resource for speech pathologists.

Additional information

Download (pdf - 419.55kb) the Communication Practice Guide or contact the VCAA Early Years unit to order a printed copy: veyldf@edumail.vic.gov.au. Visit Speech Pathology Australia for its free online resources.