Evaluating the dose-response relationship of the number of sessions of "It Takes Two to Talk®" in young children with language delay.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the dose-response relationship between the number of It Takes Two to Talk® (ITTT) sessions attended and the language outcomes of young children with language delay and their parent's responsivity in a multicultural clinical population. METHOD: A clinical caseload of 273 early language delayed children (mean age 29.2 months, SD 7.8) and their families participated in parent group workshops and individual coaching sessions of the parent responsivity program ITTT. The children's vocabulary and early syntax, collected using the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories and mean length of the three longest utterances respectively, were collated from pre- and post-intervention from pre-existing clinical data. Parental responsivity was evaluated utilising the Parent-Child Interaction checklist at three time points. Multilevel regression was used to determine the relationship between the number of sessions attended and outcomes, while accounting for covariates such as age and language spoken. RESULT: ITTT dosage did not predict child language outcomes. Rather, vocabulary and early syntax outcomes were predicted by age, pre-scores and parent responsivity at the beginning of treatment. A higher dosage of ITTT did however positively predict parent responsivity, as did speaking only English at home. Socioeconomic status, gender and presence of receptive language difficulties did not contribute significantly to either child or parent outcomes. CONCLUSION: A lower dosage of the intervention may be considered for parents and children with fewer known risk factors without significant implications.

Watch me grow integrated (WMG-I): protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial of a web-based surveillance approach for developmental screening in primary care settings.

INTRODUCTION: The increasing prevalence of developmental disorders in early childhood poses a significant global health burden. Early detection of developmental problems is vital to ensure timely access to early intervention, and universal developmental surveillance is recommended best practice for identifying issues. Despite this, there is currently considerable variation in developmental surveillance and screening between Australian states and territories and low rates of developmental screening uptake by parents. This study aims to evaluate an innovative web-based developmental surveillance programme and a sustainable approach to referral and care pathways, linking primary care general practice (GP) services that fall under federal policy responsibility and state government-funded child health services. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The proposed study describes a longitudinal cluster randomised controlled trial (c-RCT) comparing a 'Watch Me Grow Integrated' (WMG-I) approach for developmental screening, to Surveillance as Usual (SaU) in GPs. Forty practices will be recruited across New South Wales and Queensland, and randomly allocated into either the (1) WMG-I or (2) SaU group. A cohort of 2000 children will be recruited during their 18-month vaccination visit or opportunistic visit to GP. At the end of the c-RCT, a qualitative study using focus groups/interviews will evaluate parent and practitioner views of the WMG-I programme and inform national and state policy recommendations. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The South Western Sydney Local Health District (2020/ETH01625), UNSW Sydney (2020/ETH01625) and University of Queensland (2021/HE000667) Human Research Ethics Committees independently reviewed and approved this study. Findings will be reported to the funding bodies, study institutes and partners; families and peer-reviewed conferences/publications. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ANZCTR12621000680864.

A short-form version of the Australian English Communicative Development Inventory.

Purpose: The Australian English Communicative Development Inventory (OZI) is a 558-item parent report tool for assessing language development at 12-30 months. Here, we introduce the short form (OZI-SF), a 100-item, picture-supported, online instrument with substantially lower time and literacy demands.Method: In tool development (Study 1), 95 items were drawn from the OZI to match its item distribution by age of acquisition and semantic categories. Five items were added from four other semantic categories, plus 12 gestures and six games/routines. Simulations computed OZI-SF scores from existing long-form OZI norm data, and OZI and projected OZI-SF scores were correlated. In an independent norming sample (Study 2), parents (n = 230) completed the OZI-SF for their children aged 12-30 months. Child scores were analysed by age and sex.Result: OZI-SF and OZI scores correlate highly across age and language development levels. Vocabulary scores (receptive, expressive) correlate with age and the median for girls is higher until 24 months. By 24 months, 50% of the sample combine words "often". The median time to OZI-SF completion was 12 minutes.Conclusion: Fitted percentiles permit working guidelines for typical (median) performance and lower cut-offs for children who may be behind on age-based expectations and/or at risk for a communication difficulty. The OZI-SF is a short-form of the OZI that has promise for research and clinical/educational use with Australian families.

Clinical educators can supervise students without increased stress: a study of interacting factors using insights from complexity theory.

Supervising students in healthcare settings is complex and can be stressful for clinical educators. However, it is unclear how to design student placements without clinical educator stress. Using complexity theory as a lens, fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) was used to explore factors associated with no increased stress for clinical educators during speech pathology (SP) placements. Factor selection was informed by the Demand- Control- Support model and existing literature. No single factor was necessary for clinical educators to experience no increased stress. Varied combinations of all factors were found in 10 paths to no increased stress. These combinations often had passing student(s); however, multiple paths included other factors that could be adjusted by clinical educators prior to placement. For example, having more than one workday per week without students was a factor in four paths to no increased stress despite other potential challenges such as a higher caseload throughput. More experienced educators, who had other supporting factors (e.g. lower caseload throughput or workplace engagement such as support from colleagues and managers), also perceived no increased stress in four paths. Student placements without increased stress for clinical educators require consideration of multiple interacting factors. Principles of complexity theory provide insight into how clinical educators uniquely respond to their individual circumstances, resulting in different experiences of student placement impact even within similar workplaces. FsQCA has highlighted practical ways clinical educators supervise students without increased stress. However, any changes for an individual clinical educator need to be considered in combination with other factors given the complexity of clinical education and healthcare settings.

Influential factor combinations leading to language outcomes following a home visiting intervention: A qualitative comparative analysis (QCA).

BACKGROUND: Children who experience adversity are more vulnerable to language difficulties. Early interventions beginning antenatally, such as home visiting, are provided to help prevent these problems. To improve the precision of early interventions, the impact of combinations of risk and protective factors over time must be explored and understood. There is, however, limited research investigating how such factors interact with intervention to change language outcomes over time. AIM: To explore the different paths that lead to Good and Poor language in a cohort of children experiencing adversity whose mothers received an optimal dose of the Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home visiting (MECSH) intervention over 2.5 years. METHODS & PROCEDURES: A total of 24 low socioeconomic status (SES) mothers experiencing adversity and their children who received more than half the scheduled dose of the MECSH intervention were followed over time: from before birth to school entry. Data were extracted from surveys and direct measurement over the study course. Child language outcome at school entry and the influence of seven key child, maternal and environmental factors, which have been shown in previous research to result in Good and Poor language outcomes, were explored through qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). QCA is a qualitative analytical technique that provides a deeper understanding of factor combinations influencing language development. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: Multiple paths to Good (six paths) and Poor language (seven paths) were found. Paths with mostly protective factors resulted in Good language, except when maternal antenatal distress was present. Paths with two or more influential risks usually resulted in Poor language outcomes. When children experiencing adversity received the MECSH home visiting intervention, there was no one risk or protective factor necessary for Good or Poor language outcomes; however, there were clear patterns of factor combinations. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: Mothers' antenatal psychological resources were a flag for future language concerns which can be used to improve the precision of the MECSH intervention. They were highly influential to their children's Good and Poor language outcomes by 5 years, when over time they were combined with characteristics such as early childhood education, poor maternal responsivity and/or the number of children in the home. Knowledge of early conditions associated with later Poor language can help clinicians identify and respond in preventative and promoting ways to improve language skills. What this paper adds What is already known on the subject Children experiencing adversity are more vulnerable to language difficulties. Both risk for language difficulties and protection against them in this group are via a complex combination of factors. It is unknown how intervention works with these complex factors to result in Good and Poor language outcomes. What this paper adds to existing knowledge There are multiple paths to both Good and Poor language outcomes for children experiencing adversity. Mothers' psychological resources antenatally in combination with other key factors were particularly influential to Good and Poor language outcomes. What are the clinical implications of this work? In this study, maternal antenatal distress together with poor maternal responsivity were present in children's paths to Poor language outcomes at school entry. An extra focus on responsivity is required in antenatally distressed mothers of children experiencing adversity in early interventions. Children of mothers with good psychological resources antenatally who received home visiting intervention had Good language outcomes at 5 years when combined with 3 years or more of early childhood education and if there were one to two children in the home. Knowledge of these influences on language development can improve the precision of home visiting interventions and help clinicians tailor their visits to individual families' needs.

Paths to language development in at risk children: a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA).

BACKGROUND: Childhood language development is related to long term educational, employment, health and social outcomes. Previous research identifies a complex range of risk and protective factors which result in good and poor language outcomes for children, however children at risk are an underrepresented group in these studies. Our aim is to investigate the combinations of factors (paths) that result in good and poor language outcomes for a group of 5 year old children of mothers experiencing adversity. METHODS: This mixed methods study utilised longitudinal data from a randomised control trial of sustained home visiting (MECSH) to determine the language outcomes in at risk children. Mothers were randomly assigned to a comparison group at entry to the study (prior to child's birth). Their children who were retained at entry to school completed language assessments (n = 41) and were participants in this study. Influence of 13 key factors derived from the extant literature that impact language development were explored. Regression was used to determine the six key factors of influence and these were used in the Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). QCA was employed to examine the necessary and sufficient conditions and paths affecting language development linked to good and poor language outcomes. A post hoc analysis of the risk and protective paths to good and poor language outcomes was also conducted. RESULTS: Thirteen distinct pathways led to good language outcomes and four paths to poor language outcomes in five year old at risk children. A variety of condition combinations resulted in these outcomes, with maternal responsivity, toddler development and number of children in the home being key. High and low maternal education influenced both good and poor language development. CONCLUSIONS: The paths to good and poor language outcomes were different and complex. Most paths to a good language outcome involved protective factors, though not always. In addition, paths to poor language more often involved risk factors. The varied patterns of risk and protective factors point to the need for interventions across the first five years of life in both health and education for families which can respond to these risk and protective patterns. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The original RCT was retrospectively registered in the ANCTR: ACTRN12608000473369 .

Evidence-based practice self-efficacy of undergraduate speech pathology students following training.

AIM: The aims of this study were to determine the self-efficacy of speech pathology students in conducting evidence-based practice before and after a comprehensive evidence-based practice course, and the impact of timing of the course (Semester 1/2). METHOD: Students attended a 13-week course in their final year of study. The evidence-based practice confidence scale (EPIC) was used to measure the students' self-efficacy pre- and post-training. RESULTS: Ninety-two percent of students enrolled over six semesters participated. Students began the evidence-based practice course with high confidence in asking patients their preferences but low confidence in interpreting and analysing statistics. A significant improvement in confidence in all evidence-based practice areas was found, with greatest improvement occurring in the critical appraisal of research. Overall, the teaching had greatest effect on a group of skills for finding valid EBP information. There were significant differences between semester one and two students in only 18% of responses. Semester two students were more confident in half of these responses. CONCLUSIONS: An evidence-based practice course made a significant difference to student self-efficacy across all aspects, with few differences related to timing of the course. Implications are discussed. Implications for Rehabilitation Health professionals must be confident implementing evidence-based practice throughout the course of their careers, as best practice changes over time. A capstone unit of study/course for undergraduate speech pathology students significantly improved their self-efficacy in implementing evidence-based practice. This has positive implications for evidence-based practice across a wide range of clinical settings including rehabilitation and disability as the graduate entry level students enter the workforce. For on-going success, graduate entry level students must continue to implement evidence-based practice as clinicians if they are to maintain their confidence and further develop their skill set.

The effect of speech-language pathology students on clinician time use and activity.

PURPOSE: This prospective study investigated the impact of supervising students on public health speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) time and patient activity levels in order to broaden evidence in the profession. METHOD: Thirty-four SLPs supervising students collected data profiling their time use and activity during the first, middle and penultimate placement week. They also collected data for a week when not supervising students. Pre- and post-placement surveys were used to supplement quantitative data with additional information such as clinician and student experience levels. RESULT: Overall clinical time (face-to-face and indirect) and the number of patients seen neither increased nor decreased during student placements. However, clinicians' use of time altered across placement periods. For example, SLP time delivering clinical services decreased but time observing students providing clinical services increased as the placement progressed. Some differences in time spent in non-clinical activities (e.g. student teaching and SLP administration) were found. Comparing data from placements with varying supervision models or student competence level showed few significant differences in time use, activity or productivity. CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference in overall clinical time used, nor patient activity or productivity whether clinicians were supervising students or not. Further research is required within SLP services.

Health professional perceptions regarding screening tools for developmental surveillance for children in a multicultural part of Sydney, Australia.

BACKGROUND: Encouraging early child development and the early identification of developmental difficulties is a priority. The Ministry of Health in the Australian State of New South Wales (NSW), has recommended a program of developmental surveillance using validated screening questionnaires, namely, the Parents' Evaluation of Development Status (PEDS) and Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQs), however, the use of these tools has remained sub-optimal. A longitudinal prospective birth cohort "Watch Me grow" study was carried out in the South Western Sydney (SW) region of NSW to ascertain the uptake as well as the strategies and the resources required to maximise engagement in the surveillance program. This paper reports on a qualitative component of the study examining the attitudes, enablers and barriers to the current developmental surveillance practices, with reference to screening tools, amongst health professionals. METHODS: Qualitative data from 37 primary health care providers in a region of relative disadvantage in Sydney was analysed. RESULTS: The major themes that emerged from the data were the "difficulties/problems" and "positives/benefits" of surveillance in general, and "specificity" of the tools which were employed. Barriers of time, tool awareness, knowledge and access of referral pathways, and services were important for the physician providers, while the choice of screening tools and access to these tools in other languages were raised as important issues by Child and Family Health Nurses (CFHN). The use of these tools by health professionals was also influenced by what the professionals perceived as the parents' understanding of their child's development. While the PEDS and ASQs was utilised by CFHNs, both General Practitioners (GPs) and paediatricians commented that they lacked awareness of developmental screening tools and highlighted further training needs. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the practical challenges to, and limited knowledge and uptake of, the use of recommended screening tools as part of developmental surveillance. There is a need for further research regarding the most effective integrated models of care which will allow for a better collaboration between parents and service providers and improve information sharing between different professionals such as CFHNs GPs, Practices nurses and Paediatricians involved in screening and surveillance programs.

Explaining culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) parents' access of healthcare services for developmental surveillance and anticipatory guidance: qualitative findings from the 'Watch Me Grow' study.

BACKGROUND: Regular health visits for parents with young children provide an opportunity for developmental surveillance and anticipatory guidance regarding common childhood problems and help to achieve optimal developmental progress prior to school entry. However, there are few published reports from Australian culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities exploring parents' experiences for accessing child health surveillance programs. This paper aims to describe and explain parental experiences for accessing developmental surveillance and anticipatory guidance for children. METHODS: Qualitative data was obtained from 6 focus groups (33 parents) and seven in-depth interviews of CALD parents recruited from an area of relative disadvantage in Sydney. Thematic analysis of data was conducted using an ecological framework. RESULTS: An overarching theme of "awareness-beliefs-choices" was found to explain parents' experiences of accessing primary health care services for children. "Awareness" situated within the meso-and macro-systems explained parents knowledge of where and what primary health services were available to access for their children. Opportunities for families to obtain this information existed at the time of birth in Australian hospitals, but for newly arrived immigrants with young children, community linkages with family and friends, and general practitioner (GPs) were most important. "Beliefs" situated within the microsystems included parents' understanding of their children's development, in particular what they considered to be "normal" or "abnormal". Parental "choices", situated within meso-systems and chronosystems, related to their choices of service providers, which were based on the proximity, continuity, purpose of visit, language spoken by the provider and past experience of a service. CONCLUSIONS: CALD parents have diverse experiences with primary health care providers which are influenced by their awareness of available services in the context of their duration of stay in Australia. The role of the general practitioner, with language concordance, suggests the importance of diversity within the primary care health workforce in this region. There is a need for ongoing cultural competence training of health professionals and provisions need to be made to support frequent use of interpreters at general practices in Australia.

Who is our cohort: recruitment, representativeness, baseline risk and retention in the "Watch Me Grow" study?

BACKGROUND: The "Watch Me Grow" (WMG) study examines the current developmental surveillance system in South West Sydney. This paper describes the establishment of the study birth cohort, including the recruitment processes, representativeness, follow-up and participants' baseline risk for future developmental risk. METHODS: Newborn infants and their parents were recruited from two public hospital postnatal wards and through child health nurses during the years 2011-2013. Data was obtained through a detailed participant questionnaire and linked with the participant's electronic medical record (EMR). Representativeness was determined by Chi-square analyses of the available clinical, psychosocial and sociodemographic EMR data, comparing the WMG participants to eligible non-participants. Reasons for non-participation were also elicited. Participant characteristics were examined in six, 12, and 18-month follow-ups. RESULTS: The number of infants recruited totalled 2,025, with 50 % of those approached agreeing to participate. Reasons for parents not participating included: lack of interest, being too busy, having plans to relocate, language barriers, participation in other research projects, and privacy concerns. The WMG cohort was broadly representative of the culturally diverse and socially disadvantaged local population from which it was sampled. Of the original 2025 participants enrolled at birth, participants with PEDS outcome data available at follow-up were: 792 (39 %) at six months, 649 (32 %) at 12 months, and 565 (28 %) at 18 months. Participants with greater psychosocial risk were less likely to have follow-up outcome data. Almost 40 % of infants in the baseline cohort were exposed to at least two risk factors known to be associated with developmental risk. CONCLUSIONS: The WMG study birth cohort is a valuable resource for health services due to the inclusion of participants from vulnerable populations, despite there being challenges in being able to actively follow-up this population.

Prevalence and determinants of cessation of exclusive breastfeeding in the early postnatal period in Sydney, Australia.

BACKGROUND: Optimal breastfeeding has benefits for the mother-infant dyads. This study investigated the prevalence and determinants of cessation of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) in the early postnatal period in a culturally and linguistically diverse population in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. METHODS: The study used routinely collected perinatal data on all live births in 2014 (N = 17,564) in public health facilities in two Local Health Districts in Sydney, Australia. The prevalence of mother's breastfeeding intention, skin-to-skin contact, EBF at birth, discharge and early postnatal period (1-4 weeks postnatal) were estimated. Multivariate logistic regression models that adjusted for confounders were conducted to determine association between cessation of EBF in the early postnatal period and socio-demographic, psychosocial and health service factors. RESULTS: Most mothers intended to breastfeed (92%), practiced skin-to-skin contact (81%), exclusively breastfed  at delivery (90%) and discharge (89%). However, the prevalence of EBF declined (by 27%) at the early postnatal period (62%). Younger mothers (<20 years) and mothers who smoked cigarettes in pregnancy were more likely to cease EBF in the early postnatal period compared to older mothers (20-39 years) and those who reported not smoking cigarettes, respectively [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) =2.7, 95%CI 1.9-3.8, P <0.001 and AOR = 2.5, 95%CI 2.1-3.0, P <0.001, respectively]. Intimate partner violence, assisted delivery, low socio-economic status, pre-existing maternal health problems and a lack of partner support were also associated with early cessation of EBF in the postnatal period. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that while most mothers intend to breastfeed, and commence EBF at delivery and at discharge, the maintenance of EBF in the early postnatal period is sub-optimal. This highlights the need for efforts to promote breastfeeding in the wider community along with targeted actions for disadvantaged groups and those identified to be at risk of early cessation of EBF to maximise impact.

How do primary health-care practitioners identify and manage communication impairments in preschool children?

Communication impairments (CIs) in preschool children are common and can have long-term adverse consequences if not detected and treated early. This study investigated the knowledge, training and practice of primary health-care practitioners in the identification and management of CIs in preschool-aged children. A cross-sectional survey of 277 primary health-care practitioners in the Inner West and South West Sydney was undertaken. The majority of practitioners surveyed understood the importance of early identification of CIs. Eight per cent ofpractitioners correctly identified all of the 'red flags' for verbal and non-verbal communication. The majority (80%) correctly described the management of a typical case presentation. Two-thirds of practitioners reported using a tool in their practice for developmental surveillance, but the quality of surveillance tools was variable. One-third felt their training in this area was poor and 90% indicated they would like further training. Barriers to referral included waiting times, availability and cost of services. We concluded that primary health-care practitioners are aware that CIs are significant and they need to be identified early. There are opportunities for further training and promoting high-quality developmental surveillance in primary care. In addition, there are broader health system issues that include promotion of an integrated response to the detection and management of CIs.