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Consistency of word production contributes to carers' ability to understand children's speech. Reports of the proportion of words produced consistently by typically developing preschool children, however, vary widely from 17% to 87%. This paper examines the quantitative (consistency count) and qualitative (e.g. phonemic analysis) characteristics of word consistency in 96 children aged 36–60 months. Children named 15 pictures twice, in separate trials, in the same assessment session. The mean consistency of the production for the whole group was 82%. Older children were more consistent than younger children. Girls were more consistent than boys. Words produced correctly in one trial and in error in another may indicate resolving error patterns. Words produced in error in two different ways provided useful evidence about the nature of inconsistent word production in typically developing children. The clinical and theoretical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Foundations of Early Literacy Assessment – Northern Territory (FELA-NT) was funded, developed, and implemented as part of a strategy designed to address the English literacy learning needs of the Northern Territory's Aboriginal student population. In this paper we question whether the FELA-NT English literacy learning benchmarks are representative of remote and very remote Aboriginal students since many speak English as an Additional Language (EAL) or Dialect (EAD). Using a new data set of scores from 72 Aboriginal students from remote, very remote, and outer-regional communities on the FELA-NT, we demonstrate that it is the student's experience with Standard Australian English, not their remoteness, that impacts their early literacy development. We use this example to illustrate how current practices and policies homogenise the Australian Aboriginal student population, silencing linguistic diversity in the process. We call for clinical practitioners and educators to shift their practices to assessments and tools that recognise children and youths' diverse linguistic skills and pathways. We talk about what empowerment, participation, and inclusion might really mean in current Australian educational and clinical contexts. We argue here that we need to fundamentally rethink how we work with children with diverse language and literacy knowledge, skills, and backgrounds if we are to reduce inequalities (SDG 10), honour quality education (SDG 4), and support sustainable communities (SDG 11). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate determinants of willingness to adopt telerehabilitation, willingness of technology use, core affect regarding using telerehabilitation, and digital competencies in rehabilitation professionals in Austria and Germany before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional paper-based and online survey was conducted before and during COVID-19, respectively, with three cohorts of rehabilitation professionals. Outcomes were the willingness to adopt telerehabilitation evaluated using the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology; willingness of technology use using the short scale for assessing the willingness of technology use; digital competencies and core affect using the Digital Competence Framework and semantic differential, respectively. Multivariate ordinal regression analysis was performed to determine predictors. Included were 603 rehabilitation professionals. Analysis revealed differences between Austria and Germany and before and during the pandemic for most outcomes. German residency, the pandemic, and a higher educational level were most important predictors of higher willingness to adopt telerehabilitation, willingness of technology use, digital competencies, and positive core affect. The pandemic increased most aspects of willingness to adopt telerehabilitation, willingness of technology use, digital competencies, and positive core affect. Results confirm that rehabilitation professionals with higher degrees are more prone to adopt innovations in healthcare.Registration: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00021464) The willingness to adopt telerehabilitation is associated with external factors increasing the need for alternative rehabilitation delivery, such as COVID-19, and with financial facilitators, such as reimbursement. As the willingness to adopt telerehabilitation is higher among speech and language therapists and dietitians, efforts are necessary to enhance its use in physiotherapists and occupational therapists. As a higher willingness to adopt telerehabilitation was observed in younger rehabilitation professionals and those with higher education, increasing the importance of telerehabilitation in education curricula and further knowledge transfer into practice for those already working in the field seems necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the associations between different types of social capital and other measures including wellbeing, school connectedness, and pragmatic language. Seventeen adolescents who were deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) from Australia and the United Kingdom completed an online survey and their results were analysed to answer research questions relating to: social capital formation in adolescents who are DHH; associations between social capital, wellbeing, pragmatics, and school connectedness; and the role of identity in social capital formation. Statistical analyses were completed to determine: bivariate correlations between variables; significant differences between the types of social capital measured; and significant differences in social capital according to identity group. Results indicate that overall, adolescents had higher Offline social capital compared to Online social capital, and higher Family social capital in comparison to Peer and Institutional social capital. Additionally, all social capital except Online social capital had strong associations with wellbeing and school connectedness measures. Students who identified as deaf had statistically significant lower levels of social capital than those who identified as hard of hearing or hearing impaired, and bicultural; however, this result may be due to the composition of this small sample. This study indicates that social capital is associated with higher levels of wellbeing and school connectedness and demonstrates that school experiences play an important role in the formation of social capital for students who are DHH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While educators, curriculum authors and policy makers alike are influenced by assumptions about parents' dis/approval of gender and sexuality diversity, both generally, as well as specifically in relation to this topic's appropriateness for K-12 classrooms, little empirical data is available to support these assumptions. What data does exist suggests that parents generally support the implementation of a comprehensive sexuality curriculum, inclusive of same-sex attraction, and view sexuality education as a school-parent partnership. Surveying a sample of Australian parents of children attending a government (public) school (N = 2093), whose responses were weighted to produce nationally representative estimates, this study sought to expand on previous findings by exploring the complexities of parents' attitudes in relation to gender and sexuality diversity and its place within relationships and sexual health education. This paper provides a descriptive overview of parents' ideas about the purpose of relationships and sexual health education and their views on the importance of including gender and sexuality diversity-inclusive content within related curriculum areas. Notably, over 80% of parents supported the inclusion of gender and sexuality diversity-inclusive relationships and sexual health education topics across primary and secondary government schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluate accessibility, effectiveness, acceptability and efficiency of a student- assisted teleaudiology model of care in a regional hospital in Queensland, Australia. Prospective mixed method service evaluation study. Demographic, service and satisfaction data were collected from 233 patients (children aged ≥5 and adults) who received teleaudiology assessment. Satisfaction data was collected from 27 hospital clinic staff (medical, nursing and clinic assistants) and 28 university audiology clinical educator participants. Experience and satisfaction data were collected from 16 teleaudiology clinic university students. Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS software. Qualitative data were analysed using inductive content analysis. Following introduction of the teleaudiology service in 2017 and evaluation during the first 6 months, 95% of patients were able to access audiology assessments on the same day as their Ear, Nose and Throat appointments. New referrals to the service were seen within a month. The audiology assessment battery was completed 95% of the time within an average of 33 minutes by the end of the study period. Patients, hospital and university staff and students reported high satisfaction with their experiences of teleaudiology, including its convenience and efficiency. A student-assisted teleaudiology model of care can deliver accessible, effective, and efficient services with high levels of satisfaction by participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is building evidence that oesophageal screening (OS) should be considered a critical component of videofluoroscopic swallow studies (VFSS). This study surveyed Australian speech-language pathologists (SLPs) regarding current practices and perceptions of OS in VFSS. A 16–24 item online survey was distributed to Australian SLPs via relevant email forums. One response per site was requested. Survey questions explored experience and training in VFSS, skill and confidence with OS, OS protocol use, and pathways following OS. One hundred and one SLPs across all Australian states and territories responded, with 70% (n = 69/99) from metropolitan hospitals and 74% (n = 75/101) having more than five years' VFSS experience. While 69% (n = 70/101) of SLPs conducted OS, only half (n = 35/70) conducted OS routinely, and only 4% (n = 3/70) always used published OS protocols. Barriers to OS, for some participants, were concerns about scope of practice and confidence. This study confirms higher levels of OS in Australia compared to similar international surveys and provides rich data on the Australian context. Prescriptive clinical guidelines for OS, consensus regarding a preferred OS protocol, and specific OS training may clarify SLP scope of practice and improve SLP confidence and standardisation in OS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) face challenges in transcription and diagnosis of speech sound disorders (SSD) in multilingual children due to ambient language influences and cross-linguistic transfer. The VietSpeech Multilingual Transcription Protocol, a 4-step process to undertake impressionistic transcription of multilingual speech was tested using data from Vietnamese-Australian children (n = 69) and adult family members (n = 85). The transcription team included an English-speaking SLP, a Vietnamese-English-speaking linguist and accredited interpreter, and two Vietnamese-English-speaking SLPs. (1) Training: The team completed training together in Vietnamese and English phonology. (2) Speech assessment: The participants were assessed using the Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology (DEAP) in English and the Vietnamese Speech Assessment (VSA). (3) Transcription comparison: Inter-rater reliability for 10 children and 12 adults was calculated using consonant-by-consonant agreement. For English the 3-way inter-rater agreement was 92.62% for children and 88.69% for adults. For Vietnamese the 4-way inter-rater agreement was 86.57% for children and 96.05% for adults. There was a significant correlation between speech accuracy and inter-rater reliability for children's consonants in English (r = 0.95) and Vietnamese (r = 0.91), and adults' consonants in English (r = 0.90), but not for Vietnamese (r = 0.49). Reliability was influenced by phoneme class and whether the target consonant was shared between languages. (4) Rule generation and consensus: Rules based on near functional equivalence were implemented to maintain consistency and reach consensus. SLPs who do not speak clients' home languages can be supported to transcribe multilingual speech by working with multilingual teams, and understanding personal limitations during multilingual speech assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the effect, usage, and user-experience for SayBananas!, a Mario-style mobile game providing Australian children access to high-dose individualised speech therapy practice. Participants were 45 rural Australian children with speech sound disorders (SSD; 4;4–10;5 years) with internet access. This mixed-methods study involved: (a) recruitment, (b) eligibility screening, (c) questionnaire, (d) online pre-assessment, (e) SayBananas! intervention using motor learning principles (4 weeks, 10–15 target words), and (f) online post-assessment and interview. Usage and performance were automatically monitored. Most participants were highly engaged with SayBananas! completing a median of 44.71 trials/session (∼45% of the 100 trial/session target, range 7–194). After intervention, participants made significant gains on treated words and on formal assessment of percentage of consonants, vowels, and phonemes correct. There was no reliable change for parent-rated intelligibility or children's feelings about talking. The number of practice sessions was significantly correlated with percent change on treated words. On average, children rated the app as "happy/good/fun" providing detailed drawings of playing SayBananas!. Families provided high ratings of engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and quality. SayBananas! is a viable and engaging solution for rural Australian children with SSD to gain access to equitable, cost-effective speech practice. The amount of app use was associated with amount of speech production improvement over a 4-week period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding users' individual differences may provide clues to help identify computer users who are prone to act insecurely. We examine factors that impact home users' reported computer security behaviour. We conducted two online surveys with a total of 650 participants to investigate the relationship between self-reported security behaviour and users' knowledge, motivation, confidence, risk propensity and sex-typed characteristics. We found that all of these factors impacted security behaviour, with knowledge as the most important predictor. We further show that a user's affinity to feminine or masculine characteristics is a better determinant of security behaviour than using binary male/female descriptors. Our study enabled us to confirm earlier results in the literature in a non-organisational setting, and to extend the literature by studying additional factors and by comparing the relative importance of each factor as a predictor of security behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on the findings of a quantitative online survey investigating Australian fathers' perspectives on communicating with their children about relationships and sexuality. A diverse sample of 612 Australian fathers of children aged 3 to 12 years completed the Sex Ed Dads survey, sharing their views on sexuality education and their role within it. Here, we discuss the relationships and sexuality-related outcomes fathers say they will value for their children during the teen years. We argue that contrary to assumptions perpetuated by the media, the outcomes Australian fathers value most reflect modern and holistic understandings of relationships and sexuality. The study found that fathers' top priorities for their teenage children were their capacity to avoid violent relationships, understand consent, and recognise and report sexual abuse, while their lowest priorities were delaying sex until marriage, and avoiding pornography. A slightly elevated level of concern for daughters compared to sons was evident in the data, and religious status was the socio-demographic characteristic responsible for most of the significant differences found. The findings offer insights for media, as well as schools, resource developers, and sexuality education providers seeking to support the increased engagement of fathers in sexuality education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine whether there are differences in the accuracy and consistency of repeated lawn bowl deliveries between different bowling conditions and to describe the bias of bowls that missed the target (jack). Twenty-seven elite lawn bowl athletes were recruited to partake in the study. Participants delivered 16 bowls in four conditions: (i) forehand and (ii) backhand towards a target 23 metres away and (iii) forehand and (iv) backhand towards a target 27 metres away. The resting position of each bowl relative to the jack was described in terms of absolute displacement, width displacement and length displacement. For each participant and each condition, the average absolute displacement of deliveries was calculated as a measure of accuracy; the average width and length displacement was used to describe the bias of deliveries; and the bivariate variable error of absolute displacement was calculated as a measure of consistency. The forehand towards a target 23 metres away was significantly less accurate and consistent when compared with other conditions. There was a bias for greater width displacement of both forehand deliveries (p < 0.001). Analysing lawn bowls in this detail provides specific areas for coaching to improve lawn bowling performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented levels of prolonged strain on healthcare systems and healthcare workers (HCWs) globally, with nurses at the forefront. Objectives: To describe types and prevalence of occupational disruptions and exposure to COVID-19, and their impacts on mental health, moral distress, coping strategies, and help-seeking behaviours of Australian nurses. Design: A cross-sectional online anonymous survey distributed amongst Australian HCWs between 27 August and 23 October 2020. Methods: Data was collected on demographics, workplace disruption, personal relationships, and mental health. Predictors of mental health impacts and coping strategies were identified through multivariate regression analyses. Results: 7845 complete responses were returned, of which 3082 (39.3%) were from nurses and 4763 (60.7%) were from all other professions ('other HCWs'). Occupational disruption was common, with nurses specifically reporting additional paid hours (p < 0.001). Nurses were exposed to, and infected with, COVID-19 more frequently than other HCWs (p < 0.001) and were more likely to report concerns around stigmatisation from the broader community (p < 0.001). Symptoms of mental illness (anxiety, depression, PTSD and burnout) were significantly more prevalent in nurses than other HCWs, despite both groups scoring high on resilience. Common predictors of mental health symptoms included exposure to COVID-19 and worsening of personal relationships. Nurses reported a variety of coping strategies and were more likely than other HCWs to increase alcohol consumption. Engagement with formal support services was low for both groups. Personal and professional predictors for coping strategy use were identified. Conclusions: Urgent action is needed to address staff shortages and burnout which have been exacerbated by COVID-19. Initiatives that recognise the importance of nursing staff and incentivise current and future nurses to join and remain in the workforce are essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professionalism is a key attribute that occupational therapy students must establish throughout their education. Resilience and reflective thinking are two skills that may underpin students' professionalism. To investigate whether resilience and reflective thinking are predictive of undergraduate occupational therapy students' professionalism. 152 occupational therapy undergraduate students completed the Professionalism Assessment Tool (PAT); the Resilience at University Scale (RAU); and the Reflective Thinking Scale (RTS). Regression analyses with bootstrapping were completed. Regression models revealed that multiple domains of resilience and reflective thinking were predictive of the following professionalism variables: Reliability, Responsibility and Accountability (R2=0.080, p = 0.002); Lifelong Learning and Adaptability (R2=0.084, p = 0.01); Relationships with Others (R2=0.046, p = 0.03); and Citizenship and Professional Engagement (R2=0.110, p = 0.004). Common independent variables among these models included RTS Reflection, RAU Managing Stress and RAU Finding Your Calling. This preliminary evidence revealed that when working together, factors of resilience and reflective thinking were predictive of occupational therapy student professionalism. Incorporating a greater focus on these skills into the occupational therapy education curriculum may help enhance student professionalism. Further research on resilience and reflective thinking, and the potential links to professionalism, is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effects of increasing physical activity (PA) and reducing sedentary behaviour (SB) of mental health professionals on their attitudes towards and practices in recommending more PA and less SB to their clients. A 4-week pre-post intervention trial was conducted involving 17 mental health professionals. The participants who increased their own physical activity during the intervention increased the frequency of recommending more PA (p = 0.009) and less SB (p = 0.005) to their clients. A relatively simple, low-cost intervention, consisting of group behaviour change counselling, goal setting and positive feedback, may improve the practices of mental health professionals. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/01612840.2021.1972189. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To establish the prevalence of obesity in an inpatient rehabilitation setting, examine its impact on hospital outcomes, and explore staff perceptions of caring for patients with obesity. A retrospective audit of inpatients admitted to a sub-acute rehabilitation hospital over 12 months. Hospital outcomes included length of stay (LOS), Functional Independence measure (FIM), and discharge destination. Linear regression models were used to determine whether obesity was associated with hospital outcomes. Staff working on rehabilitation wards were invited to complete a survey exploring their perceptions on caring for those who are obese. Of 1280 episodes of care, 359 (28%) patients were classified as obese with a body mass index ≥30 kg/m2. Obesity was not associated with LOS or functional improvement after controlling for age, gender, and admission FIM. One hundred and twelve hospital staff (response rate 71%) completed the survey. Most rated their bariatric care knowledge as average (45%) or good (36%). The majority (60%) perceived that patients with obesity have longer LOS than those who are non-obese. One-third of patients admitted to inpatient subacute rehabilitation were classified as obese. Whilst obesity was not associated with poorer hospital outcomes, staff perceived that obesity negatively impacts on care requirements and LOS. A third of patients admitted to a public, inpatient rehabilitation setting may be classified as obese based on their body mass index. Although staff perceived that obesity negatively impacts on length of stay and functional gains, there was no evidence that obesity was associated with poorer hospital outcomes. Patients who are classified as obese were able to achieve comparable hospital outcomes including length of stay in the rehabilitation setting to those who are not obese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-administering cannabis with tobacco (i.e. co-administration of the substances mixed together) is a common practice among cannabis users, but the consequences of this practice are not well understood. This study examines the relationship between co-administering cannabis with tobacco and the long-term frequency of cannabis use in a young adult population group with high rates of cannabis and tobacco use. The data are from an Australian prospective population-based study of young adults who recurrently used amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS). The mean age of participants was 20.8 years at baseline, sample size (n = 277), and 47% were female. We examined the frequency and quantity of cannabis consumption over 4 ½ years. Negative binomial regression analysis was conducted to examine the frequency of cannabis use at 12-month follow-up and at 4 ½ years, with co-administering practices as the predictor. At every time interval, participants who always co-administered their cannabis with tobacco used cannabis on more days in the last month than those who only sometimes co-administered, rarely co-administered, or never co-administered these substances (p < 0.001). Sometimes co-administering cannabis with tobacco at baseline predicted more frequent cannabis use at 12-month follow-up (adjusted IRR: 2.25, 95% CI: 1.05, 4.78), independently of the baseline frequency of cannabis use. However, levels of co-administering cannabis with tobacco at 12-month follow-up (rarely, sometimes, and always) did not predict high levels of cannabis use at 4 ½ years follow-up after adjusting for cannabis use at 12-month follow-up. Among people who use ATS and cannabis, frequent cannabis use may be a marker of the practice of co-administering cannabis with tobacco, and can be used to target tobacco cessation interventions in these populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]