Advances in Communication and Swallowing

The purpose of this paper is to first present four key forces which shape global changes. These changes, in turn, shape the profiles of the millennium generation. These profiles as well as challenges for service delivery will be summarised. Finally, recommendations for academia as well as implications for language and learning will be provided.

This article attempts to examine the therapy needs of Irish-speaking bilinguals, beginning with some general issues related to the context of lesser used languages. The client groups, with their types of bilinguality, are delineated and their particular needs listed. Finally, mention is made of the political and policy context, as well as the support structures, such as they are, that currently exist.

Phonological awareness has been recognised as playing a contributing role in the development of reading and spelling. Speech and Language Pathologists and other educational professionals collaborated with three Aboriginal communities to provide a programme targeting the development of literacy skills for Aboriginal students. Educators based in Aboriginal communities were trained in phonological awareness as applicable to that community’s first language and also to Standard Australian English (S.A.E.).

This proposal was prepared to address the low English literacy levels of deaf school children. The Model School for the Deaf Project (MSDP) is committed to the maximisation of access to English as a second language through the medium of Irish Sign Language (ISL) which is fully accessible to all deaf children so long as there is an input in the language acquisition environment. In indicating how deaf children are not best served by accepted models of bilingualism, this discussion considers the relevant Language Processing Models and Language Acquisition Models and the questions the appropriateness of current educational curricula.