Carlie McQuillan

Gifting Day | The Speech Pathology Early Intervention Project for Rural and Regional Children

Hi everyone,

I am raising awareness and funds to help children in rural and regional areas access the support they need to reach their full potential through the University of Newcastle’s Gifting Day. This cause means a lot to me and demonstrates our University's values of Equity and Engagement.

Communication – it’s how we connect and learn; it’s how we express ourselves.

Sadly, if a child is struggling with their oral language skills, it can be a predictor of learning difficulties, adversely affecting them throughout their life.¹

In low socio-economic, regional areas where there are not enough services to meet demand, it’s not uncommon for children to be on waiting lists for years to access the vital speech pathology support they need, all while their learning, language, and social connections worsen.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are over-represented in the 1.1 million Australians with a communication disorder.²

“I’ve seen their tears and I’ve heard their frustration,” Graham Toomey, former CEO of Gunawirra, an Aboriginal-led not-for-profit organisation said when describing the despair of mothers who cannot access the services their children desperately need.

The Speech Pathology Early Intervention Project for Rural and Regional Children provides crucial speech pathology services for kids attending playgroup in our regional towns, many of which have high proportions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Your gift will provide the specialised care children urgently need.

With your support, and guidance from an experienced speech pathologist, final year Bachelor of Speech Pathology students from the University of Newcastle will provide early intervention support to children aged 0 – 5 years through their playgroup, addressing critical speech pathology shortages.

Your generosity will also enable the team to provide education and strategies to parents and carers at playgroup, empowering them to recognise indictors of communication, speech or hearing difficulties to provide early intervention.

The speech pathology students will also gain valuable experience through these placements, contributing to their professional development and better equipping them to provide culturally sensitive speech pathology services following graduation.

All donations of $2 or more are tax-deductible and 100 percent of your generous gift will directly help children in regional and remote areas access the specialist services they need to reach their full potential.³

Thank you so much for your kindness to shape a better tomorrow for people in our communities and the world.

Cheers, Carlie

<sub>1. Oral Language Skills and Learning Disabilities: A Review for Educators. Bardell. T, Archibald, L. Learning Disabilities Association.
2. The prevalence of Speech, Language and Swallowing disorders in Australia and the incidence of these disorders by demographic group. Parliament of Australia.
3. Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible in Australia. The University of Newcastle covers all administration costs so that 100% of all funds raised goes directly to the cause supported.</sub>