Embedding speech pathology in an Aboriginal community-controlled playgroup - Perceptions from the community

Oct 15, 2026

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The paper examines how embedding speech pathology within an Aboriginal community-controlled playgroup supports early communication in an urban Australian setting. Guided by a participatory action research approach, it explores parent/carer perceptions of incorporating speech pathology into the existing playgroup, delivered through information-sharing sessions between the speech pathologist and community members. Findings indicate the sessions were viewed as helpful and acceptable, while also emphasizing that cultural and community needs must be prioritized during planning and implementation to ensure cultural safety and a strong environment.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Community-led playgroups and early communication support

Participatory action research approach

Language and literacy risk factors for Indigenous children

Evidence-based early intervention and collaboration

Embedding speech pathology in an Aboriginal community-controlled playgroup: Perceptions from the community Gwendalyn Webb1 and Bella Gordon2 1 School of Health Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia, [email: gwendalyn.webb@newcastle.edu.au](email: gwendalyn.webb@newcastle.edu.au) 2 Awa bakal Preschool, 5 Grey Street, Wickham, NSW 2293, Australia Colonisation in Australia has had long-term, pervasive, detrimental impacts on Indigenous Australians. When measured by national benchmarks, Indigenous children in Australia are currently at increased risk of developmental difficulties in comparison to their non-Indigenous peers. Community-led initiatives, such as playgroups, can provide safe and developmentally stimulating environments for Indigenous infants and young children, and deliver lasting benefits. These contexts also provide opportunities for collaborative approaches to develop children’s early communication skills. A participatory action research approach was applied to explore the parent/carer perspectives about incorporating speech pathology into an existing community-led Aboriginal playgroup in an urban context. The speech pathology service took the form of information sharing sessions between the speech pathologist and the playgroup members. Collaborative planning and implementation of the project was followed by discussion among the participants and co-researchers about the cultural safety and helpfulness of the speech pathology service. The complexity of incorporating services delivered by non-Indigenous people in an Aboriginal community-controlled playgroup was acknowledged. The information sharing sessions were regarded as helpful and acceptable by the community. However, in the planning and implementation of the service, cultural and community needs must be considered as a precedent and priority to ensure a culturally safe and strong environment. Keywords: early childhood education, playgroup, community, communication development, speech pathology Introduction The current research 1 explored the community’s perceptions about implementing evidence-based strategies for language development with an Aboriginal community in an urban Australian context. It is well recognised in the literature that the provision of early intervention and supports to vulnerable 1 This research was conducted on Awabakal land. The authors are truly grateful to the local Aboriginal people and the land for supporting and nurturing this research project. The Awabakal people prefer to use the term “Aboriginal” as their identity, however, for international relevance the term “Indigenous” is used throughout this paper, except when referring directly to the Awabakal people. The project (to include speech pathology in the existing Mums and Bubs playgroup) was collaboratively planned and implemented by the Awabakal community and the first author, who is a non-Indigenous speech pathologist. The second author, an Indigenous early childhood educator, was involved as participant and co-researcher in the implementation of the project, and in the analysis and interpretation of the data. In this paper, we hope to disseminate some of the knowledge shared by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants and co-researchers across the duration of the project. families can result in lasting benefits for the child (Chan et al., 2016; Daelmans et al., 2016; Doyle, 2020) . Furthermore, the benefits are greatest when services collaborate to provide supports. Various interrelated factors contribute to a child’s vulnerability so, of necessity, service providers need to respectfully acknowledge and address these factors collaboratively. For example, health, nutrition, housing, trauma and stress may all impact on a child’s development (Mishra et al., 2017) . Multidisciplinary, holistic interventions in the early years are evidence-based ways to support vulnerable children and families worldwide (Doyle, 2020; Richter

FAQs

What approach was used to explore parent/carer perceptions?

A participatory action research approach was used to explore parent/carer perspectives on incorporating speech pathology into an existing community-led Aboriginal playgroup in an urban context.

How was the speech pathology service delivered in the playgroup?

The service was delivered through information-sharing sessions between the speech pathologist and playgroup members, followed by collaborative planning, implementation, and discussion among participants and co-researchers.

What did the community think about the information-sharing sessions?

The information sharing sessions were regarded as helpful and acceptable by the community. The paper also stresses that cultural and community needs must be considered a priority to maintain cultural safety.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Kurz