Professional Resources
TalkiPlay is committed to supporting families of children with speech and language needs. Professionals are the support link between families and their child’s therapy. TalkiPlay fills the gap between therapy sessions to enhance speech and language practice for families.
The surprise and delight children feel when using TalkiPlay can be enhanced by qualified key workers using scaffolding and extension techniques from TalkiPlay’s online training. Delivered by our highly experienced and qualified Speech Pathology team for allied health professionals, key workers and recently qualified speech pathologists working in:
– home support for families
– clinical organisations
– intervention in early childhood education centres
In 2018-20, through our TalkiPlay Professional Training, we delivered professional development to Early Childhood Educators, Speech Pathologists and Key Workers who went on to support 1,743 children in Australia. The progress of these children were measured over time, revealing that TalkiPlay Training and Starter Kit enables non-clinicians to provide a communication-rich learning environment for children of all abilities but specifically those with language delay.
Enhancing language development in early education
Kathryn Marrington, Goodstart Early Learning, Australia (kmarrington@goodstart.org.au)
Tiffany Noble, Goodstart Early Learning, Australia (tnoble@goodstart.org.au)
Annie McAuley, TalkiPlay, Australia (annie@talkiplay.com)
Penny Markham, Goodstart Early Learning, Australia (pmarkham@goodstart.org.au)
Marrington, K., Nobel, T., McAuley, A. & Markham, P (2022). Enhancing language development in early education. Early Childhood Voices 202 Conference Proceedings (p121). Charles Sturt University. https://earlychildhoodresearch.csu.domains/early-childhood-voices-conference-2022/ ISBN Ebook: 9781864674309
Watch & Read the presentation here
Background: Language development is a crucial milestone in early childhood. Language is the basis of literacy development and poor language skills in early childhood have significant consequences for
literacy attainment, extending well beyond the childhood years. As Australian children increasingly spend more time in long day care, it is imperative that these services provide environments to stimulate children’s language, particularly for those children who are literacy vulnerable. However, studies have shown that in long day care many child-carer dyad interactions are dominated by the carer with few opportunities for child-led participation in communication rich learning environments.
Aim: To trial an innovative approach towards improving literacy vulnerable children’s participation in language interactions in an early education setting.
Method: A longitudinal case study to assess literacy vulnerable children (Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD)) with nine educators, pre and post intervention using quantitative and qualitative measures. Trials were undertaken involving approximately 60 children aged 2–6 years in two Goodstart Early Learning centres located in low socio-economic regions in Victoria, Australia. The centres’ environment was purposefully altered using interactive ‘talking stickers’ attached to objects, in conjunction with child-led play techniques. Children interact with the ‘talking stickers’ in their environment to discover new words, sentences, and songs relating to objects.
Results: When comparing pre to post intervention measures, literacy vulnerable children showed an increase in child-led interactions and sustained more frequent and longer interactions with peers and educators. Educators observed that the change in the physical space sparked children’s imaginations, encouraged peer-to-peer social interaction, and promoted the child’s sense of agency in their own world.
Conclusions: This innovative approach improved language interactions for literacy vulnerable children in an early learning environment.
Implications for children and families: This program purposely fosters educator and peer interactions to support children’s language and early literacy development.
Implications for professionals: This program enables educators to provide a language rich learning environment for all children of all abilities, specifically those with language delay.
Funding: Goodstart Early Learning 2019
Key words: communication, early literacy, education, children’s voices, innovations, wellbeing, health, vulnerable communities, regional/rural communities, international communities, qualitative methods, quantitative methods
This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 3: Good Health and Well being
ECV2022 | Early Childhood Voices 2022 Conference Proceedings
Charles Sturt University Faculty of Arts and Education Early Childhood Interdisciplinary Research Group
Early Childhood Voices Conference 2022
Our purpose is to work with early childhood and early intervention professionals so that together we can support children with a language delay or identified disability.
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My client is NDIS supported
If your client is Plan-managed, please fill in the form below and we will send you an invoice. Once the invoice has been paid by your client’s plan manager we will ship the TalkiPlay products to them.
How does TalkiPlay help Clinicians?
TalkiPlay works to foster engagement during sessions and can be recommended for at-home use by parents to support practise.
The device, used in conjunction with our app, and toys that “talk” is an exciting tool to address specific communication challenges. The information gathered through the app in session, and at home, helps inform how a child is progressing.
Built on scientific research and co-designed with Australian medical and education
professionals, including early childhood educators and speech pathologists, TalkiPlay testing has revealed a profound and positive impact for children with
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), developmental language disorder (DLD) and those
learning English as a second language (ESL).
Early intervention for children with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)
is essential to enable them to be well-equipped to meet their daily challenges.
TalkiPlay is here to provide support for clinicians to deliver the help children and parents need.
Get in touch to discuss how we can help.
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What’s included in your TalkiPlay Kit
Our TalkiPlay Base Kit features everything you need to kickstart your child’s communication journey. It includes one TalkiPlay speaker in a sleeping bag, the charging cord, one wooden rainbow set of ‘smart’ stickers and 12 additional ‘smart’ stickers that you can use with your toys to extend your child’s vocabulary further.
Parents will also need to download the TalkiPlay app to activate the device and program the tags.
If you 'd like an invoice for NDIS claims please use this link to request an invoice from one of our helpful TalkiPlay team members: NDIS – TalkiPlay
What’s in the Base Kit?:
1 x TalkiPlayer device – I’m cute, yellow and I am your child’s hand-held speech & language guide to take home and keep.
1 x Wooden Rainbow Set.
1x TalkiPlayer recharge cord.
1x TalkiPlayer protective bag.
12 x Extra smart stickers.
1 x TalkiPlayer companion app free to track your child’s progress.
1 x TalkiPlay game token to unlock the next speech game of your choice for free.