UofT speech and language pathologist traveling to Deer Lake and Muskrat Dam First Nations
This week (Dec 15-18), Dr. Alice Eriks-Brophy and her assistant are visiting the Muskrat Dam First Nation Headstart program to conduct speech and language assessments along with hearing assessments with all the children participating in the local program.
Last week, Dr. Eriks-Brophy was in Deer Lake First Nation providing the same service for the children attending their local Headstart program.
While in each of these communities, Dr. Eriks-Brophy is also visiting the local schools to provide similar services for the school age children that the school staff wish to see tested.
This pilot project is being supported by Keewaytinook Okimakanak's K-Net and Health team in partnership with Dr. Eriks-Brophy's team at the University of Toronto. The project was initiated with an invitation from Health Canada to expand the initial provincially funded research SLP project that saw a team of Speech and Language Pathologists determining that assessments conducted by videoconferencing are as accurate as those conducted in person IF the proper support systems are in place.
For more information about this initial research project
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Both Headstart programs are now equipped with videoconferencing equipment as part of this pilot project. Between January and March of 2009, Dr. Eriks-Brophy's team along with KO staff will meet with the Headstart program staff, the parents and the children to continue intervention work that will support the children in their speech and language development. A final project report will be developed involving all the partners to provide recommendations and strategies for continuing this important work in early childhood development programs across the region.