Talking Culture to benefit Aboriginal families

Department of Health

Hearing Health Services Central Australiatoday is launching an updated version of Talking Culture, a clinical healthpromotion resource designed to help Aboriginal families have a betterunderstanding about hearing health and early speech and language development.

Talking Culture is designed for childrenup to five years of age because it is crucial that hearing health issues areidentified at an early age to enable healthy hearing and speech and languageskills to develop appropriately, said Sue Korner, Chief Operating Officer ofthe Central Australia Health Service..

Talking Culture uses culturallyresponsive illustrated learning cards that promote two-way conversations anddiscussions between families and service providers, about hearing health andspeech and language development strategies.

These visual cards reflect NorthernTerritory Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community life so containgeneric, familiar and recognisable concepts to assist interactions andlearning, said Rebecca Allnutt, Acting Manager of Hearing Health ServicesCentral Australia.

The illustrations were created byDarwin-based illustrator Elizabeth Howell and were trialled in the CentralAustralia communities of Willowra, Tennant Creek and Laramba.

In 2008, aresource called Talking Culture was developed to address speech and languagedifficulties in young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children withOtitis Media and associated hearing loss. The updated version of the resourcewill offer people living in remote locations a valuable tool to address hearinghealth.

Talking Culture has been funded by bothNorthern Territory Government and the Commonwealth Government grants.

The Talking Culture clinical healthpromotion resource will be launched at 9:30am on Wednesday 12 June 2019 at theLarapinta Child and Family Centre on Albrecht Drive, Larapinta.

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