Students

SPHL3310 – Theoretical and Clinical Perspectives in Speech and Language Development

2024 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Joshua Penney
joshua.penney@mq.edu.au
Felicity Cox
felicity.cox@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
50cp at 2000 level or above including LING2217 or LING217
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit introduces you to theoretical and clinical perspectives on children’s acquisition of speech and language in the infant, toddler, and pre-school years. These topics are discussed with respect to typical as well as less typical language development. Tutorials and assignments focus on the understanding and communication of language development research to parents, and analysing linguistic data in preparation of clinical diagnosis.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Demonstrate and apply an advanced understanding of how typically developing children (0-5) develop speech and language.
  • ULO2: Communicate a basic understanding of ways that speech and language development can be atypical.
  • ULO3: Evaluate and make informed decisions regarding theories and research in typical and atypical speech and language development.
  • ULO4: Revise the ability to work as part of a team to communicate language acquisition research and its implications to the general public.
  • ULO5: Discuss the impact that (atypical) speech and language development has on the children’s family and on their own ability to participate in society.
  • ULO6: Analyse, interpret, and report on speech and language samples.

General Assessment Information

Grade descriptors and other information concerning grading are contained in the Macquarie University Assessment Policy. 

All final grades are determined by a grading committee, in accordance with the Macquarie University Assessment Policy, and are not the sole responsibility of the Unit Convenor. 

Students will be awarded a final grade and a mark which must correspond to the grade descriptors specified in the Assessment Procedure (clause 128). 

To pass this unit, you must demonstrate sufficient evidence of achievement of the learning outcomes, meet any ungraded requirements, and achieve a final mark of 50 or better. 

Further details for each assessment task will be available on iLearn. 

Late Submissions 

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (OF THE TOTAL POSSIBLE MARK) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern.   

 For example: 

Number of days (hours) late 

Total Possible Marks 

Deduction 

Raw mark 

Final mark 

1 day (1-24 hours) 

100 

5 

75 

70 

2 days (24-48 hours) 

100 

10 

75 

65 

3 days (48-72 hours) 

100 

15 

75 

60 

7 days (144-168 hours)  

100 

35 

75 

40 

>7 days (>168 hours) 

100 

- 

75 

0 

 

For any late submissions of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.  

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Exam 40% No Exam period
Podcast research commentary 25% No Week 13
Research Participation 5% No Weeks 1-13
Case Report 30% No Recess week 1

Exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Exam period
Weighting: 40%

 

You will undertake an examination covering course content.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate and apply an advanced understanding of how typically developing children (0-5) develop speech and language.
  • Communicate a basic understanding of ways that speech and language development can be atypical.
  • Evaluate and make informed decisions regarding theories and research in typical and atypical speech and language development.

Podcast research commentary

Assessment Type 1: Media presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 25%

 

You will work in groups to produce a short podcast aimed at parents of young children. In the podcast, you will present parents with information about a research study on infant language development, and provide a balanced interpretation of the implications for how parents could scaffold the language development of their child.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate and apply an advanced understanding of how typically developing children (0-5) develop speech and language.
  • Communicate a basic understanding of ways that speech and language development can be atypical.
  • Evaluate and make informed decisions regarding theories and research in typical and atypical speech and language development.
  • Revise the ability to work as part of a team to communicate language acquisition research and its implications to the general public.

Research Participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 1 hours
Due: Weeks 1-13
Weighting: 5%

 

Research Participation is an optional component of some units offered by the Department of Linguistics. This usually involves a choice between either participating in research at the Department for Linguistics for credit or completing an alternative assessment task. Experimental participation is your choice. You are free to choose whether you will participate. If you do not wish to participate you will have a choice of an alternative assessment for the same marks. If you choose to neither participate in one of the available research participation sessions nor to participate in any offered alternative assessment, you will not be awarded the credit for this component of the unit.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Evaluate and make informed decisions regarding theories and research in typical and atypical speech and language development.

Case Report

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 31 hours
Due: Recess week 1
Weighting: 30%

 

You will be provided with raw data and initial phonological analysis of a speech and language assessment. You will submit a case report that summarizes and analyzes the findings and relates the findings back to the scientific literature (1500 words).

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate and apply an advanced understanding of how typically developing children (0-5) develop speech and language.
  • Communicate a basic understanding of ways that speech and language development can be atypical.
  • Discuss the impact that (atypical) speech and language development has on the children’s family and on their own ability to participate in society.
  • Analyse, interpret, and report on speech and language samples.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

As a student enrolled in this unit, you will engage in a range of online and face-to-face learning activities, including weekly pre-recorded lectures, weekly required readings, weekly tutorial instructions and tutorial sessions (some weeks excepted), and assignment-specific resources.

All required readings and lecture materials provide the necessary content knowledge for successful completion of the exam and provide the basis for successful completion of the assignments. Tutorials are specifically designed to develop the skills required for the successful completion of the assignments. During the student-driven Q&A sessions you can seek all answers you need to prepare for the exam.

Details can be found on the iLearn site for this unit. 

Technology Used 

Active participation in the learning activities throughout the unit will require students to have access to a tablet, laptop or similar device. Students who do not own their own laptop computer may borrow one from the university library. 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2024.02 of the Handbook