This topic aims to:

Expose students to empirical data and theoretical issues involved in communication development and disorders in children 0-5 years of age in both Australian and international contexts
Introduce students to a psycholinguistic perspective for understanding speech and language development and disorders as a tool for assessment and intervention
Facilitate in students a client and family-centred approach to working with families and other professionals
Develop IPA phonetic transcription skills of children's speech
Develop basic developmental speech sampling, analysis and interpretation skills
Develop basic developmental morphological and syntactic sampling, analysis and interpretation skills
Establish the basic principles of the clinical process as the foundation of professional practice: information gathering, diagnostic decision making, management planning, implementation and evaluation
Foster assessment "literacy" in relation to both formal and informal forms of communication assessment
Develop in students an evidence-based approach to evaluating approaches to service delivery and intervention for developmental communication disorders