Dr Elizabeth Doell PhD

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy - University of Sydney (2005)

Research Interests

Elizabeth has three research platforms which explore aspects of support for children and young people who have speech-language and communication needs (SLCN). Her ‘Partnership’ platform explores ways of collaborating with children and young people and those that support them in their home, education, and community environments. This research explores processes for establishing a team around the child and developing collaborative processes to support children and young people to tell us about their experience of SLCN and participate in the decision making around their communication needs and preferred support. Recent speech-language therapy international research highlights obligations under Article 12 in the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child to support children with SLCN to express their own views in matters that affect them.

The second research platform, ‘Wellbeing Influences’ investigates the lived experience of children and young people with SLCNs to identify risk factors related to their social emotional development and wellbeing. Research has identified poor quality of life indicators for children and young people who have had persistent language and communication needs.  This research seeks to identify the impact of SLCN on a child’s life through their own experience of communicating and receiving support for their speech and language. The research involves inquiry approaches using different modalities to record the lived experience through young children’s perspectives as well as those of the people who support them. This has potential for understanding the influences that may be risks for wellbeing.  

Elizabeth has been working in partnership with her colleague Dr Sally Clendon to develop a research programme, ‘Optimsing Language and Learning Opportunities (OLLO)’ project. We have been working with teachers in years 0 to 3 classrooms to support them to reflect on the language learning opportunities in their classrooms.  We have been developing the OLLO profile based on Kaiako reflections and ideas and classroom observations.  The findings from this research programme will inform speech-language therapists work at the universal level in classrooms.

Thematics

Health and Well-being

Area of Expertise

Field of research codes
Education (130000): Special Education and Disability (130312): Specialist Studies in Education (130300): Teacher Education and Professional Development of Educators (130313)

Keywords

Child  language   collaborative practice models,  child wellbeing, Autism, early years education

Completed Projects

Completed Doctoral Supervision

Co-supervisor of:

• 2023 - Samantha Brydon - Doctor of Philosophy
  Empowering parents to use a core board with children who have complex communication needs: A multiple case study design
• 2015 - Jayne Jackson - Doctor of Education
  Collaborative Support for Reading Development: Parent Partnership in Practice