Understanding the language background of bilingual children and young people is key when assessing their language and communication support needs. This can be done effectively by Q-BEx (https://Q-BEx.org), a free, research-validated online questionnaire available in 33 languages. 💡 Q-BEx produces individual reports which include a Risk Factor index to flag children who may be at risk of language impairment, and would benefit from specialist referral for assessment by a speech and language therapist.

The Disability Wellbeing Index, a new evidence-based tool aimed at measuring wellbeing across various life domains, was presented at the NDS Executive Leaders conference today. The presentation evoked a sense of déjà vu, reminding me of the Quality Framework for Disability Services in Victoria (2007). This framework was created for disability service providers to assess the quality of their practice by collecting data across 16 areas of life. These 16 areas of life (outcome standards) were integrated into service provision and audit processes at that time. It is unfortunate that a quality framework and outcome measures were not considered during the design of the NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators. For those interested, here’s a link for a walk down memory lane: https://lnkd.in/gFVDwZ8x