Hearing Health Services Central Australia today is launching an updated version of Talking Culture, a clinical health promotion resource designed to help Aboriginal families have a better understanding about hearing health and early speech and language development.

“Talking Culture is designed for children up to five years of age because it is crucial that hearing health issues are identified at an early age to enable healthy hearing and speech and language skills to develop appropriately,” said Sue Korner, Chief Operating Officer of the Central Australia Health Service..

Talking Culture uses culturally responsive illustrated learning cards that promote two-way conversations and discussions between families and service providers, about hearing health and speech and language development strategies. 

“These visual cards reflect Northern Territory Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community life so contain generic, familiar and recognisable concepts to assist interactions and learning,” said Rebecca Allnutt, Acting Manager of Hearing Health Services Central Australia. 

“The illustrations were created by Darwin-based illustrator Elizabeth Howell and were trialled in the Central Australia communities of Willowra, Tennant Creek and Laramba.”

In 2008, a resource called Talking Culture was developed to address speech and language difficulties in young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with Otitis Media and associated hearing loss. The updated version of the resource will offer people living in remote locations a valuable tool to address hearing health.

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

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

Media Contact: Gail Turner – 0476 839 383