Kirsten Livermore (Capricornia, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Like my fellow speakers in this debate, I am very pleased to be speaking to this motion tonight. I join with them in thanking the member for Ryan for bringing this motion before the House and for giving members the opportunity to learn more about primary language disorder. It gives us a chance to develop a better understanding of how children and adults with this disorder—and it is a lifelong disorder—and the people who love and care for them can be helped and supported. It is not unusual for private members' motions in the House to discuss various diseases and disorders that our constituents are struggling with and to call attention to their plight and the need for more research or more funding to save or improve lives.

The subject of tonight's debate, primary language disorder, is particularly deserving of our attention because it is otherwise so hidden from mainstream view, adding to the hardship of families who are trying to make sense of it and do the best for their child. The Sunday Mail in Queensland published an excellent article on primary language disorder a couple of years ago. It described primary language disorder as being insidious. It is hidden because primary language disorder children look no different to any other child. It is not well understood and is often difficult to diagnose or is misdiagnosed altogether, adding to the frustration and heartache of parents who are dealing with children with this disorder. It is also one of those things that can take a long time for parents to pick up on themselves and to start that journey of trying to find a diagnosis. So it can be some time before children receive any kind of treatment or intervention for PLD. It is often mistaken for developmental delay, autism or some form of intellectual or physical disability. In fact it is none of those things; it is a language disorder pure and simple.

People with primary language disorder have a serious disability with speech and language but this is not accompanied by other sensory disorders like deafness. As was explained by the parent of a child with primary language disorder in the feature article in Queensland's Sunday Mail, it is like the person with PLD is in a foreign country where they cannot understand what is being said and do not have the ability to speak or communicate in a way that can be understood by others. To add to the puzzle facing sufferers and their parents and carers, the disorder manifests itself in a wide range of different ways, leading to the difficulty of pinpointing the diagnosis. It affects talking and comprehension, and how people make sense of the words that they hear. It affects concentration, writing, even balance and coordination, motor skills, problem solving, and, in some cases, people's senses are heightened. Whatever form it takes, it is very easy for us to comprehend how profound the consequences are for a child's social and educational development, behaviour, happiness and the ability to function at school or in society.

What parents are looking for first, is an answer—a correct diagnosis, so that they can understand what their child is going through. Then, they can work towards finding the treatment and intervention that will make a difference. I am pleased to say—and it is actually highlighted in the member for Ryan's motion—that many parents in Queensland have been able to find an answer and do have their children on the right path to engagement, to learning and to finding a way to make sense of the world even while they are suffering from Primary Language Disorder. That is because those children are enrolled at the Glenleighden School, in the western suburbs of Brisbane. It has a unique and, in fact, world recognised methodology of looking at students in a very holistic way. It has different experts, including experts in physiotherapy, psychology, occupational therapy, speech pathology et cetera. They are looking at how to unlock the key to language and comprehension for these students. Parents at the school have described the miracles being performed for their children.

I want to quickly pick up on the point that the member for Ryan makes in her motion, and that other speakers have talked to, about how to get more help for sufferers of Primary Language Disorder. I would like to point out that two of the initiatives that we are debating in the House this week—the Gonski reforms of education funding, and also the NDIS—really do look at new ways of dealing with these things. They are not looking at the definition of a disability, but, in fact, what treatment or what support is required to overcome the disability. (Time expired)

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