Professor Shyamani Hettiarachchi
BA (Hons) (Kel’ya), MSc (University College London), MSc (Oxon), MA (Roehampton), PhD (City University)
Professor
Professor in Speech & Language Therapy
Department of Disability Studies
Professor in Speech & Language Therapy
Department of Disability Studies
Specialization
Speech & Language Therapy
Research Interests
- Phonological disorders
- Dysphagia
- Gender and disability
Awards and Fellowships
At National/International conferences
- Received the best paper award in the category of ‘Women and Children’.Prasadini Weerasekera, Shyamani Hettiarachchi & Samadhi Gunatilake (2020). Parent reported mealtime eating problems in 3-6 year olds with autism spectrum disorder: a pilot study. Silver Jubilee Academic Sessions, College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, 16th - 18th September 2020, Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
- Meritorious poster submission (blue ribbon) with Mahishi Ranaweera, Dinusha Nonis, Shakeela Saleem and Thilini Lokubalasooriya, Validating an Assessment for Sinhala Phonological Development in Children Age 3 to 5 Years, American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) Annual Convention 2014.
- Meritorious poster submission (blue ribbon) with Shakeela Saleem, The development of language–specific speech norms for Sri Lankan Tamil, American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) Annual Convention 2013.
- Second place in the poster presentation, “Now that I know…I can”: A study of changes in knowledge and confidence in 15 Sri Lankan-Tamil mothers at feeding their child with cerebral palsy, ‘Phonocon 2011’, 25th -27th February 2011, Delhi, India.
At university-level
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Senate Honours for Research in 2022, University of Kelaniya
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Excellence in Teaching Award 2020/2021 in the BSc Speech and Hearing Sciences Programme (Year 1-Core)
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Senate Honours for Research in 2021, University of Kelaniya
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Senate Honours for Research in 2020, University of Kelaniya
Publications
Publications in Peer Reviewed Journals
- Nonis, P. D. M., M. Ranaweera, S. Saleem, K. L. L. G. Udugama, T. Lokubalasuriya, and S. Hettiarachchi. "Developing and validating a Sinhala phonology assessment for children aged between 3 to 6 years: trends observed and lessons learnt." (2014).
- Saleem, S., M. M. M. K. Bandara, A. A. N. Subajini, K. L. L. G. Udugama, I. Dharmaratne, G. Kitnasamy, and S. Hettiarachchi. "Views of Teachers, Caregivers and Children with Cerebral Palsy on the Understanding and Use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems in Sri Lanka." (2014).
- Hettiarachchi, Shyamani, and Ajay Das. "Perceptions of ‘inclusion’and perceived preparedness among school teachers in Sri Lanka." Teaching and Teacher Education 43 (2014): 143-153.
- S.Hettiarachchi & G. Kitnasamy, Effect of an Experiential Dysphagia Workshop on Caregivers’ Knowledge, Confidence, Anxiety and Behaviour During Mealtimes, Journal of Disability, CBR, and Inclusive Development (DCID), Vol. 24, No 3 (2013): Autumn, p. 75-97.
- S.Hettiarachchi, ‘Colourful Semantics’ as a whole-class approach with Sri Lankan Tamil-speaking children experiencing language-learning difficulties. Journal of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, Vol. 2, p. 9 -21, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.
- S.Hettiarachchi & M. Ranaweera,‘Story Boxes’: Using a Multisensory Story Approach to Develop Vocabulary in Children Experiencing Language-Learning Difficulties, International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education (IJCDSE), Vol. 4, Issue 1, March 2013.
- S. Hettiarachchi (2012). Changes in perceived and real knowledge and anxiety regarding feeding among Sri Lankan Tamil mothers of children with cerebral palsy. Cerebral Palsy: A Multidisciplinary and Multidimensional Approach. International Thematic Collection of Papers, p. 345-361, University of East Sarajevo - Faculty of Medicine Foca, Bosnia and Hezegovina & Association of Special Educators and Rehabilitators of Serbia.
Service Functions
- Director, Centre for Disability Studies (CDS), Department of Disability Studies: The centre supports collaborative research and the formulation of new courses (January 2019 to present)
- Director, Coordinating Centre for Students with Disabilities (CCSD), University of Kelaniya: The centre supports students with disabilities at university to access education and to be offered reasonable accommodations at examinations (2015-2018)
- Member, Ethics Review Committee, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya: 2011-2013 & 2019-to present
- Member, Students’ Social Welfare & Admissions Committee, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, 2010 to 2017.
- Academic Career Guidance Advisor for Speech & Hearing Sciences students on request of the Career Guidance Unit, University of Kelaniya, 2017/2018.
- Member, Steering Committee, The Samkathana Research Centre, University of Kelaniya,HETC Project 2012-2015.
- Member, Advisory Board of the Centre for Gender Studies, University of Kelaniya, July 2014.
Orations/Guest lectures/Invited Speech/Plenary
- Visiting Research Fellow: School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin (from January 2018 – December 2018)
- Adjunct Lecturer: School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Australia (May 2012- 2015)
Contact Details
Department
Disability Studies
Disability Studies
Tel
+94112958251 (Office)
+94112958251 (Office)
Email
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