Play and Severe Communication Disorders
As clinicians/therapists/students/parents working with individuals with severe communication deficits, we strive to identify functional goals for communication. Requesting help, knowing personal info...
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Collection Identification and Incorporation of Multimodality Play To Promote Early Communication Skills
Date Created: 11/5/2019
Posts: 3
This collection centers on the importance of incorporating multimodality play in interventions for individuals with complex communication needs as a way to support early communication skills. It includes posts discussing the importance of play skills, defining critical play skills and introducing practical play schemes to use in treatment.
Heather Reffitt is a Clinical Coordinator at Speech Language Pathologist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Her area of interest and expertise is working with families and children impacted by autism, apraxia, augmentative communication and early intervention needs. Heather serves a caseload that is heavy with patients who require co-treatments and works closely with members of the Division of Occupational Therapy. Heather has been with the Division of Speech Pathology for 16 years.
This post introduces the collection and encourages readers to identify a child on their caseload who has limited play skills and severe communication challenges that can be kept in mind while reading the following posts.
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This post focuses on discussing and defining critical play skills, giving particular attention to core primary play/language skills. The skill levels discussed will fall within the Preintentional Behavior, Intentional Behavior, Unconventional Communication and Conventional Communication levels of the Communication Matrix.
Joint Attention, Imitation, Play and Communication Skills, "Oh My"!
Working in a large, outpatient, pediatric hospital as a speech language pathologist specializing in severe behavior, severe autism and developmental disabilities, I will be honest in that there have ...
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This post discusses practical play schemes and identifies several potential play materials that can be used with individuals exhibiting severe communication disabilities.
Incorporating The Senses Into Communication and Play Development
Now that the relationship and development of play and language skills has been discussed the focus will be on identification of practical sensory based materials/activities that can be incorporated wi...
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Teachers:
Many teachers require their college students in communication disorders or child development classes to complete a Communication Matrix online. Please have your students use the Test Drive site for this purpose. You may ask them to print out the Profile and Communication Skills List as proof of their work.
Statement A
My child doesn't seem to have real control over his body yet.
The only way I know that he wants something is because he fusses or whines when he's unhappy or uncomfortable, and he smiles, makes noises or calms down when he's happy and comfortable. Does this statement describe your child?
Statement B
My child has control over her own behaviors, but she doesn't use them to try to communicate to me.
She doesn't come to me to let me know what she wants, but it's easy for me to figure out, because she tries to do things for herself. She knows what she wants, and her behavior shows me what she wants. If she runs out of something to eat, she will just try to get more, rather than trying to get me to give her more.
Does this statement describe your child?
Statement C
My child clearly tries to communicate his needs to me through gestures, sounds or language.
He knows how to get me to do something for him. He uses some of the kinds of behaviors below to communicate:
- Gestures such as pointing, shaking his head, tugging at my arm or looking back and forth between me and what he wants
- Sounds such as squealing to show you he wants something or fussing when he doesn't want something
- Language or symbolic forms of communication such as speech, written words, Braille, picture symbols, 3-dimensional symbols or sign language
Does this statement describe your child?
How to score your child
Each question you will see is related to a certain message that your child might be able to express using a variety of behaviors. Read the question and decide whether your child is able to express the message described using any of the listed behaviors. If the answer is YES, then you must also decide whether your child has mastered the use of each behavior or whether it is still at an emerging stage. Check either the mastered or emerging box next to any behaviors your child uses to express the message. Use the following definitions to decide whether a behavior is mastered or emerging
Mastered
– Does this independently most of the time when the opportunity arises
– Does this in a number of di erent contexts, and with di erent people
Emerging
– Does this inconsistently
–
Only does this when prompted or encouraged to do so. Only does this in one or two contexts or with one person.
Tips on Communication Devices
Each question you will see is related to a certain message that your child might be able to express using a variety of behaviors. Read the question and decide whether your child is able to express the message described using any of the listed behaviors. If the answer is YES, then you must also decide whether your child has mastered the use of each behavior or whether it is still at an emerging stage. Check either the mastered or emerging box next to any behaviors your child uses to express the message. Use the following definitions to decide whether a behavior is mastered or emerging