Quantity vs. Quality
Hi, I am Kathee Scoggin. Over the years as an educator and consultant I have worked in Ohio, Illinois, Arizona, California and Washington State. "Upping" the quantity as well as the quality of communi...
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Collection My Top Tips on Communicating with People with Sensory Impairments
Date Created: 11/2/2016
Posts: 3
I will be posting some of the techniques that I have used over the years that I have been privileged to be involved with individuals who are deaf-blind. These are strategies for encouraging reciprocal communication. I look forward to your suggestions, too!
I have worked with deaf and hard of hearing students and deaf-blind students some with multiple disabilities since 1967 in Illinois, Arizona, California, and Washington State. I taught for 12 years and became a principal, assessment consultant, deaf-blind specialist and co-director of the Washington Deaf-Blind project
The sheer quantity of opportunities for communication is critical
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sometimes we need to sit back, observe and wait for communication to happen
Assumptions and "Reading minds"
We become such good observers with our students who are prelinguistic and nonverbal that we step in and take the next step before waiting for the student to communicate with us. People finishing our ...
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Opportunities for Communicating for students who are deaf-blind and prelinguistic
Think about all the things the student who is deaf-blind likes to do. List them. Then think about what you might want to communicate about those things if they were on your "likes" list. We think abou...
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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
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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
