This is so helpful, thank you!
Karen Natoci - 9/19/2019
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Resources for Building Capacity in Programs for Students with Complex Communication Needs
gaylbowser@gmail.com
9/16/2019 4:03 AM
When the focus of a school program for children with complex communication needs is on building independence and ownership among the people who interact with the student every day, there are four types of resources that are essential. Transformation of a program from an expert, one student at a time approach to a focus on capacity building requires collaboration between administrators and specialists. There are four focus areas for this type of collaboration.
1 Information: It is essential that each team member for students with complex communication needs have access to the same information about how communication is viewed by the program. Questions like “What assessment tools do we use?” and “What is our approach to integration in general education classrooms?” must be available to all. While information like this can be shared in meetings, a capacity building approach provides multiple ways for people to get access to this information. A program summary might be included in a staff handbook or be part of the classroom/program description. It might be addressed for families and other communication partners on an agency website or available in the form of “tip sheets” included in a resource bank.
2 Skills: In order for a program to build the capacity of all team members, a coordinated approach to skill development is essential. One district administrator stated, “The phrase ‘random act of school improvement’ is what pops into my head. We’re all out there trying to do our best but we’re not coordinating the efforts.” To coordinate efforts at skill development for teams that address the needs of students with complex communication needs, it is essential and that agency level to define what educators are expected to know and what skills they are expected to implement. Each agency’s expectations may be different, but if educators are not aware of the expectations, they will not be able to take responsibility for meeting them.
3 Structures: Student assessment systems, staff evaluation, parent and family feedback and overall evaluation of program effectiveness are all examples of program structures that can focus a systems’ capacity building efforts. Questions such as “How would you rate your ability to complete a Communication Matrix assessment?” or “Describe your child’s level of information sharing using the 7 levels of the communication matrix.”, when included in an agency’s structures and self-assessments make it possible to further define what capacity needs building and identify areas in need of increased focus.
4 Processes: Consistent processes for the way things are done help programs to run smoothly and identify each person’s role on the team for a student with complex communication needs. Operating guidelines provide everyone with information about how things are done. They answer questions like “Who provides information for a communication evaluation?” and “What is the role of an educational assistant in an IEP meeting?” Processes should be reviewed in order to ensure that they allow for team members to take ownership of their own work and not have to wait for a response from an SLP or other expert before taking action.
The first step toward capacity building is to analyze the current information, skills structures and processes. As the organization moves through the various stages of capacity building, new information and increasingly sophisticated skills, structures, and processes will become apparent.
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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
I really like the idea that when you want to make changes you can look at it from the perspective of what information and skills people who support children with complex communication needs have. I think many of us do that naturally. But I have also come to realize that the structures and processes you have in place can affect how well a classroom or agency is able to meet children's needs. I think curricula are a good example of this. If a self-contained classroom for children with complex communication needs does not have a learning sequence of some sort, then things can be quite individualized but there may not be enough structure to identify the kinds of progress that kids are making. For me, using the Communication Matrix with ALL students in who are appropriate creates a structure that helps us tell if we really are doing what we set out to do-increase communication skills and opportunities.
I have seen education agencies also use the Matrix as a process for looking at classroom activities too. When they do that they ask questions like "How many opportunities do the students in this classroom have to share information (request, refuse, etc.). Or how many chances in a day do students in this classroom have to talk with each other without adult intervention (social communication)?
I think all four of the areas of capacity building, when considered together, can really help to improve a program's ability to change their students' communication patterns.
gaylbowser@gmail.com - 9/19/2019