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Elizabeth Biggs
10/3/2016 5:04 PM
There is likely little disagreement that social relationships matter for everyone—including children and youth with complex communication needs. However, children with complex communication needs often interact far more withadults providing educational and other services than they do with their peers. There are several observational research studies focused on describing the interactions of children with severe disabilities and complex communication needs, and they seem to converge upon a consistent conclusion—meaningful, positive interactions between students with complex communication needs and their peers may be infrequent or even altogether absent in schools, even when students are physically present in inclusive settings (for example, see studies by Carter, Sisco, Brown, Brickham, & Al-Khabbaz, 2008 and Chung, Carter, & Sisco, 2012).
If I were to thinkabout the interactions and relationships of children and youth without disabilities, it might look something like the first diagram below. In this diagram, children have meaningful, positive interactions with lots of individuals throughout their day. This includes interactions with people who have different types of relationships with the
child, and varying levels of intimacy in those relationships— like family, close friends, and acquaintances. But, for many children with complex communication needs, their interactions and relationships might look a little more like the second diagram below. In this diagram, children predominately interact with people paid to be in their lives (e.g., teachers, therapists, or other professionals), rather than close friends or acquaintances. Their interactions with family members may still be very present and positive, but they may rarely interact in meaningful, positive ways with their peers.
Some questions to challenge us might be these: As educators, family members, and service providers, what are we doing to help children interact with their peers in ways that provides the opportunity for them to develop relationships with their peers—both as acquaintances and close friends. At present, our are supports and services promoting promoting communication with individuals in this outer circle, or also with individuals in these inner circles?
In future posts this week, I’ll share more information about why simply being in the same physical space might not do enough to promote positive social interaction between children with disabilities and their peers. We can also talk more about what strategies might be used to help support the type of positive interaction we hope for.
References:
Carter, E. W., Sisco, L. G., Brown, L., Brickham, D., & Al-Khabbaz, Z. A. (2008). Peer interactions and academic engagement of youth with developmental disabilities in inclusive middle and high school classrooms. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 113, 479-494. doi:10.1352/2008.113:479-494
Chung, Y., Carter, E. W., & Sisco, L. G. (2012). Social interaction of students with severe disabilities who use augmentative and alternative communication in inclusive classrooms. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 117, 349-367. doi: 10.1352/1944-7558-117.5.349
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This is great information. Something I think about all the time within my classroom. Trying to get peer interactions when the students are in a classroom full of ACC users can often pose a problem. Coming up with creative ways to "set up" interactions can often be difficult. Thank you for the information. I will continue to follow your posts on this topic.
rlmclaughlin - 10/14/2016
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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
