MORE: Means, Opportunities, Reasons and Expectations
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The document discusses strategies for improving communication skills for people with severe communication impairments. It focuses on providing means of communication through noticing all forms of expression, reasons to communicate through motivating activities, and opportunities through supportive relationships and accessible resources. The goal is to build competency through scaffolding skills and maintaining high expectations.
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MORE: Means, Opportunities, Reasons and Expectations
- 1. MORE For people with severe communication impairments and learning difficulties: bridging the digital divide Dr Anne Emerson, Division of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University Dr Jackie Dearden Nottingham City Council Children and Families
- 2. Means, Reasons and Opportunities Without a means Without reasons to of communication communicate, there you cannot express is no point or need to yourself communicate Means Reasons Opportunities Without opportunities to communicate there cannot be Money and any communication Thurman (1994)
- 3. Our Participants Aged 6-14 years Severe expressive difficulties Appear to have limited understanding of speech Motor control and planning difficulties Are classified as severely intellectually impaired
- 4. Philosophy Having higher expectations regarding: Literacy Understanding Motivation Cooperation Problem solving Will result in increased engagement and interaction Performance does not equal competence
- 5. Our Approach To promote engagement by: Noticing and reinforcing all participation M Taking the lead from the child regarding their means of communication M Offering and scaffolding complex tasks to ensure success O Using full speech (not MSA) O Persistently presenting activities to promote engagement R Not following developmental stages E
- 6. MORE: Building Communication and Learning MEANS OPPORTUNITIES EFFECTIVE INTERACTIONS THAT BUILD TO COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE EXPECTATIONS REASONS
- 7. MORE: Expectations Expectations have been identified as an important factor in raising achievement (Rist 2000) To demonstrate appropriate expectations we need to examine our assumptions and behaviour We need to notice, recognise and learn how to interpret and ‘read’ different ways of communicating Adopt the least dangerous assumption (Donnellan 1984)
- 8. MORE: Means Means for communication and demonstration of learning Closely observe a person’s range of means Vocalisations/sounds Body movement/gesture (including signing, eye gaze, giving and pointing) Facial expression Eye gaze, giving and/or pointing Teach looking and pointing Motor component (hand eye co-ordination) Changing self concept to one of being able to communicate If the teaching of pointing is scaffolded well enough the majority of people can learn to point independently
- 9. MORE: Reasons Develop an intrinsic motivation to engage and communicate with others Identify activities that motivate engagement for a wide range of reasons: To make things happen/choose To express views and feelings To refuse or protest To gain information To be sociable To pass messages To demonstrate learning
- 10. MORE: Opportunities Motivate people extrinsically to engage and communicate through supportive relationships characterised by: Expectation of engagement Empathy Support for initiation Co-operation Ensuring success (scaffold questions) Interpreting, clarifying, verifying Provision that ensures Resources and support throughout the day Meaningful choice making Stimulating curriculum and activities
- 11. Conclusions MORE: scaffold the ability to point accurately and develop hand-eye co-ordination MORE: practice skills in relaxed, motivating and controllable environments MORE: simple movements access complex language, ideas and knowledge MORE: adopting the least dangerous assumption by providing levels that show high expectations
Editor's Notes
- Our approach was developed through working with young people and combines knowledge from educational and speech and language therapy background. It is anticipated that taking account of this model will help when developing and designing new software, applications and approaches.
- The MORE approach is based on MRO model used by speech and language therapists in Nottinghamshire. A recording and monitoring form was developed to track changes in communication in response to an intervention (2004-2005 study)
- Our projects have involved YP aged 6-24 years with severe communication impairments. Many had access to signing but did not use it. Most had problems with planning motor movements as well as executing them. One example of how YP presented at the beginning of a project to teach pointing is shown in the next clip (Alistair)
- Move from MRO to MORE - we will demonstrate what does this mean in terms of practice/the way we interact with people. There is potential for technology to make a difference for the population of learners through adopting this model.
- Expanding on each part of the MORE approach and will use video clips to illustrate. If expectations are soooo important how do we as educators/supporters demonstrate appropriate expectations? We need to examine our assumptions and adopt the least dangerous assumption We need to recognise and learn how to interpret the different ways in which young people communicate
- Expectations are important but without a means people cannot express themselves. In practice we attempt to develop means by: Close observations Teaching looking and pointing - original gesture only becomes a point when it is perceived as such by an adult so what starts unintentionally becomes intentional (Vygotsky 1991). The child who does not point well, who does not manifest good hand-eye coordination may not receive the response he or she needs to develop the original gesture into something communicative. Participants demonstrate a regular pattern of looking longer at significant letters speaks of the possibility that people can be trained in eye-hand co-ordination
- If a young person does not experience adults responding to the intentionality of their attempts to communicate at an early age the danger is that the context in which the young person develops is one which routinely restricts opportunities and their experience of interest may be diminished if not reciprocated. Our actions depend on the reactions of others. If the only reaction we receive is restricted then the pattern of response and self-belief will also be restricted therefore under-stimulation must be avoided. Technology and/or game based learning may be used to increase stimulation and support the provision f a wider range of reasons to communicate than is typically offered to children with severe communication and intellectual impairments
- Need to avoid ‘learned helplessness’ where a person with very limited communication has to a large extent given up on making attempts to communicate.
- Software development that bridges the digital divide by focusing on MORE