Communication

Pupils with PMLD may be at a stage before communication is fully intentional. This is referred to as Pre-Intentional Communication. Langside using the Affective Communication Assessment (ACA) and ImPACTS to help in the assessment of children at this stage of development. The emphasis at this stage is to identify how a child expresses like and dislikes and to provide opportunities where pupils can learn that what they do affects the behaviour of those around them; even at this early stage of development pupils are learning that they can control what happens to them.

As pupils develop intentional communication and more formal methods of communication, the Speech and Language Therapist can support with more formal communication assessments. At this stage, the emphasis is on the pupil taking more control of the communicative environment; they will be encourage to: gain the attention of adults, using voice or other appropriate means; to ask to go more of an activity or to finish; to make choices between activities.

Some students may develop early language skills and start to use communication for different functions, e.g. to make requests, ask questions, tell people how they feel. The extended Communication Curriculum and the Speech and Language Therapist will help to inform staff and families, of the most appropriate methods for individual pupils. Where appropriate both low tech communication aids (communication books, charts) and high-tech communication aids (voice output communication aids) may be used.

Strategies to aid communication development

Inclusive communication

Inclusive communication means that every pupil will be given opportunities to develop their understanding and expression using whatever strategies are most appropriate.

Langside provides an environment where communication is fun, functional, and has immediate consequences. Staff are expected to observe and respond to the communicative and potentially communicative behaviours of pupils throughout the day. Staff are familiar with the principles of Intensive Interaction and will use these to help the pupil become aware of their partner, to lead an interaction, to control the actions of their partner, and to take turns and enjoy the act of communicating.

Multi-sensory cues

Langside School believes that every pupil should have an understanding of what is happening to them throughout their day. Multi-sensory cues, including visual, auditory, tactile, and smell cues, can help a pupil to make sense of their environment and are used to provide structure to the day, to introduce a change of activity, a change of environment and a change of person.

• Objects of Reference (OoR) provide visual, tactile, and sometimes smells, as feedback

• Sounds or Songs of Reference (SoR) provide auditory feedback to a pupil

• Tactile signs provide tactile feedback to a pupil who is unable to see or who is unaware that their partner is interacting with them using speech or other keyword signing vocabularies. Staff and pupils at Langside use TaSSeLs (Tactile Signs for Sensory Learners); TaSSeLs provides tactile signs ‘on body’ for those pupils with limited hand function and co-active signing for students who need support to sign.

• Keyword signs are used to support pupils with good vision and intentional communication. When a pupil enters school using a particular keyword sign vocabulary, staff will familiarize themselves with the system and use this as the preferred method of communication.

• Photographs and symbols provide visual feedback to pupils with good vision and an understanding of symbolic material.

The communicative environment

Staff at Langside are responsible for creating situations that enable a pupil to communicate. Pupils who are beginning to communicate will need:

• Something to talk about; staff will need to provide interesting and motivating topics or objects for pupils. Sometimes the staff member will be the most interesting topic for the student.

• Someone to talk to; staff will need to ensure that the pupil has their full attention during communication.

• A means of communication; this will be entirely pupil-led and might include voice, facial expression, hands, body, eye gaze, photos, objects, voice output communication aids.

• Opportunities to practice skills; the use of repetition and routine is particularly important to children with PMLD. Routines help pupils to remember what happens in a situation and provides them with opportunities to use interaction strategies such as eye contact, gestures and tactile signing.

Communication Profiles

Each pupil has a communication profile which describes the best way in which to communicate with them. It details how staff can help the pupil to understand what is happening in the environment, and at what level they can express themselves. It details a pupil’s likes and dislikes and describes how staff can recognize these.

Cognition

Pupils at Langside learn to develop their understanding of the world through a wide range of sensory experiences. Their responses, however small, are recorded and individual targets are set.

Each pupil will have two Cognition Targets. Resources, teach styles and activities will match the individual learner as far as possible. All our pupils require access to learning opportunities that are unique and relevant to them.

Cognition Targets will be reviewed constantly and progress points to achievements are considered weekly.

Targets will cover the assessment areas of Engagement, Object Permanence, Action on Objects, Cause and Effect, and Problem Solving.

Pupils learn through repetition and structure. The school day includes daily routines, timetables and a consistent use of touch cues across the classes.

Physical

Physiotherapy activities and interventions including daily passive, assisted and independent movements, hydrotherapy, postural management and monitoring of respiratory status, are embedded into the entire school daily timetable to enable individual pupils to achieve their maximum potential in all areas of development and learning.

It relies on a multi-disciplinary approach and collaboration between class teachers, assistants and the other therapists working in school.

Personal, social, and emotional wellbeing

The PSEWB Key Skill targets two important areas of development, supporting pupils towards self-help and self-advocacy.

Self-help focuses on engagement with personal care tasks such as eating, drinking, bathing or oral hygiene, whereas self-advocacy looks at a pupil’s awareness, attachment, and enjoyment. PSEWB targets are often taken from other key skills, particularly Communication.

Delivery through routines: we know that pupils with PMLD are most likely to learn through the repetition offered in routines. The school has mapped out how all strands of learning are achievable through well-delivered routines.

Environmental Control Therapy (ECT)

The Environmental Control Technology Key Skill provides opportunities for our students to access, be aware of, and have an affect on their immediate environment through the use of various technologies enabling them to become less dependent on adult intervention.

The technologies currently used at Langside School are:

• Eye gaze

• Interactive white boards in each classroom

• Switches

• Remotes

• Ablenet boxes/Powerlinks

• iPads

• iPods

• Sound beam

• Opti music centre

One IEP target is identified in the area of ECT for each of our students. The students work towards completion of their target through discreet 1:1 sessions, whole class ECT sessions and through incidental learning during other sessions where appropriate.