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Please check. Quick questions or quandaries?. Announcements. Please turn in your readings review now . Intervention papers and presentations are due next week. Please email me if you have questions.
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Announcements Please turn in your readings review now. Intervention papers and presentations are due next week. Please email me if you have questions. Yes, you MAY include information from your intervention paper and your classmates’ presentations in your final assignment. So look ahead to see what you might need to share/learn.
APA Tip of the Day: Attributing action – anthropomorphism “Inappropriately or illogically attributing action in an effort to be objective can be misleading. Examples of undesirable attribution include use of the third person, anthropomorphism, and use of the editorial we” [emphasis added] (APA, 2010, p. 69). “Do not attribute human characteristics to animals or to inanimate sources” (p. 69)
To avoid anthropomorphism, ask yourself – can X actually do Y? “An experiment cannot attempt to demonstrate, control unwanted variables, or interpret findings, nor can tables or figures compare (all of these can, however, show or indicate). Use a pronoun or an appropriate noun as the subject of these verbs. I or we (meaning the author or authors) can replace the experiment” (APA, 2010, p. 69).
Today’s Topic: Intervention, cont.
Important Watermarks in the Development of Communication: • Intentional communication • Conventional communication • Symbolic communication • Language
Intentional? Purposeful. There's a goal. There's a plan.
Intentional Communication: “signaling behavior in which the sender is aware a priori of the effect that a signal will have on his listener.” (Bates, as cited in Reichle, Halle, & Drasgow, 1998, p. 419)
Intentionality is not “all-or-none” (Wetherby, Alexander and Prizant, 1998, p. 137) Absence of awareness of a goal; Awareness of the goal; Simple plan to achieve the goal; Coordinated plan to achieve the goal; Alternative plan to achieve the goal; & Metapragmatic awareness of the plan to achieve the goal.
Important Point! Gestures, vocalizations, and eye gaze are, for most children, are the earliest means (forms) of communicating intentionally. Therefore, if we want to help children develop intentional communication, we must be highly responsive, in predictable contexts, of their earliest (even non-intentional) communication attempts.
Conventional communication? • Communication forms that are generally accepted and used within a social group/community. • These do NOT have to be “vetted” forms (e.g. in a dictionary), but their use should not be restricted to only a few people (like ‘tumpted’). • The opposite of conventional is “idiosyncratic”.
Discussion Question:Why are gestures important to consider at this level of communication development?
Discussion Question Why is it important to figure out whether an individual is using symbolic communication (e.g. abstract, decontextualized representations) or not? If they are using any kind of representation (e.g. pictures) isn’t that enough to know about?
Symbolic? • An arbitrary and abstract relationship between the referent and its representation. • Use of the symbol in a decontextualized manner. Remember! Whether something is a symbol or not depends on the relationship between the referent and its representation FOR THE INDIVIDUAL!
Language? • Intentional • Conventional • Symbolic • Comprehension and production of written, spoken, and/or signed words • Rule governed
Quick Write What are some of the obstacles to implementing a naturalistic or milieu type intervention in a classroom setting that need to be overcome? What are some solutions to these barriers?
“Nonverbal” is not a useful descriptor There is a HUGE range of communication skill levels within the group of individuals who are identified as ‘nonverbal’.
So, what to do? First identify “where” your student is, in terms of: • intentionality • symbol-ness • language Then, plan for intervention in natural contexts, with real communication partners, consistent with “promising practices.”
Intervention Target Selection: Intentional communication is a precursor to the development of language. So, if a child has not yet developed intentional communication, language production is probably not the most appropriate target of intervention.
Developing “symbol-ness” First words and early gestures are typically not fully symbolic’ they need to become “decontextualized.” Therefore we need to encourage students to use their words, gestures, or other means to communicate in a variety of contexts and for a variety of functions. • Not only for requesting!
“Eliciting” Communication Natural elicitation, rather than direct elicitation, is recommended for early language and communication development. Following the individual’s attentional lead, setting up routines and arranging the environment, and responding to communicative attempts work better than artificial word elicitation strategies (i.e. flash cards).
Cultural Sensitivity is a MUST! It is important to consider the communication style preferred by the family. Some intervention strategy may include some aspects that are inappropriate for some cultural groups. For example, telling a Native American student to look at you when fostering joint attention, or engaging only in adult child dyads, instead of child-child dyads, might be aspects you will need to modify.
No Cookbooks! There is no one right strategy or set of strategies for teaching communication skills to all individuals with intensive communication needs or with a specific disability label.
Don’t forget! • Accept and encourage multiple modes of communication. • Plan for generalization of skills to a variety of communicative contexts. • Take into account how different contexts influence the individual’s need for supports (i.e. cueing) and the types of communication that are appropriate within different settings.
Looking ahead… Intervention Presentations!
