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Lakeside School Communication Policy 2015 Total Communication Policy INTRODUCTION This policy has been written jointly by the headteacher and the speech and language therapists and has been adopted by the governing body. It is a joint statement of belief in communication being central to the life and work of the school an essential part of all the work we do. The term ‘handicapped’ has been replaced over time by the term ‘disabled’, and our pupils are rightly described as having learning and physical disabilities. However without a means of communication our pupils are handicapped. It is within our gift to remove this handicap and enhance the lives of our pupils. It is key to the achievement of the aims of the school. AIMS The school aims are: Provide stimulating teaching and a curriculum which motivates pupils, enabling them to enjoy school and develop a positive attitude to learning and life. Provide opportunities which will encourage, support and challenge pupils to develop as independent young people Provide a safe, supportive yet challenging environment in which all members of the school community are valued, respected and enabled to succeed Provide partnerships with parents and the wider community which will enable its pupils to become valued members of society The development of communication for every child is key to the achievement of these aims. Without the ability to communicate pupils cannot take part in the curriculum and benefit from ‘stimulating teaching’ Communication is the single most important factor in enabling our students to develop as independent individuals Pupils will be respected when their views and needs are considered alongside everyone else’s. They need to develop means of communicating their thoughts. Pupils can safely make attempts to communicate in the knowledge that their efforts will be accepted, appreciated, and celebrated. Communication needs an audience. Our pupils need to communicate at school, at home and in the wider community. In order to achieve this they will need a range of communication methods tailored to their needs. WHAT IS COMMUNICATION? According to the National Joint Committee for the Communicative Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities it is “Any act by which one person gives to or receives from another person information about that person's needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge, or affective states. Communication may be intentional or unintentional, may involve conventional or unconventional signals, may take linguistic or non linguistic forms, and may occur through spoken or other modes." (1992) Lakeside School Communication Policy 2015 PRINCIPLES Speech is undoubtedly the best form of communication there is. It is the goal to aim for with each child. It requires no preparation of materials, no equipment, and is understood by everyone. Therefore we will aim to develop speech in every child. However, for physical or psychological reasons not all children will be able to develop speech and others will only develop speech later in their lives, or at a slower rate than the norm. For these children it is essential that we look at all forms of communication and decide which method, or combination of methods, is the best to be adopted by that child at a given stage in their lives. It must be remembered that giving a child an alternative method of communication will not inhibit speech but rather enhance its development, because all forms of communication are used alongside speech. Even when speech is beginning to emerge, using additional methods can enhance and accelerate the process. It can provide a visual prompt to encourage speech and support the structuring of phrase and sentences for children at a single word level. Alternative methods will not inhibit the development of speech or replace it. They also support a child’s ability to understand the communication of others. A TOTAL COMMUNICATION ENVIRONMENT Lakeside must be a total communication environment where pupils feel valued, and supported to want to communicate with their teachers and peers. All pupils, irrespective of their communication needs, will have access to signs, symbols and other communication aids, so they may acquire the skills needed to communicate with those who use a different mode of communication from themselves. A total communication environment must enable all children to: develop pre verbal skills develop verbal comprehension and expression develop social interaction skills formulate, and convey their ideas develop emotionally and to gain self esteem develop independence express choices and develop self advocacy skills take their place in society In a total communication environment all staff must be aware: that communication is important in its own right and needs time allocated to its development, in lessons, in therapy sessions and throughout the school day. that for pupils with autism their facility with language may mask an underlying inability to understand the concepts and they also need support social communication problems must be addressed for pupils with autism even though they have good vocabulary and/ or clear speech. that pupils must have constant access to their communication aid ( books, PECS cards, symbols, VOCAs etc). This includes having appropriate vocabulary available in the relevant format, of the importance and value of each person’s opinions and ideas of the need to provide good models for speaking and listening that they need to encourage pupils to communicate with each other of the need to speak to non verbal children appropriately, including comment and discussion with which children can be actively involved. whilst language will be simplified for many pupils vocabulary must always be age appropriate. Lakeside School Communication Policy 2015 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Speech and Language Therapists Assess child who has been referred by school Decide on the nature of the communication difficulty and the support which must be given by therapists and class staff. Plan programmes of therapy and intervention Provide direct therapy as appropriate and agreed Liaise with class teacher Liaise with the autism team where relevant Ensure class staff are aware of best ways of encouraging communication for individuals and for encouraging peer to peer communication in whole class. Where VOCAs may be required, to assess the child and recommend the correct aid. To support the child, staff and parents in the best use of the VOCA. To provide programming training and other technical support and advice on vocabulary. Ongoing programming can be delegated to an appropriately trained member of class staff, parent or carer. Where communication books and other ‘low tech’ aids may be required, to assess the need and decide on the most appropriate method(s). To support staff to produce aids and advise staff and parents on the best methods of use. Support and train the chid to use the aid initially. Monitor progress Offer staff training in communication issues as requested Suggest areas for staff training where a need is identified by the therapists Provide a report for all children on the SLT caseload, as part of the annual review process. Support and provide training for any designated TAs and decide on relevant pupils for this TA support. Senior Management Team To establish an ethos and culture in the school which will promote a total communication environment To develop policies regarding aspects of total communication and review these periodically To liaise with all relevant professionals in setting and reviewing polices Monitor the use of total communication strategies across the school and plan for ongoing training. Liaise termly with the SLT team about priorities and any other issues that occur re communication Professional Development Manager To highlight courses in communication to all staff Ensure training in communication is offered as widely as possible to cover all adults in the pupils’ lives – parents, health staff, taxi personnel etc, Autism Team Advise on issues re social communication difficulty Teachers To set communication targets jointly with the SLT whenever possible To implement speech and language programmes throughout the school day To liaise with therapist on best ways of developing communication in individuals and through the whole class To ensure that total communication support is available to the child throughout the school, day Ensure that VOCAs and symbol books are constantly updated and have appropriate vocabulary for each lesson. To raise concerns about any pupil not on the SLT caseload. Lakeside School Communication Policy 2015 TAs / MSAs To work with teachers on communication plans To enable pupils to be able to interact with others, including the use of total communication To enable pupils to communicate their ideas by giving them time and helping them interpret what is being said and what they need to say To ensure that speech is encouraged outside lessons, at lunch playtime etc To encourage pupils to communicate with each other in leisure time To carry out specific work under the guidance of the SLT and class teacher Other Professionals To be aware of the importance of communication and helping to develop it in their own various settings ( physio, medicals etc) by speaking directly to the child and waiting for response either directly from the child or through a knowledgeable interpreter ASSESSMENT AND PRIORITIES All children with severe learning difficulties are likely to have some communication difficulties because of their delayed learning skills. It is accepted therefore that many will have their communication skills supported and developed in the classroom by teaching staff using the total communication strategies outlined here. Those pupils requiring a speech and language therapy assessment will be those pupils where: There is a clear mismatch between general learning skills and communication skills where the latter is more impaired., There is a mismatch between areas of communication e.g. between verbal comprehension and expression The curriculum is inaccessible due solely to communication difficulties The pupil has limited functional communication METHODS OF COMMUNICATION The following communication methods are used at Lakeside. They may be used singly or in combinations as appropriate to the child. Adults will always use spoken language alongside all alternative methods. Speech - the prime goal Vocalisation Symbolic sounds e.g. ‘brrm brrrm’ for ‘car’ Facial Expressions Body positioning Gestures Signing - see section below Objects of reference - see section below Photographs – to point to or exchange for an object Pictures - to point to or exchange for an object Symbols - to point to or exchange for an object PECS Switches VOCAs - see section below Lakeside School Communication Policy 2015 OBJECTS OF REFERENCE An object of reference is a term that describes the use of objects as a means of communication. Objects can be made to represent those things about which we all communicate: activities, events, people, and ideas just like words, signs and symbols. They can be used to support communication for people with complex needs such as those with profound and multiple learning difficulties or those who are pre-verbal with visual impairment or other sensory impairment. Objects of reference can be used for a number of reasons: As a bridge to more complex forms of communication such as sign, symbol or word To help develop an awareness and an understanding of the environment, for example by signalling what is about to happen As a means of timetabling or sequencing activities of the day To help people make choices about the activities they wish to do Objects of reference are often very specific to an individual but it has been agreed that Lakeside will have a “core” vocabulary of generic objects of reference that will be used within the school. It has been agreed that these will be references for activities which are out of the usual class base, or led by another teacher. These objects need to be used consistently to ensure they are meaningful to the pupil. It is of utmost importance that the objects are presented to pupil immediately before the activity (paired with verbal language e.g “Coming to sensory”) and that care is taken to allow the individual time to explore (usually in palm of hand) and “process” the object of reference. Staff have found it very useful to have objects of reference presented on a board with hooks on within the classroom so they are easily accessible, some pupils will be able to be share an object of reference (e.g be shown them and pass on) others may need to take the object to the place they are going (so will need an individual one). It will also be necessary to ensure a matching object of reference is in each place e.g. sensory zone, on inside of music lodge, inside door of swimming pool and in the Extended ed sensory room. Core Vocabulary - Objects of Reference Object of reference Pad Primary 1 and 2 Primary 3 & above washbag with pad (to be undone and student helped to explore discreetly) Armband (chlorine smell) Net bag containing foil Bells on band Torch Small paper fan Segment of string of beads Represents Toilet Toilet Swimming Sensory room music Science/D and T Outside Omni-vista When transition between classes/placements take place information re objects of reference used must be passed to new class/placement, and recorded in Transition Handbook. Lakeside School Communication Policy 2015 VOICE OUTPUT COMMUNICATION AID - VOCA Where VOCAs are recommended for use the following issues need to be considered and addressed. Assessment and Identification of need The SLT will assess a child for VOCA use. The child will have to show some pre abilities for example the ability to recognise symbolic representations and to be able to make choices. Manual and physical dexterity also has to be taken into consideration in terms of the physical operation of the aid. Advice from a physiotherapist or occupational therapist may also be needed. Provision of equipment This can be a problematic issue – especially with more complex and therefore more expensive machines. It is preferable that the VOCA is owned by or loaned directly to the child as it can then be used at home and school. Where the school owns the VOCA, problems may occur if the child takes the machine home and it is damaged. Insurance and hone school agreements would be necessary. The SLT and school need to work together to prepare bids to the LA or voluntary sector to provide VOCAs assigned to the child. These need to be obtained on a long term loan basis to ensure they can be upgraded as needed. The increasing use of ipads as communication aids has made more complex systems available more affordably. If the ipad becomes the child’s ‘voice’ an ipad needs to be dedicated to that child. Some pupils can become ‘addicted’ to playing games on the ipad and a decision has to be made whether to allow an individual child to have an ipad that is only for use as a communication tool or whether the child can use the tool as a multi purpose item. Ipad minis may be a more affordable and equally useful item for some pupils. Maintenance and repair This needs to be clarified when the aid is issued. It needs to be made clear between SLT, school and home where the responsibilities lie. Generally if a problem arises either parents or school staff will take the lead in obtaining a repair. Updating vocabulary requirements Classroom staff are responsible for updating overlay cards for all classroom lessons. Advice on vocabulary will be given by the SLT. Parents need to state what they need for home use, and school will need to support them in providing suitable overlays. Support for the child The SLT is responsible for teaching the child to use the VOCA. Class staff and parents will continue the teaching through use in the class and at home Training for staff and parents The SLT needs to train both staff and parents to enable them to provide the support and teaching as above. Involvement of peers Peers and siblings must be taught how to communicate with the pupil using the VOCA. There interest and involvement can provide the motivation for the child to talk. Environmental VOCA use All adults working with the pupil must devise ways that the VOCA can be used in all situations. A child does not only need a voice in one situation but everywhere. How can the VOCA be used out of the classroom? Lakeside School Communication Policy 2015 SIGNING Signing is used throughout the school as an aid to understanding for all pupils, giving them an extra visual clue alongside the spoken word. It is also used as means of allowing non verbal pupils to express themselves and as an essential means of communication with deaf pupils. All pupils are encouraged to learn to sign do that pupils can communicate with their peers. Historically Lakeside adopted Makaton signing as this was recommended for use with pupils with learning difficulties. However since this time BSL has been growing in use and is now used on TV and in many social groups. It is a recognised language. Although Makaton was based on BSL it has deviated over the years and is now not simply a collection of BSL signs. It makes sense to enable out pupils to be able to communicate with the widest number of people and BSL would appear to be the best opportunity for this. However BSL has a grammar and sentence structure of its own. To use signing as we do, to accompany standard spoken English, signing only the key words of the sentence, we intend to use Sign Supported English. The following statement is from an RNID publication. “Some deaf people prefer to use SSE. SSE is a combination of signs from British Sign Language (BSL) together with English grammar” So from November 2006 Lakeside became a Sign Supported English school. The staff devised a manual which gives the definitive signs used in school. Where BSL signs and Makaton signs are identical there are no issues. Where BSL has several signs for a given word we have chosen the sign that is the same as or as near to the Makaton sign we currently use as possible. Where there are no comparative signs we have changed to BSL and children will be helped to learn the new signs. A few signs will remain as Makaton signs as these are signs that are so ingrained in the Lakeside system that they would be very difficult to change. They are almost all signs that are also universally accepted gestures and so can be easily understood by anyone. The school had the full support of the heads of Heathlands and Knightsfield Schools for the Deaf and the Advisory Teacher for the deaf in making this change. The Speech and Language Therapy service continues to use Makaton, but the SLTs have copies of the Lakeside manual and we forsee little if any difficulty in joint working in this area. Training All staff have access to the Manual which lists all signs currently used in school. Signs are taught to staff and students in a weekly assembly. Workshops for staff, parents and other interested people are arranged as required. These are led by a member of the SMT.