watch your language! professor amanda kirby the dyscovery centre university of wales, newport

WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!

Professor Amanda KirbyThe Dyscovery Centre

University of Wales, Newport

The pack contains

• What are SLCI?

• Why do YOU need to know?

• How do young people present?

• What can you do to help individuals?

• How can you make your organisation more inclusive for young people with SLCI?

Objectives

• Gain an understanding

• Provide you with materials to train others

• Provide you with support materials in your own work.

• Improve access and understanding for young people with SLCI

Objectives of this session

• Gain an understanding

• Provide you with some materials to train others

• Provide you with support materials in your own work

• Improve access and understanding for young people with SLCI

Ultimately your training objectives

• To draw on the experiences of practitioners you work with

• To enable and demystify speech , language and communication impairments and provide supporting information for others

• To examine the impact of SLCI on young people and their families in the context of the school/work setting

• To explore how your services can be supportive and inclusive

Limitations of today

• Provide you with an overview• Enable you to be familiar with the pack

• Time

• But there are reading/resource ideas in your pack

In your pack

• Handouts of this session

• Evaluation form

• Train the trainers materials

Sections

• Section 1 – Introduction• Section 2 - What are SLCI and what does it feel

like to have SLCI?– Play the DVD or read through the booklet

• Section 3 – Experiential session– Use the activity cards to experience what it feels like

to have SLCI. Discuss the case studies.

• Section 4 - What can you do as an organisation? – Questionnaires for the organisation to complete so

that you can see what you are currently doing and what more can be done.

Section 2What are SLCI?

Play DVD

Section 3Experiential – case studies and activity

cards

Section 2What are SLCI?

Read booklet

Section 4What can your

organisation do?

Section 1Introduction

Section 1

Introduction

DO YOU

• Know someone who has SLCI?

• Have SLCI yourself?

• Think that someone may have a SLCI?

Why do YOU need to know?

• Current legislation– DDA

• Guidance– Everybody's Business– Every Child Matters

• Human Rights

What is being said….

• “Young people should be able to benefit from a range of safe and enjoyable places to go including a wide range of sporting , cultural activities and experiences and opportunities for volunteering”

• Youth Opportunities Fund

“Meaningful participation is a process, not simply the application of isolated, one-off participation activities or events Acting on children and young people’s views brings positive outcomes: in service developments; increasing young people’s sense of citizenship and social inclusion; and enhancing their personal development”.

• Building a Culture of Participation• Involving children and young people in policy,

service planning, delivery and evaluation Research Report for DFES, 2003

This is not one person’s responsibility

• Need for inter-disciplinary approaches

• Requires joint working with other services

• Local and national knowledge- where and who to refer and roles of e.g. SALT/CAMHS/psychologist

• Inclusive from the word go- – good practice benefits everyone

Speech Language Communication Impairments ( SLCI)

• Not everyone is the same

• Huge variation– Overlap with other difficulties– Influenced by past experiences– Associated mental health issues

What are Speech Language

Communication Impairments?SLCI

Prevalence

• 2-3 children in an average class

• 0.2% impairment likely to impact in all aspects of their lives

• 6% of children

Prevalence

• 50% of those will present with behavioural difficulties

• SLCI is associated with higher levels of psychiatric disorders

• 10% Young offenders significant SLCI (Hamilton, 1999, Bryan 2004)

• Early language difficulties are a predictor of later difficulties- e.g. mental health problems ( Clegg,1999)

SLCI often overlaps with

• Co-ordination difficulties- DCD/Dyspraxia

• ADHD ( 70% will have SCLI)

• Dyslexia and literacy difficulties

• Behavioural difficulties

The need to communicate

“ The basic motivating factor for all human social behaviour is a lifelong need for human

recognition”( Dusay and Dusay 1989)

Importance of social interaction

• For good self perception

• Good self esteem

• Important for future relationships and employability

The young person

• May come with a label

• Semantic pragmatic• Verbal dyspraxia• Receptive• Expressive• Articulation• ASD• Asperger’s Syndrome• PDD-NOS• Hearing loss

Communication• Communication is :

– The way we receive and understand spoken and written information

– The ability to express information by words, signs or writing.

• Some young people have difficulties – with the production of speech; – difficulties understanding and interpreting what others are

saying and being able to “decode” it.

Language

Language has to do with meanings, rather than sounds. 

Can the young person understand what is being said and then respond in an appropriate manner?

This is taking meaning from the world around them and making sense of it and responding with others.

Verbal and non-verbal

• Verbal (what you say)

• Non - verbal (use of gestures, pointing to something you want, smiling at someone, the shrug of your shoulders when unsure, the use of hands to stop someone).

Non verbal language

Gestures and Postures

• Hand and arm movements that communicate meaning are called gestures

• positions of the entire body that convey meaning are called postures.

Non verbal signs

Picking up the non verbal cues

I am sorryI AM sorry

I am sorry?

I AM SORRY!

Receptive language

Understand what is being said to you

Expressive language

• Thinking and constructing sentences

• Answering questions

• saying words clearly without errors

• Verbal Dyspraxia

• Stammering

Articulation

Social language

• Judging when to start.

• When to stop

• Tone of voice

• Intonation

• Volume

• Pace

Idioms

• Eye catching• Lose weight• Flying low• Your ears are burning• Put your mind at rest• Hard to handle• Putting your feet in it• Come straight to the point

The young person

May not tell you… – because it has not been recognised– Or not want you to know– Or may not have insight into their own

difficulties– May have learnt diverse strategies to cover

up/mask their difficulties

What may they miss out on?

• Social groupings in school

• Youth club

• Sports

• After school clubs

• Services providing voluntary work for young people

What he or she might be feeling but not saying?

• Others laugh at me for a reason I don’t understand

• What have I done wrong here• I don’t know who my friends are• I am angry with others around me• I am worried about tomorrow• I can’t cope with everything• He thought I was being rude- I was just telling

the truth

Consultation with young people

“ they think I am being naughty when I don’t understand- I am trying my best”

“You think I am unmotivated because I forget to bring things to classes and haven’t listened to you”

“Other people think I am stupid because they can’t always understand me”

What are potential barriers to being involved in all aspects of

life?

Barriers

• ‘My child “R” can access special tennis and badminton but it would be nice for him to play with standard kids and make friends. Clubs want kids who play to a higher standard.’

• ‘Peers are streetwise and confident. My daughter is immature therefore feels left out. I want her to have a place in society. She doesn’t see herself any different. Therefore, going to social events with general special needs is not challenging.’

Barriers

• No local provision,transport

• Lack of understanding

Parents are anxious about their children.. And won’t let them participate unless they feel

confident

What gives parents confidence?

• Ethos/culture of the organisation

• Level of staff supervision

• Use of strategies

• Understanding of SLCI

• Safety precautions

• Working in partnership with parents

‘Feeling that he would be safe and not bullied.’

‘Youth leaders to have a better understanding of children’s speech difficulties and to be

aware that these children will find it difficult to ‘just join in’.

‘I would be happy if all organisers had some instruction in the difficulties the children have, so that they can make any verbal instructions simpler and they had an understanding of how this impacts on children.’

Misconceptions

“Many activities are not accessible due to the lack of understanding by the teachers and professionals who run the activities. The communication issues leave the child labeled as naughty or challenging.’

‘I would like him to do football but can’t let him as if he does not understand what is going on around him he will just wander off without telling anyone.’

‘Organisers are willing to attempt to include but can’t differentiate their approach sufficiently and relationship breakdown/lack of confidence occurs.’

Good practice

• ‘Guide leaders know E and understand her needs and her limitations. One of the leaders learnt Makaton so she could communicate with E.’

• Cadets- structure and discipline

• Woodcraft folk- inclusive

Poor practice

• ‘I used to find it annoying that I would explain to central booking at the sports centre, (without my son present), about his difficulties, only to find that the details had not been passed on to the instructor or register about his needs, and I would have to explain again in front of my son and all the other children.’

• PE teacher- can’t be bothered, being shouted at, left on the sidelines, poor communication- information not passed on

What should you look for?

Hot spots

• Starting a conversation• Leaving a conversation• Group settings• Asking for help• Zoning out• Missing information• Literal interpretation• Poor time concepts• Anxiety in a new situation• Bullying or being bullied

SCLI identifiers

• Flies off the handle without an obvious reason• Overly honest- tells what he or she is thinking

and not aware of consequences• Seems to listen but not be able to follow

instructions given even when repeated• Walks out of social situations or interrupts

others• Not understanding social distance- e.g.

standing too close to others

Unfamiliarity with terminology

• Hoe

• Hose

• Ho

• Table, tables

Can you recognise these signs in anyone?

• May be subtle

• May be misconstrued

• May cause irritation

• May mean you need to be more patient

• May mean it takes longer to get a task done

We take for granted

• Social skills are learnt intuitively• Not formally taught• Believe that others have understood us• Where to stand , how to talk, when to start and

stop• Get the rules… and can adapt to new situations• Gain “ social antennae”• Have a feeling of cultural differences

If you don’t get IT…

what are the consequences?

It makes you potentially more vulnerable

• Sexual behaviour- others may take advantage of you- or you may misread the signs

• Mental health- greater risk of anxiety and depression

• Abuse by others- put forward as the stooge, left to cope with the problems,

“his fault”• Misrecognise signs of friendship

And…

– At risk of being taken advantage of socially/sexually

– Risk take so they can be included- drink/drugs/sex

– Be “caught” as they do not have the skills to get out of a situation or predict it is going wrong.

Coping with being an adolescent

What happens in adolescence?

• Emotional changes

• Hormonal and growth changes

• Individuation- becoming your own person

• Separation- from parents

• Peer-peer approval is important

How would YOU behave?

• If spoken to in Russian for half an hour

• If had ears blocked so only could hear bits of conversation

• If landed from Mars…. What are the social rules e.g. for eating out, coming into a room

• If you said what you thought out aloud

Fixed perceptions

“Life sentences”

Prejudice

Stage 4

What can you do as an organisation?

Routes to success

• What do you do now- measure a baseline

• Consider what you need to do

• Deliver staff training and awareness

Help requires..

• Awareness and understanding in your organisation by your staff/teams of SCLI

• Open and positive attitude

• Inclusive practices from start to finish

• Support specific to individuals with known difficulties

• Awareness by other young people

Good practice is good for all

How can you help?

• Give instructions slowly• Breaking directions down into simple steps • Using picture cues or directions• Speaking slower and in smaller phrases• Directions are more easily understood if

they are repeated clearly, simply and in a variety of ways

How can you help?

• Instructions written down

• Don’t assume everyone has understood when they have nodded

• Ask for feedback

• Understand that a task or skill learnt in one area may not transfer

• Sometimes skills may take a looooong time to learn- be patient

A defined policy

• Creating a checklist for your school/service to ensure continuity

• Gather local information who to talk to/refer if concerned

• Talk to parents about what works best

Do you have jargon or terminology you use?

• Youth clubs

• Leisure centres

• Probation

• School/college

What are the rules of your organisation?

Your processes• How do individuals come to you if they have

difficulties?• How do you “advertise” your ‘services’?• What information are they and their parents

given? How easy is it to read?• What format does that information come in?• What are the issues of disclosure.. i.e. them

telling you about their difficulties and them or you telling others?

Arriving at a new place

• Meeting people• Understanding the social rules of the setting • Understanding the activities• Awareness of the space• Requesting help- in a way that is not

misinterpreted• Not requesting help and getting it wrong

Fall out- what happens IF it goes wrong?

• With leaders

• With peers

• Communicating with the young people/and their parents

When may times create difficulty?BE PREPARED

• Different people

• Different place

• Different words

• Different task

Not patronising

• Accessible, acceptable and appropriate– Not patronising- placing in a younger age

group

What are your options if you are concerned?

• Where can you refer?

• Discussion with parents and young person

• Issues of confidentiality

In your pack

• Section 1 – Introduction• Section 2 - What are SLCI and what does it feel

like to have SLCI?– Play the DVD or read through the booklet

• Section 3 – Experiential session– Use the activity cards to experience what it feels like

to have SLCI. Discuss the case studies.

• Section 4 - What can you do as an organisation? – Questionnaires for your organisation to complete so

that you can see what you are doing currently and what can be done further.

Thank you

Amanda Kirby

amanda.kirby@newport.ac.uk

www.dyscovery.org