Developing Communication & Interaction Skills

1. Developing Communication & Interaction Skills By Clare Langton Communication & Interaction Manager and Psychotherapist, Curriculum Support Faculty, Priestnall School, Stockport 15th May 2012

2. What is going to happen … • To raise awareness of what happens at Priestnall • To highlight impact of developing language and communication with students on the autistic spectrum • Provide an opportunity for staff to develop skills with regard to language and communication • Offer ideas and resources for use in your own environment

3. Speech, Language & Communication Needs • Almost everything we do involves speech, language & communication: • Making ourselves known • Expressing our likes and dislikes • Interacting with others and building relationships with others • These are skills that many of us take for granted but for some children and young people these skills are much harder to grasp than for others They have speech, language & communication needs (SLCN)

4. Difficulties with SLCN can impact on: • Being able to understand what’s happening and take part in lessons • Learning to read and write • Being able to think things through • Being able to manage your feelings Every child or young person with SLCN is different, so it is useful to look at the nature and impact of their difficulties rather than the labels they may have. People with SLCN may have other diagnoses such as autism spectrum condition or Dyslexia.

5. SLCN Difficulties with Speech Possible difficulties can include:- • Speech is difficult to understand, which might include difficulty making different sounds • Problems discriminating between speech sounds, so ‘conscious’ and ‘conscience’ might sound the same • Stammering or stuttering where sounds or words are repeated or may be difficult to produce without effort • Difficulty using intonation to add meaning to words

6. SLCN Difficulties with Language • Using sentence structures more appropriate for someone younger • Problems linking sentences with words such as ‘so’ ... ‘and’ ... ‘but’ ... ‘then’ ... • Difficulties sequencing sentences to make meaningful narrative • Problems learning new words • Difficulties finding the right words at the right time • Limited vocabulary for emotions, thoughts and feelings • Difficulty understanding complex sentences • Difficulty understanding idioms such as ‘don’t hit the roof’

7. SLCN Difficulties with Communication • Limited eye contact • Poor turn taking and difficulty with starting and ending conversations • Difficulty getting a conversation back on track after two people have talked at once • Difficulty understanding and responding to feedback from the listener, not noticing when someone is bored or doesn’t understand • Difficulty staying on topic • Problems using language to negotiate in discussions or arguments

8. SLCN may not always be identified • What is not seen Undetected SLCN • What is seen Behaviour, emotional and social problems Literacy difficulties Children and young people who have behavioural, emotional and social difficulties or literacy difficulties may have SLCN/autism that has not been identified.

9. How do Students Learn? • The 5 Key Components for Learning are? Listening / Attention Memory Motivation Learning Style Language Skills

10. Identifying student needs and solutions:- • Primary Transition and early identification • Provision of Speech & Language support within school • Resources available • Group work • 1-1 support

11. Planned Programmes of Intervention at Priestnall…

12. Speech & Language Therapy programme - Appendix 1 • In conjunction with a Speech & Language Therapist this programme was designed to help students to identify emotions, feelings and how to make and join in conversations appropriately. There were 2 x 30 minute sessions per week with the exception of the first and last session, which lasted 1 hour. Students were encouraged to use the strategies they had learned, with both adults and peers.

13. Feelings & Emotions

14. Aims of the programme: Student … • is able to recognise and understand their own emotions and feelings. • is able to recognise and understand others emotions and feelings. • is able to recognise what makes good and bad conversations. • is able to initiate, maintain and end a conversation appropriately. • understands how to join a conversation appropriately. • is able to talk about themselves and know how to show interest in others. • has increased confidence talking to peers and adults.

15. Listening & Responding

16. Useful Tips Supporting Listening and Attention Skills Practical Strategies: • Focus attention before giving instructions • Use appropriate level of language • Have focused bursts of works alongside ‘learning breaks’ • Encourage students to explain what they have heard • Vary activity: alternate listening with doing • Reward good listening skills • Reduce distractions where possible • Review what has been learnt

18. Following on from 6 Week Programme • 1-1 bespoke intervention • Paired group work – bespoke intervention • Identify areas of interest – Manga / Anime after school clubs i.e. Drama, sports • Tap into resources available in school – IT, Photoshop, Art Department etc

19. Manga Club

20. Discussion Group

21. Deep Learning Day including producing a Manga Comic

22. Notions of Self Film • Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj0EwWNtk3A

24. To review session aims … • Should have raised awareness of what happens at Priestnall • Highlighted the impact of language and communication on students • Provided an opportunity for staff to develop skills with regard to language and communication • Developed ideas / strategies for your school environment

25. Thanks for listening...remember if you have any further questions – please come and ask – if I don’t know, I can find out..... Clare Langton Communication & Interaction Manager and Psychotherapist Curriculum Support Faculty clare.langton@priestnall.stockport.sch.uk