Roger Rees

The effect of context on communication: a study of the language and communication skills of adults with acquired brain injury.

Primary objective: To examine the effects of changing contexts on language and communication skills of adults with acquired brain injury. Research design: Repeated measures design. Methods: Four adults with brain injury were observed in four contexts with pragmatic language and communication behaviours recorded. Contexts included baseline, two intervention phases (a 3-day camp and post-camp period) and 2-month follow-up. Results: Participants demonstrated improvements in constructive language production during intervention phases. Results indicate structure, cueing and positive experiences created language which was observed to overcome the influence of organic damage. However, at follow-up, the language and communication levels returned to baseline levels. Conclusion: Clinically, these results have implications for the development of sustained interventions for language and communication skills in community-based rehabilitation programmes. Creating supporting contexts may serve as an effective means of improving language and communication behaviours, while also facilitating optimum community inclusion.

Parental Expectations for Handicapped and Non-Handicapped Children.

The attitudes of parents of handicapped and nonhandicapped children toward daily family interaction were assessed by the Parent As a Teacher Inventory. One-way analysis of variance was used to determine significant differences between the parent samples. Step-wise discriminant analysis identified the subset items in Creativity, Frustration, Control, Play and Teaching-Learning which discriminated between groups. Comparative profiles of item mean responses indicated childrearing attitude similarities and differences. Results suggest the need for education programs to assist parents in revising certain of their childrearing expectations.

The role of physical management and handling in facilitating skills acquisition and learning by people with severe and multiple disabilities

An historical examination and review of literature demonstrates the former isolation and lack of effective physical management and handling for people with severe and multiple disabilities. It is emphasised that physical management and handling in appropriate natural environments underpins skill acquisition for people with severe and multiple disabilities. In this study a group of carers was instructed in basic physical management and handling techniques. Specific behavioural responses of four children with severe and multiple disabilities were recorded before and after the carer training. The results indicate that improved physical management and handling procedures impact on a persons orientation, communication and social interaction skills. It follows that if carers use appropriate physical management and handling procedures in natural environments, participation and skill acquisition may be enhanced and quality of life improved.

On Being Informed – Parent Attitudes to Services for Children with Special Needs

It is well known that the ways in which we perceive reality are selective. It is well known that the ways in which parents and professionals perceive the services that are provided for children with special needs are also selective. Such selectivities of parents or professionals may be shaped by their current experience, by their past learning or by the transmitted value system of families or in some instances neighbourhood communities or, of course, the value system of professional groups and subgroups. This paper, ‘On Being Infomed’, is about how a sample of 60 families from the A.C.T. and N.S.W. and W.A. with a wide range of children with special needs view current services. It is concerned with identifying the factors that parents believe might contribute to change. It is about parents perspective of services and the changes that they hope for in our schools, in departments of health and welfare and indeed changes that they hope might occur in both Government attitudes and policy. These parents views have been obtained by both responses to questionnaires and by individual interviews.

The Acquisition of Communication Skills by People with Brain Injury: Some comparisons with children with autism

This research identifies the extent to which different contexts shape and modify the language and behaviours of four people with acquired brain injury. Comparisons are made with factors which can influence the language acquisition of children with autism because it is postulated that children with autism also have a particular brain injury. The comparison does not end there as the criteria for effective management necessary to nourish the communication skills of both groups appears similar. The four contexts used to shape and evaluate the language of people with brain injury include their own home, a residential camp with maximum support and enriched activity, a post camp period with comparable support, followed by a return to their own home with very limited support. Measures of communication skills demonstrate the success of the enriched camp facility. This was characterised by planning, structured support, and expectation of success from the participants. Their motivation and ability to communicate generally far exceeded the communication skills that each person with brain injury demonstrated when organised activity and sustained support is not available.

Language intervention for children with severe intellectual disability: The effects of different interventions on children's acquisition of receptive and expressive language

Three years of intervention to improve the language skills of children with severe intellectual disability are reported. Family based teaching, therapy and counselling programs were used as the basis of the interventions. Repeated language measures (norm referenced) were used to assess the effects of the interventions. Comparison with other language intervention studies are made. The distinct features of the effective behaviourally oriented teaching program are identified.

A Profile of Childrearing Characteristics for Parents of Intellectually Handicapped Children

This paper describes the attitudes of parents towards daily interaction with their intellectually handicapped children. Parents attitudes were assessed using the Parent As A Teacher Inventory (PAAT). Total and subset mean scores were calculated and were within the range of means reported for various ethnic groups of parents with normal children in the United States. A comparison of the attitudes of parents with Downs Syndrome children and parents with children classified as Brain Damaged indicated a more positive open attitude on the part of parents with Downs Syndrome children. Parent profiles based on each of the subsets – Creativity, Frustration, Control, Play and Teaching-Learning – are presented and these indicate the particular difficulties that parents face, their positive as well as negative attitudes, and the extent to which these attitudes are based on inappropriate expectations.