Support pupils with communication and interaction
Overview
Who is this unit for?
This unit is for those who provide support for pupils with speech and language delay, impairments or disorders; specific learning difficulties, e.g. dyslexia, dyspraxia; those who present features associated with autistic spectrum disorder; and/or those for whom language and communication difficulties are the result of permanent sensory or physical impairment including deafblindness, deafness and visual impairment. This unit may also apply to those who work with pupils with moderate, severe or profound learning difficulties.
What is this unit about?
This unit is about the support provided to pupils with severe and/or complex communication and interaction needs to enable them to maximise learning and develop relationships with others. The communication needs of pupils with severe and/or complex special educational or additional support needs may be both diverse and complex. Pupils may need help and support in acquiring literacy skills; using augmentative and alternative means of communication; developing language for a range of purposes; and organising and coordinating spoken and written English.
This unit contains two elements:
1. Support pupils with communication and interaction needs to maximise learning
2. Support pupils with communication and interaction needs to develop
relationships with
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
Support pupils with communication and interaction needs to maximise learning
P1 obtain accurate and up-to-date information about:
P1.1 the pupil's language and general communicative competence P1.2 the planned learning tasks and activities
P2 adapt the layout of the learning environment and the equipment used to enable the pupil with communication and interaction needs to maximise learning opportunities
P3 support the pupil to actively participate in learning tasks and activities P4 use the most appropriate mode of communication, including additional
visual, auditory and tactile or signing methods to reinforce spoken language
P5 support the pupil to make effective use of augmented and alternative means of communication as appropriate to his/her needs
P6 give assistance to enable the pupil to experience a sense of achievement and encourage independence
P7 positively reinforce the pupil's efforts to participate in learning tasks and activities
P8 provide feedback to relevant people on significant aspects of the pupil's participation levels and progress
Support pupils with communication and interaction needs to develop relationships with others
P9 provide opportunities for the pupil with communication and interaction needs to initiate, respond to and maintain relationships with others
P10 use appropriate strategies to encourage the pupil to contribute to conversations and discussions with others
P11 encourage the pupil to respond constructively to other people's contributions to conversations and discussions
P12 provide encouragement and support to enable other pupils to respond positively to the pupil with communication and interaction needs
P13 respond to the pupil's level of expressive and receptive language to reinforce spoken language and to promote autonomy
P14 provide feedback to relevant people on the social and communicative
development of the pupil with communication and interaction needs
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
K1 the school's policy on inclusive education and equality of opportunity and your role and responsibility in relation to this
K2 the school's policy and procedures for supporting pupils with communication and interaction needs
K3 the school's language and behaviour policies and how these impact on your work with pupils with communication and interaction needs
K4 the roles and responsibilities of others, both within and external to the school, who contribute to the support of pupils with communication and interaction needs
K5 the characteristics of the communication impairments and disorders of the pupils with whom you work, and the implications for language and communication development, social interaction and learning
K6 the differences between normal communication and the specific or more unusual patterns of communication demonstrated by pupils with significant developmental delay, impairment or those having some form of communication or language disorder
K7 the interaction between delayed language acquisition, cognitive development and sensory deficit
K8 the specific language, communication and interaction needs of the pupil(s) with whom you work
K9 any individual education plans and behaviour support plans for the pupils with whom you work
K10 strategies to enhance and promote non-verbal communication K11 visual and auditory teaching approaches that can enhance
communicative and social interactions
K12 how to adapt the general and technical vocabulary used by the teacher(s) in order to match the needs of pupils with communication difficulties
K13 physical and emotional factors which impact on a pupil's ability to engage in oral communication and ways of overcoming or minimising the effects of these
K14 the role of communication and self-expression in developing self-esteem K15 how to use praise and constructive feedback to promote communication
which is appropriate to the situation
K16 the communication methods used by the pupils with whom you work, how to use these, and how to support and promote the pupil's ability to use these effectively
K17 aspects of culture, upbringing and home circumstances that could affect a pupil's ability to communicate with others, e.g. the different interpretations of signs and gestures
K18 the school procedures for recording and sharing information
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Scope Knowledge
Values
Behaviours
Skills
Glossary
Augmented and alternative means of communication systems and equipment used by pupils with sensory or physical impairment to enable them to communicate with others and take part in learning activities, for example:
1. Total Communication approaches and the associated use of a range of sign communication systems, including signed English and British sign language
2. Braille
3. specialised equipment to enhance hearing, vision or speech, e.g. ICT equipment, auditory and visual aids, audiological and amplification equipment, low-vision devices, speech synthesisers
Information
information about the pupil’s language and general communicative competence may be obtained from:
1. the class teacher
2. a specialist teacher or the special educational needs coordinator within the school
3. written records/reports
4. outside specialists and agencies
Others
the pupils, teachers and other adults with whom pupils interact during the school day, including their peers, the class teacher, subject teachers and specialist support teachers and other adults from within or outside of the school, e.g. headteacher/principle, parent helpers, speech and language therapists
Pupils with communication and interaction needs
pupils with severe and/or complex special educational needs arising from one or more of the following:
1. speech and language delay, impairments or disorders
2. specific learning difficulties, e.g. dyslexia, dyspraxia
3. autistic spectrum disorder
4. permanent sensory or physical impairment including deafblindness, deafness and visual impairment
5. moderate, severe or profound learning difficulties affecting their ability to communicate and interact with others
Relevant people
people with a need and right to have information about pupils’ participation and progress. This will include the teacher responsible for the pupils but may also include others such as school leaders, other classroom support staff working with the pupils, special educational needs coordinator or other professionals, e.g. speech and language therapist, educational psychologist. Information sharing must always adhere to the school’s confidentiality policy
Links To Other NOS
This unit is one of four specialist units for those working with pupils with moderate, severe and/or complex special educational needs or additional support needs in a special school or mainstream setting.
The other specialist units are:
TDASTL40 Support pupils with cognition and learning needs TDASTL41 Support pupils with behaviour, emotional and social
development needs
TDASTL42 Support pupils with sensory and/or physical needs
This unit also links to:
TDASTL12 Support a child with disabilities or special educational needs TDASTL38 Support children with disabilities or special educational needs
and their families