Communicating with Persons with Severe Handicaps: Roles of Parents and Professionals

Abstract

Since 1971 the language and communication program at the Nisonger Center has integrated training, research, and program development into a unified approach to communication problems of persons with severe delays. The focus of the program is on establishing a balanced and matched communicative relationship between the child and his natural teachers. First, five stages of communication development between adult and child are identified. Second, four major developmental areas are described in relation to the establishment of social-communication habits: social play, communication, language, and conversation. Each of these areas is discussed in detail, with attention to specific problems and strategies for enhancing communication development. Implications of this model are discussed, including the need for a revaluation of the roles of parents and professionals as well as the need for recognition of the importance of social interaction between a child and significant adults in the development of language and communication.