OCR Levels 2 and 3 in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools Unit 39
Support pupils with communication and interaction needs UNIT SUMMARY 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, eg. 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: 39.1 to maximise learning 39.2 to develop relationships with others Linked units 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: STL40 STL41 STL42 Support pupils with cognition and learning needs Support pupils with behaviour, emotional and social development needs Support pupils with sensory and/or physical needs This unit also links to: STL12 STL38 Support a child with disabilities or special educational needs Support children with disabilities or special educational needs and their families Place in qualifications This unit is an optional unit in the level 3 NVQ/SVQ in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools. Origin of this unit This unit is a revised version of unit 3-13 from the National Occupational Standards for Teaching and Classroom Assistants (2001). Training and Development Agency for Schools final version June 2007 Page 1 of 5
Glossary of terms used in this unit Augmented and alternative means of communication Information Others Pupils with communication and interaction needs Relevant people 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: Total Communication approaches and the associated use of a range of sign communication systems, including signed English and British sign language Braille specialised equipment to enhance hearing, vision or speech, eg. ICT equipment, auditory and visual aids, audiological and amplification equipment, low-vision devices, speech synthesisers information about the pupil s language and general communicative competence may be obtained from: the class teacher a specialist teacher or the special educational needs coordinator within the school written records/reports outside specialists and agencies 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, eg. headteacher/principle, parent helpers, speech and language therapists pupils with severe and/or complex special educational needs arising from one or more of the following: speech and language delay, impairments or disorders specific learning difficulties, eg. dyslexia, dyspraxia autistic spectrum disorder permanent sensory or physical impairment including deafblindness, deafness and visual impairment moderate, severe or profound learning difficulties affecting their ability to communicate and interact with others 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, eg. speech and language therapist, educational psychologist. Information sharing must always adhere to the school s confidentiality policy Training and Development Agency for Schools final version June 2007 Page 2 of 5
39.1 to maximise learning Performance criteria You need to: P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 obtain accurate and up-to-date information about: a b the pupil s language and general communicative competence the planned learning tasks and activities adapt the layout of the learning environment and the equipment used to enable the pupil with communication and interaction needs to maximise learning opportunities support the pupil to actively participate in learning tasks and activities use the most appropriate mode of communication, including additional visual, auditory and tactile or signing methods to reinforce spoken language support the pupil to make effective use of augmented and alternative means of communication as appropriate to his/her needs give assistance to enable the pupil to experience a sense of achievement and encourage independence positively reinforce the pupil s efforts to participate in learning tasks and activities provide feedback to relevant people on significant aspects of the pupil s participation levels and progress Training and Development Agency for Schools final version June 2007 Page 3 of 5
39.2 to develop relationships with others Performance criteria You need to: P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 provide opportunities for the pupil with communication and interaction needs to initiate, respond to and maintain relationships with others use appropriate strategies to encourage the pupil to contribute to conversations and discussions with others encourage the pupil to respond constructively to other people s contributions to conversations and discussions provide encouragement and support to enable other pupils to respond positively to the pupil with communication and interaction needs respond to the pupil s level of expressive and receptive language to reinforce spoken language and to promote autonomy provide feedback to relevant people on the social and communicative development of the pupil with communication and interaction needs Training and Development Agency for Schools final version June 2007 Page 4 of 5
Knowledge and understanding You need to know and understand: K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 the school s policy on inclusive education and equality of opportunity and your role and responsibility in relation to this the school s policy and procedures for supporting pupils with communication and interaction needs the school s language and behaviour policies and how these impact on your work with pupils with communication and interaction needs 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 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 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 the interaction between delayed language acquisition, cognitive development and sensory deficit the specific language, communication and interaction needs of the pupil(s) with whom you work 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, eg. the different interpretations of signs and gestures K18 the school procedures for recording and sharing information Training and Development Agency for Schools final version June 2007 Page 5 of 5