Complex Communication
Complex Curriculum Overview Communication
Introduction
At the Vale of Evesham School, we recognise that all of our learners with complex needs have a right to be ‘heard’. For some of this group of learners, much of their communication will be pre-intentional, learners are dependent on the support of sensitive adults to interpret their vocalisations and body language. Some of our pupils are in the early stages of intentional communication and use a wide variety of strategies to communicate. We aim to provide all of the pupils with a rich and engaging curriculum in a responsive environment that motivates them as communicators.
Intent
The complex needs communication curriculum at the Vale of Evesham school aims to
- Embed the use of communication through a Total Communication approach so that pupils can communicate effectively with others in a range of social situations and in the world around them.
- Respect all pupils as effective communicators by holding Intensive Interaction as central to our communication approach.
- Optimise attention skills for all pupils so they can engage in independent exploration and in some cases can develop joint attention so they can communicate with others about things that interest them.
- Provide a rich and varied range of literacy activities to develop a love of story
Implementation
- Communication is taught both as an integral part of every activity throughout the school day and as a focus for at least one session each day.
- Communication learning takes place a in range of contexts. New learning in communication is developed in adult led activities. We see all learners as potential independent learners and use an active learning approach to support this. We value our learners as social beings and provide opportunities to communicate as part of a small or larger group.
Receptive communication
A variety of strategies are used to support pupils understanding of what is happening throughout the day, to allow them to make choices and have a sense of control. These include
- Object cues
- Objects of reference
- Personal signifiers
- Tassels on body signs
- TOBIS
- Photo cues
- Symbols
- Now / then boards
- Visual timetables
- Sign
- Speech
- Musical cues
Expressive communication
Strategies and approaches to develop expressive communication include:
- Interaction
- Body language
- Facial expressions
- Eye contact
- Gestures and pointing
- Signing (Signalong)
- Vocalisations
- Use of objects of reference
- Use of low and High-Tech AAC
- ALDS
- PECS
- Speech
Attention
We recognise that attention is a developmental skill and that our pupils will have very significant delays in their attention skills. To best facilitate learning we provide opportunities to communicate that are pupil-led and without any external content-intensive interaction. We also work to support pupils in developing their ability to attend to a stimulus, to switch attention between stimuli, and to share attention about a stimulus with another person – joint attention.
We use the attention autism approach together with other activities sp to support this learning.
Vocabulary
We recognise the importance of learning new vocabulary. We ensure this is taught both in the environment and in structured sessions. In a communication friendly environment, we use appropriate language to the pupil including key words and/or Gestalt phrases to expand vocabulary. This is done verbally and with ALDs/Symbols. This is based on natural language acquisition and Gestalt Language Processing.
Within our dedicated communication sessions, we focus on expanding vocabulary. The order of teaching is from the Derbyshire Language Scheme and based on natural language acquisition. We systematically teach vocabulary in a variety of ways to ensure it is generalised. We ensure when teaching vocabulary that we link the words to a range of objects and pictures ensuring generalised application of language.
Alongside the Derbyshire Language Scheme, we work on vocabulary for functional communication using core vocabulary. We build in activities daily to maximise opportunities for functional communication.
We display the vocabulary learned to communication profiles- this clearly shows where the children are both receptively and expressively.
When modelling communication we opt for a presumed competence approach- this ensures that we are providing access, meeting learners where they are, keeping an open mind, focusing on strengths, and giving thoughtful supports for children to expressively communicate back.
Breadth
We recognise that our learners need have consistent experiences over a considerable period of time in order to learn new skills and to be able to generalise them. We also recognise the need to provide stimulating, creative, highly individualised multisensory learning experiences to engage pupils.
Story Sharing
We recognise that all pupils have the right to access high-quality story activities. Pupils following the complex curriculum pathway have daily access to a story that is meaningful to them. Activities include
- Sensory stories
- Bag Books
- Personal stories / factual sensory stories
- Call and response story and drama
- Multi-sensory drama
- Massage stories
- Photobooks
- Tactile books
Reading skills
Some pupils who follow the complex curriculum pathway will progress on to the semi-formal pathway. Others may continue on the complex curriculum pathway but have a ‘spike’ in their skills around reading. The complex communication curriculum supports learning of the essential prerequisite skills for reading including
- Understanding of objects – generalisation, symbolic understanding
- Understanding of pictures – Tobis, photographs, symbols, and illustrations
- Language, words, rhythm, and rhyme
Objects, photographs and symbols are taught sequentially following the Derbyshire language scheme framework
Recording Ideas
Most pupils following the complex curriculum pathway will communicate ‘in the moment’. Some will begin to record ideas using a range of strategies including
- Photographs
- Symbols
- IT packages such as clicker
- Mark making / developmental writing
We use a range of strategies to help all pupils make links with repeated activities and to remember significant events. These include
- Multisensory cues
- Sensory stories based around real events
- Photobooks
- IT
Routes for Literacy provides a framework to outline how pre-requisite skills link to semi-formal writing.
Curriculum Coverage
- Pupils will have at least one session each day that has a primary focus on communication.
- Pupils will have a daily session based around a story
- Pupils will have at least 3 sessions each week focussing on attention
- Coverage of recording ideas will be based on individual needs.
Age appropriateness
As our pupils mature consideration should be given to provide them with resources that are respectful of their chronological age. However, decisions around resources are nuanced and need to take into account that a pupil may have worked over an extended period of time to develop skills around a particular resource so any move away from that resource needs to be planned and considered.
Care Routines
Our learners need a high level of support throughout the school day to manage their care needs. These care routines are not seen as sitting outside the curriculum, they provide valuable learning opportunities for pupils to develop their expressive and receptive communication skills.
Impact
The impact of learning opportunities is assessed on an ongoing daily basis through careful staff observation. Impact is evidenced using the Evidence for Learning online system. We use the engagement model to assess pupil engagement across the range of learning opportunities given to pupils following the complex curriculum pathway.
Progress in communication is assessed termly using the Vale of Evesham routes assessment tool.
We work collaboratively with parents and other professionals including speech and language therapists to set long-term communication targets as part of pupil EHCP reviews. All pupils will have at least 1 target around their communication needs. These long term targets are broken down into termly Individual learning intentions (ILIS).
