Communication: Tips

Tips

• By supporting children and young people to use alternative and augmentative approaches to communicate (Total Communication Approach), we can help capture information that supports care and support planning, as well as improve understanding, communication, and relationships, as part of preparing for adulthood.
• Children and young people with SEND may also have social communication difficulties when using language socially both expressively and receptively. They may have difficulties understanding social rules within a social situation. This can of course have an impact on making friendships or relationships. It may become visible during transitions to new education settings where social rules and norms can become more complex.
• A Total Communication Approach is accepting all types of communication, not just speech but facial expressions, and gestures. The National Council for Special Education Needs [Size: 2.3 MB, File: PDF] have a useful resource.
• Meta-communication is nonverbal communication. It enhances what is being said to us or, can make you feel that something is different to what it is being told to you. For example, if you ask a young person the question: “Are you feeling happy? The young person’s reply might be yes, but they roll their eyes. Rolling the eye is often an indication that something might be wrong, not what is being said.
• For some young people, reading non-verbal communication can be very difficult and especially important when thinking about preparing young people for adulthood, such as moving into employment, community engagement, or making new friends.
• Social communication refers to the use of verbal (spoken language) and nonverbal (eye gaze, facial expression, gestures) communication in social situations, to tell other people what you want, express feelings, relate to other people and develop meaningful relationships.
• Encouraging the use of visuals to communicate routine: Visual timetable and encourage young people to take ownership of the schedule if a visual schedule is used.
• Does the young person know where there is a quiet, safe space that they can go to during lunch breaks? Are their clubs centred around the young person's interests inside and outside of school or college?
• Circle of Friends and peer mentoring sessions.
• 1:1 weekly mentoring check-in sessions which include future planning alongside social stories.
• Social skills learning, social stories, group works, and social communication groups.
• Provide alternative methods of communicating cards such as, ‘Break Please!’, or ‘May I get a drink please.’
• Emotional literacy is important. It gives us the ability to recognise and understand and express our emotions appropriately and how we manage our feelings & how we manage our interactions with others. Emotional and Mental Health provides information to remove barriers in schools.